Fight the Bite

June 6th, 2017 by ifiadmin

Now that warmer weather is here, it’s important to take precautions against mosquito and tick bites. While we, in Michigan, are at a low risk for Zika, Michigan mosquitoes can carry illnesses such as West Nile virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), and ticks can carry illnesses such as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Those with the highest risk of illness caused by WNV are adults 50 years of age and older, but we’re not just talking people. Horses and other animals can be targets for mosquito-borne viruses such as EEE and our dogs and cats are susceptible to tick-borne diseases like Lyme Disease. Mosquitoes could also carry the heartworm larvae.

The easy answer is to avoid these little miscreants, but we love our outdoor activities. Avoiding ticks is a bit easier than mosquitoes. During May, June, and July, if you are in tick infested areas, walk in the center of trails to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaf litter at trail edges.

Tuff Turf Molebusters helps you ‘fight the bite’ with our professional mosquito spraying and treating your lawn against fleas and ticks (free with our mosquito program).


Mosquitos and You

March 11th, 2016 by ifiadmin

Aedes_aegypti_mosquitoMosquitoes spreading the Zika Virus is one of the hottest topics on the national news. Before that it was West Nile Virus.

It’s believed that 4 in 5 people with the virus don’t show any symptoms, and the primary transmitter for the disease, the Aedes mosquito species, is both widespread and challenging to eliminate. That means that fighting Zika requires raising awareness on how people can protect themselves. Google, whose mission is helping people find information, is providing UNICEF with a $1 million grant to help their efforts in analyzing, mapping and getting out information on the virus.

First, we were told to not worry because Zika Virus would not come to the U.S. A month later, the Zika virus was discovered in Texas, but not to worry because it would not come to the Midwest. A few weeks later, a woman in Indiana was diagnosed with the Zika Virus, but not to worry because it won’t come to Michigan. Then, a week later it was diagnosed in a woman in Lansing.

Zika Virus is spreading throughout the U.S. almost as quick as the promises by the presidential candidates. Zika Virus causes severe, permanent neurological disorders. It is spread by mosquitoes and once in the human system, it can be spread via sex.

Mosquitoes are the largest threat to our health. There were 5 confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in Michigan last September. While our mosquito program cannot eliminate every mosquito or prevent any diseases, it significantly reduces the mosquito population. You will be able to enjoy the outdoors and not get eaten alive.