(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is seeing a bumper crop of bugs this summer, with flying and biting pests aplenty that are making the great outdoors much less great for humans. The state’s had a lot of rain in recent weeks and standing water can quickly become a breeding ground for many thousands of mosquitoes. Zach Schumm, an insect specialist at Iowa State University, says there’s only so much we can do to fight off the droves of pesky insects. “A lot of different cities have mosquito control districts or just city entities or entities that will come out and spray mosquitoes that are in really problematic areas,” Schumm says, “or in areas where they’ve identified mosquitoes that are carriers of some human pathogens like West Nile virus.”
There are at least 57 different species of mosquitoes found in Iowa, but Schumm says it’s not just mosquitoes that are making some of us miserable. “There’s many different types of insects that can be bothering you out and about,” Schumm says. “Typically, if we’re seeing really big clouds of insects, that swarm and hover around your head, and sometimes it seems like they’re getting close to your ears. Those tend to be things like midges, or generically just call them gnats, if you if you’d like. There’s so many different types of flies out there that can have similar behaviors.”
Katie Jensen, a wellness education specialist at Gundersen Health System, says there are tried-and-true ways to keep the insects from swarming. “Wearing thicker materials, because mosquitoes can bite through really thin materials. Wearing lighter colors, they seem to not be as attracted to lighter colors as darker colors,” Jensen says. “Making sure that you’re utilizing an EPA-registered repellent. There is a ton of information on the EPA website and they have various things if there are different ingredients that you want to maybe avoid, or maybe want to be drawn more towards.” Patrol your yard and make sure there’s no water sitting in flower pots, tires, gutters or elsewhere. “Watching just in the kiddie pools, maybe not leaving the water sit for days on end, making sure that you’re changing those out,” Jensen says. “If there are any buckets or toys or things that are left outside, just ensuring that you’re dumping the water out of them either daily or every couple days. Just really not giving the mosquitoes that invitation to come in and breed.”
If you have a bird bath, change out the water routinely, or, consider buying a battery-powered gadget that makes waves in the bowl, or a pump that circulates the water. Many Iowans love to go camping during the summer months and if you’re planning a prolonged adventure, you may want to invest in a few other precautions to avoid being bitten. “Mosquito nets are also really helpful. So head nets, they do make those for kids as well. So if you’re going to be out in the deep woods where there are a lot of different mosquitoes, having that as an option for yourself and also for your kids, too,” Jensen says. “They even make little covers for car seats or strollers, mosquito nets, so a really good investment if you’re going to be out and about.” Even though it may be less comfortable in the summer heat, long sleeves and long pants will help to cover your skin.
Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.
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