10 Overwintering Insects in Winter Garden

 

Even in parts of the country buried under snow, our gardens remain busy places in winter. Flower bulbs root in, and shrubs replenish their energies in preparation for glorious spring blooms. Wildlife forages for food, and overwintering insects employ various survival strategies. While some winter pests enter a state akin to hibernation, others are actively eating and growing, ready to produce huge broods when spring arrives. Let’s take a look at the most common overwintering pests and see what they may be up to in your garden.

Most Common Overwintering Pests

The most common overwintering pests vary by region, of course. And they behave a bit differently in snowy Wisconsin than in sunny Florida. But there are many that can be found throughout the country. We’ll explore the ten most common overwintering insects. See how many of your neighbors you can spot!

Aphids

Aphids on a green leaf with bite holes

Aphids are tiny, sap-sucking insects that feast on the moisture in our plants. They produce a sugary liquid waste called “honeydew” that is irresistible to ants who actually “farm” aphids! (Our entomologists really dig this kind of stuff). If your garden plants are plagued by aphids, you likely wonder what temps kill aphids. Or even if aphids can survive freezing. Adult aphids cannot survive when their bodily fluids freeze. This occurs between 5 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit. But they lay eggs to ensure the next generation of garden-suckers will be born in spring.

Squash Bugs

Squash bug on leaf in winter garden

Squash bugs are the bane of squash, pumpkin, and cucumber farmers. The ⅝-inch long dark gray or brown bugs can sicken and even kill young plants. As adults, these overwintering insects hide under plant debris and under rocks or logs in the garden. Just one generation of squash bugs develops each year.

Whiteflies

Whiteflies and larvae on a leaf

Closely related to aphids, whiteflies are tiny, winged insects that suck the juices from the underside of a plant’s leaves. Despised by gardeners everywhere, these moth-like pests can transmit disease between plants and even kill grown plants. Whiteflies are killed by the winter temps that fall below freezing. They remain year-round pests in mild climates and overwinter indoors or in greenhouses in colder locations.

Colorado Potato Beetles

Group of colorado potato beetles on leafy plants

Despite their name, orange and black-striped Colorado Potato Beetles are overwintering pests throughout most of the U.S. They burrow 5 to 10 inches deep underground to hibernate for months during freezing weather. They awake hungry and ready to reproduce in the spring garden or potato field.

Mealybugs

Cluster of mealy bugs on a leaf

Mealybugs are tiny oval insects covered in a wax-like substance that looks like white powder. They infest houseplants and citrus trees, with a marked preference for orchids, palms, and succulents. Mealybugs suck the juices from plants, producing honeydew that attracts ants. The nasty little winter pests overwinter as eggs or nymphs in tiny crevices like tree bark.

Scale Insects

Group of scale insects on a leaf.

There are roughly 8,000 species of scale insects, some with armored bodies and others that are soft. All suck the moisture and nutrients from plant leaves and stems. Hard-bodied scales overwinter as eggs, while soft-body scales cover themselves with protective waxy secretions. Typically, immature, fertilized female soft-body scales are dormant in winter, ready to lay their eggs in spring.

Thrips

Three thips on a leaf

These tiny, slender insects feast on the sap from flower buds, causing strangely deformed blooms. These overwintering insects hide dormant in leaf litter, bark mulch, and decaying plant debris. They wake up in early spring, ready to eat and lay eggs.

Spotted Lanternflies

Group of spotted lanternflies on tree bark.

These striking, damaging moth-like pests are highly invasive and do hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to our crops annually. Spotted scarlet flight wings are covered by translucent tawny wings at rest, looking pink. Spotted lanternflies lay egg masses that survive winter protected by a waxy secretion.

Cabbage Moths

Up close view of top of cabbage moth on leaf

These 1.5-inch-long moths do severe crop damage to a wide range of diverse fruit and vegetable crops yearly. The pupae, known as cabbage loopers, survive winter by staying in the soil or in cocoons attached to host plants. These damaging overwintering pests also migrate as adults to avoid the cold.

Stink Bugs

Stink bug on a plant in a garden.

This brown-speckled, shield-shaped insect is invasive and found throughout the country. Stink bugs feed on fruits and vegetables, emitting a burnt-tire stench when they feel threatened. These foul-smelling bugs overwinter in our homes, finding small chinks in door frames and siding.

What Are the Signs of an Overwintering Pest Infestation?

With so many overwintering insects, winter pest control is crucial to an effective year-round strategy. Unfortunately, most people won’t notice any signs of overwintering pests unless the bugs move into the house! Dirty yellow or brown stains along your baseboards or furniture are a sign of stink bugs. If your houseplants develop a sticky residue on their leaves, look at the underside for whiteflies. Often, the clearest sign that you have pests overwintering on your property is robust populations of those insects come spring.

