MOSQUITOES! DON'T LET THEM TAKE A 'BITE' OUT OF YOU.

City, county, and state governments allocate funds each year for mosquito spraying. This normally keeps the population down to manageable levels in most areas of the United States – but what happens during an emergency or disaster, when local services may be interrupted or discontinued?

This is an especially important question today due to the Zika virus, which is spread through mosquito bites.

Hikingware.com explains a little bit more about these critters, and what you can do, during both normal times and during emergencies, to eradicate their impact in your neighborhood:

Mosquitoes can breed in any standing water, but they are particularly drawn to standing water with lots of organic debris. Nasty water is a common place to find mosquito larvae. During the summer months you can verify a water source's mosquito content by dipping a cup into the stagnant water. Look for mosquito larvae in the cup. The larvae are about the size of a fingernail and they squiggle around.

  To eliminate mosquito breeding sites, begin with obvious areas and empty the water from them. These sites include: old tires, buckets, wheel barrows, and clogged gutters. Keep an eye on birdbaths, and replace the water at least once a day; when not in use, make sure to turn the bowl upside down to keep water from accumulating in it. Flower pots and the saucers that they sit on are often over-looked so check these. In-ground pool drains remove water from the pool decking and they are often full of water. The pool drains aren't easily emptied, but they can be treated with either baking soda or white vinegar to kill the larvae. Usually 3 tablespoons of baking soda, or a half pint of vinegar will do the trick.

Adult mosquitoes are commonly found in bushes and shrubs because they feed on plant nectar. Females need a blood meal in order to produce new eggs. They feed on people by following the scent of our exhaled carbon dioxide, our body heat, and a complex blend of scents found on human skin.

To get rid of adult mosquitoes spray the foliage of bushes and shrubs with a residual insecticide. If you have qualms about the chemicals in a residual insecticide you can use sulfur powder or diatomaceous earth. 

When applying insecticides to plants, try to avoid spraying the flowers and blooms. This will minimize the insecticides impact on pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies, and moths. After a proper application, you can expect to start seeing results within two to four weeks.

It is a good idea to keep mosquito repellent stocked year-round. But did you know that you can get a mosquito repellent not just for your skin, but for your yard? It comes in the form of pellets you sprinkle in the grass which give off a scent that confuses mosquitoes so they can’t locate their human prey. Most larger hardware stores and home centers stock such pellets.

Finally, remember that biting mosquitoes are most active at sunrise and sunset, so if you are in an area that has experienced the Zika virus, Dengue fever, or malaria, make sure you minimize your time outdoors during those periods. 

Your Children in a Disaster – Do They Know What to Do?

Disasters affect children differently than they do adults. Hikingware wants you not only to be prepared for a disaster by having an adequate supply of food and water, but also, if you have children, to be aware of their special needs:

Children’s bodies are different from adults’ bodies.

• They are more likely to get sick or severely injured.
• They breathe in more air per pound of body weight than adults do.
• They have thinner skin, and more of it per pound of body weight (higher surface-to-mass ratio).
• Fluid loss (e.g. dehydration, blood loss) can have a bigger effect on children because they have less fluid in their bodies.
• They are more likely to lose too much body heat.
• They spend more time outside and on the ground. They also put their hands in their mouths more often than adults do.

Children need help from adults in an emergency.

• They don’t fully understand how to keep themselves safe.
• Older children and adolescents may take their cues from others.
• Young children may freeze, cry, or scream.
• They may not be able to explain what hurts or bothers them.
• They are more likely to get the care they need when they have parents or other caregivers around.
• Laws require an adult to make medical decisions for a child.
• There is limited information on the ways some illnesses and medicines affect children. Sometimes adults will have to make decisions with the information they have.

Mental stress from a disaster can be harder on children.

• They feel less of a sense of control.
• They understand less about the situation.
• They have fewer experiences bouncing back from hard situations.

Teach your child one parent's cell-phone number or a good contact number. Starting at around age 5, kids are developmentally ready to memorize a 7- or 10-digit number. Practice with your child and turn the phone number into a song, like a modified version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Designate an out-of-state contact. This will be a resource and point person for your family to call.

Choose a location other than your home where your family can meet. You'll need to go there in case of a fire or an earthquake, for example. Your meeting place might be a local park, school, or shelter. Walk to the site with your child so he knows exactly how to get there.

Designate a trusted friend or family member who can pick up your kid at child care or school if you are unable to get there in a disaster situation. Be sure that you give official permission to release your child to that person.

Make a card with your plan for each adult's wallet. Include contact names, your emergency location, and the out-of-state contact number. Put a copy in your school-age child's backpack, and discuss the plan with your kids.

Inform caregivers and nearby relatives of your plan. Be sure to give a copy of your plan to your child's teacher too.

Write a letter for your child to have in case of an emergency and leave it with child care or school.

If you're not good at texting, improve your skills. When cell- phone signal strength goes down, texting often still works because it uses less bandwidth and network capacity.

Look into how at-risk your own area may be. Contact your local fire department and school to inquire about specific threats to your neighborhood such as unstable trees, streets prone to flooding, or transportation challenges.

After gathering that info, it's essential to figure out how your neighbors can work together in the event of an emergency. For example, if you're a nurse or a teacher, you may have a comprehensive first-aid kit available, and if a carpenter lives on your street, he might have tools or equipment that would be useful in an emergency. Pool your expertise and resources! It will ultimately save lives.

Probably the most important thing to remember when dealing with children in an emergency is that children act as a mirror to adult feelings, attitudes and emotions around them. So try to stay calm, reasonable, and, if at all possible, even upbeat about the situation. Don’t mislead children into thinking everything is perfectly fine, but be careful how much of the truth you dole out to them – they don’t need to know everything, and they will need reassurance more than anything else.