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Insect Control

Mosquito Misting Winner in Grand Rapids

September 2nd, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

Congratulations Matthew Kind for winning this month’s drawing on Facebook for a free mosquito misting.  Each month we give away a free service to one of our “likes”.  No purchase is necessary and you don’t have to be a current client.

Bee stings close path in Grand Rapids

August 25th, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

West Nile Virus in West Michigan

August 24th, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

Mosquitoes are coming!

August 17th, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

August 2nd, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

Well not really.  We didn’t give away a chicken dinner, but Anne F. of Grand Rapids did win a free mosquito misting so that she can grill that chicken without getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.

The world’s deadliest animal

July 12th, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

The world’s deadliest animal is back in the limelight.  In 1999-2000 we first learned of West Nile Virus.  In 2013-2014 it was Chikungunya, in 2015-2016 it is Zika virus.  No animal, including humans, kills more people in a year.  2.7 million people die annually from malaria alone, according to the World Health Organization.

Winner of free mosquito control

July 7th, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

Congratulations Jason Minier for winning this month’s FaceBook drawing for a free mosquito control misting.  Each month we have a drawing and give away a free service to one of our Facebook likes.  No purchase is necessary, but this is for single family homes that are in our service area.

More About Zika Virus from the Michigan Mosquito Control Association

April 26th, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

More about Zika virus:

Zika is a viral illness spread by the bite of two species of infected mosquitoes, and is an emerging disease in the western hemisphere. People who are bitten by a Zika virus infected mosquito often show only minor symptoms, if any. Major concerns of Zika, however, include the virus’ documented impact on pregnancies and sexual transmission of the virus. Below are some frequently asked questions about Zika virus:

How does somebody get Zika virus?

Zika is primarily spread through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito: 

  •     Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are common in South & Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and some parts of the U.S.. They have not been detected in the state of Michigan.
For updated information about areas with Zika, go to www.cdc.gov/geo/index.html

Zika is also transmitted through sexual contact: 

  •      Zika can be passed from an infected man during sex. The man gets infected by a mosquito bite and spreads it to his partner through unprotected sex. This is preventable by using condoms, the right way, every time during all types of sex.
For up-to-date recommendations regarding the prevention of sexually transmitted Zika, see: www.cdc.gov/zika

You cannot get Zika virus from coughing and sneezing.

What are the symptoms of Zika virus?

  • Most people infected with Zika will not show symptoms and don’t even know they have it. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. 
  • Zika symptoms may include: fever, headache, rash, reddened eyes, joint and/or muscle pain.

What are the concerns for pregnant women?

  • If a pregnant woman is infected with Zika, she can pass the virus to her fetus. Zika has been linked to cases of microcephaly. Microcephaly is a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age.
  • Pregnant women or women planning to get pregnant are advised to avoid, or postpone travel to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission.
For information about birth defects related to Zika virus, see: www.cdc.gov/zika
For updated information about areas with Zika, go to www.cdc.gov/geo/index.html

How can I prevent mosquito bites while traveling to areas with Zika virus?

  • The mosquitoes that transmit Zika bite during the day and night. 
  • It’s important to wear EPA registered insect repellents when in areas with current Zika virus activity. Loose fitting, long sleeved shirts and pants can also be protective in these areas. 
  • Try to stay in locations with window and door screens and air conditioning.

Will Zika be a health threat in the U.S.?

  • Zika may spread through mosquito bites in some states later this spring and summer. Based on US experiences with similar viruses (dengue and chikungunya), states like Florida, Hawaii, and Texas, may have cases or small clusters of diseases that are spread by infected mosquitoes. Additional states may also be at risk. 
  • To date, the species that transmit Zika virus have not been found in the State of Michigan. 
  • Some health departments and areas with mosquito control districts are actively monitoring for the presence of these mosquitoes in the state.
For up-to-date maps of the distribution of these mosquito species, see: www.cdc.gov/zika

How can I prevent mosquito bites around my home? 

  • Wear EPA registered insect repellents when working or recreating outside during peak mosquito activity periods. 
  • Eliminate small containers of water such as buckets, tires, and planters. Also cover rain barrels with mesh so that mosquitoes cannot develop in them. 
  • Make sure window and door screens are in good repair. Not all Michigan communities practice mosquito control. The best way to protect communities from disease carrying mosquitoes is through proactive control measures. For questions about mosquito control in your community, contact your local mosquito control district or your city, township, or county government.

This information provided by the Mosquito Control Association of Michigan.

Researchers Learning More About Zika Dangers

April 26th, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

Researchers are learning more about Zika every day. For researchers like Dr. Ernesto Marques at the University of Pittsburgh School Of Public Health, working on Zika for the last year has meant playing catch up. “It was thought it was a benign virus that wouldn’t cause any significant harm to humans, and it turns out it causes all kinds of problems that we never imagined,” he said. The problems in newborns include microcephaly, an abnormally small brain at birth, and damage to nerve tissue in the eye. But there is emerging evidence of neurological problems in adults, too — including inflammation of the brain, and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a form of paralysis. And a week ago, a case of a 15-yearold girl with inflammation of the spinal cord. These new reports of rare complications are surprising researchers. After a study of Zika infected patients in Brazil, the author concluded: “There is strong evidence that this epidemic has different neurological manifestations than those referred to in (existing) literature.” CDC Deputy Director Dr. Anne Schuchat says researchers are just starting to learn why the virus may be so dangerous. “In animal studies of the Zika virus, it seems that the virus is attracted to nerve tissue or brain tissue and so we worry that in humans that this virus may destroy nerve tissue or attack brain cells,” she said. To keep this in perspective, most people who get Zika recover completely after a relatively mild illness. Dr. Schuchat told CBS News the focus remains on preventing pregnant women from getting infected.

Information provided by the Michigan Mosquito Control Association.

CDC Confirms Brain Damage Link

April 26th, 2016 by Tuff Turf Molebusters

It’s official: Zika virus causes microcephaly and other birth defects. A new analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms what many earlier studies had suggested: The virus, typically passed via the bite of an infected mosquito, can travel from a pregnant woman to her fetus and wreak havoc in the brain. “There is no longer any doubt that Zika causes microcephaly,” CDC director Tom Frieden said in a news briefing Wednesday. The findings, reported April 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine, follow a March 31 report from the World Health Organization that concluded nearly the same thing. Because the connection between a mosquito-borne illness and such birth defects is so unprecedented, the CDC took time to carefully weigh the evidence, Frieden said. “Never before in history has there been a situation where a bite from a mosquito could result in a devastating malformation.” In the NEJM analysis, researchers factored in molecular, epidemiological and clinical data, including recent reports of babies born with microcephaly in Colombia. The country has been suffering from a Zika outbreak for months, and thousands of pregnant women have been infected with the virus. Based on what scientists know about the virus, now is about the time they would have expected to see birth defects, said CDC public health researcher and study coauthor Sonja Rasmussen. WHO reports 50 cases of microcephaly in Colombia, seven of which have a confirmed link to Zika. Researchers still can’t pin down the odds that an infection during pregnancy will lead to microcephaly, though. “What we don’t know right now is if the risk is somewhere in the range of 1 percent or in the range of 30 percent,” Rasmussen said.  Scientists do believe, however, that women who aren’t pregnant would probably clear a Zika infection within eight weeks, and not have problems with future pregnancies, Rasmussen said.

 

Information provided by the Michigan Mosquito Control Association.