Things You Need to Do to Protect Beneficial Winter Insects

Beneficial insects are invaluable. They are made up of pollinating species and those that prey on pests. About 75% of flowering plants and nearly 40% of crops around the world depend on pollinators like bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, and ladybugs. For many reasons, our pollinators are in severe decline, and they need the support of home gardeners. Unfortunately, most of the care that supports beneficial insects in winter, like leaving leaf litter and weeds in place, also helps overwintering pests. One step you can take to control the pests and protect the beneficials is to hire professional pest control like Mosquito Joe®. Our service professionals take extraordinary care to leave pollinators and other beneficial insects unharmed while targeting garden pests.

Keep Your Winter Garden Pest-Free Without Harming Beneficial Winter Insects

Eliminating overwintering insects interrupts the pests’ life cycles, significantly reducing the springtime population. Mosquito Joe performs comprehensive outdoor pest control services, including winter treatments, each one conducted with sensitivity for beneficial insects.

Trust your property to Mosquito Joe. The Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and the Mosquito Joe Guarantee backs all our work because the job isn’t done until it’s done right.

Request a free quote today, or call your local pest control experts. We’ll get those overwintering insects to bug off!

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Overwintering Insects — How Do Insects Survive the Winter?

Overwintering Insects — How Do Insects Survive the Winter?

Winter is a challenging time for all forms of life. We bring precious plants indoors to protect them from winter’s chill. Some people retreat to warmer climates, while others turn up the thermostat and bundle up in warmer clothes. Birds, animals, and insects face the same choices, with some migrating and others sheltering in place. Some even go dormant to pass the winter in slumber. Let’s take a look at overwintering insects to see how these winter pests survive the cold. (Spoiler alert: some of them come indoors to spend the winter in your home!)

What Is Overwintering?

Overwintering is the method a living organism employs to survive the winter. Your grandparents might overwinter in Miami. Many plants and animals overwinter by going dormant to sleep through the cold months. Your pets overwinter by spending more time indoors, where it’s warm. Insects also overwinter, and they do so by migrating, going dormant, or moving into your home and outbuildings.

When Insects “Hibernate”

Many overwintering insects enter a state akin to hibernation called diapause. In this condition, their metabolic rates slow dramatically to conserve energy. During diapause, insects don’t eat, grow, or reproduce. They are simply surviving until the return of warmer weather.

Overwintering insects typically don’t bite people or do property damage during winter. They focus entirely on surviving the winter chill. But winter can be an excellent time to use pest control methods against slower-moving pests that often cluster together to conserve body heat and moisture. Typically, the overwintering pests of greatest concern are those seeking out the warmth of our homes to ride out the winter. Imagine giving winter shelter to the same bugs that bite and bedevil you spring through fall.

Types of Overwintering Pests

Technically, all pests overwinter in that they have strategies to survive the season’s cold. But some are more likely than others to seek shelter in our homes. Overwintering insects that see your home as a cold-weather vacation spot include:

Of course, small mammals like mice and rats can also be considered overwintering pests. Most overwintering insects that shelter in our homes seek out warm, protected areas like the attic, crawl spaces, and the spaces within walls. Carpenter ants, however, prefer to nest in moist, decaying wood and favor spots with water damage or leaky pipes or in damp basements. Spiders will also make use of quiet corners inside the home, and mosquitoes seek dark spaces in basements and garages when they overwinter indoors.

Where Do Insects Go in the Winter?

While some insects migrate to warmer climates, and others seek shelter in our homes, most overwintering insects burrow deep into the soil, nest inside fallen logs or plant debris, or hide under the bark of trees. They seek out small niches in their habitat that are likely to remain undisturbed to shelter from the cold. Some overwintering pests lay eggs that survive the winter while the adults die off. These include some species of:

  • Mosquitoes
  • Aphids
  • Grasshoppers
  • Beetles
  • Stink bugs
  • Fruit flies

Others hide out as adults, larvae, or even pupae, ready to continue their growth and development when warmth returns in the spring.

While most winter pests hide as individuals, some species gather in great numbers to share and conserve body heat and moisture.

The following species overwinter in great clusters in or around our homes and outbuildings:

  • Asian lady beetles
  • Stink bugs
  • Cluster flies
  • Boxelder bugs
  • Wasps

While certainly not considered a pest, monarch butterflies are the most extraordinary of overwintering insects. They migrate in enormous groups called “flutters” that fly a staggering 3,000 miles to key habitats in Mexico. There, they huddle together in such enormous clusters that they can weigh down the branches of trees as tall as 80 to 160 feet.

Ways to Keep Pests That Overwinter Out of Residences

There are a number of steps you can take to keep overwintering insects out of your home. Focus on securing entry points and denying the critters the habitat they seek.

Seal Gaps and Repair Screens

Overwintering pests enter the home through small tears in window screens and small gaps in attic walls and around the openings that allow pipes and wires to pass through walls. Look for these openings and seal them with screen, caulk, or expandable polyurethane foam.

Screen Chimney Vents

A well-ventilated chimney is essential for the safe operation of your fireplace. But it is also an inviting entrance to all manner of overwintering pests. Inspect your chimney screen and replace a vinyl screen with a metal one that won’t tear or be chewed through.

Store Firewood Away from the Home

Stacked firewood makes a cozy hideaway from many overwintering insects. If it is stored too close to the house, it serves as an easy entryway to your home. Instead, store it at least 20 feet away, up off the ground, to allow airflow underneath it. Plan to burn any wood you bring in immediately so if there are any hitchhikers, they won’t get a chance to settle into your home.

Turn of the Taps

In addition to warmth, overwintering insects need water to survive. It’s more important than food to them. Leaky faucets and spilled water can provide a lifeline to indoor insects and an invitation to others to join them. Repair any leaks and clear blocked gutters and any places where water collects. Don’t leave dirty dishes soaking in water, and squeeze out wet sponges.

Overwintering Pest Control Treatment

Trust the pros at your local Mosquito Joe® for effective outdoor pest control to keep your home free from overwintering insects and other uninvited guests like mice and rats. All our work is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and Mosquito Joe Guarantee because we understand that the job isn’t done until it’s done right.

Request a free quote today and live pest-free from tomorrow on.

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How to Keep Mosquitoes Away While Sitting Outside

 
Picture this: It’s a beautiful evening, and you have family and friends over. Suddenly, you hear that distinctive low buzz. A few minutes later, a spot on your arm starts itching. Unfortunately, your evening’s been disrupted by a familiar occurrence: You’ve been bitten by a mosquito.

As we all know, mosquitoes are one of the most annoying pests. They can quickly ruin almost any outdoor activity.. Not only do they disturb outdoor events and decrease comfort at home, but they also carry diseases like West Nile, Zika, and Triple E, all of which have the potential to impact your health. But nobody said you just have to sit there and take it. This article will explain how to keep mosquitoes away while sitting outside. It’s time to take back your outdoor fun, so let’s get right to it!

10 Secrets to Keep Mosquitoes Away From Outdoor Spaces

How to keep mosquitoes away from your patio, yard, and other outdoor spaces is all about knowing what mosquitoes like, and don’t like. Here are our 10 best methods for keeping mosquitoes away from your good time.

1. Wear Tightly Woven, Light-Colored Clothes

When the weather is warm, you want to wear clothes that won’t have you melting in the sun. Loose-fitting clothes are usually the preferred option. But when mosquitoes are lurking around your yard, that’s not really the best option. When mosquitoes are on the hunt it’s better to wear tight, light-colored clothing.

Why? Well, a mosquito will have difficulty penetrating clothing with thick layers. Furthermore, they are attracted to dark colors like black, blue, or navy. Do your best to wear lighter colors so they don’t come looking for you.

2. Eliminate Stagnant Water

While rain may help to cool things off on a hot day, it also increases standing water, which is a big no-no when it comes to mosquito prevention. Mosquitoes love standing water as much as some kids love chocolate. They lay eggs and make nests around the area, increasing their population.

Inspect your yard to see if there are any puddles or standing water. You can use a broom, bucket, or pail to disperse the water.

3. Use Specialized Mosquito Traps

Sometimes, no matter what you do, it seems impossible to rid your property of mosquitoes. But don’t blame yourself; they’re tricky pests! You may need to employ sophisticated methods to rid your property of mosquitoes. One approach is to use specialized mosquito traps.

These devices lure female mosquitoes (the only ones that bite) before they get ready to lay their eggs. Once the mosquito enters the trap, its body is covered in a poison that it then unknowingly carries around. This affects other mosquitoes and eggs, disrupting their life cycle and reducing their population in your yard.

4. Install an Automatic Mosquito Misting System

Invest in an automatic mosquito misting system if you’re looking for a more powerful solution to your mosquito problem. It’s an ideal mosquito control solution for outside areas.

As the name indicates, the system is automatic, so you don’t have to do anything. Once it’s set up. These devices can be set up to release a mosquito repellent at specific intervals, according to your liking, killing any pests that might be around.

5. Plant Mosquito-Repelling Plants

Most insects love plants because they can feed and relax on the leaves. However, certain plants can have adverse effects on mosquitoes and keep them away from your yard. That’s because mosquitoes dislike the smell of essential oil as much as we dislike their presence. The best plants to help repel these pests include:

  • Lavender
  • Lemon Grass
  • Mint
  • Rosemary
  • Sage

6. Change Your Lighting

Did you know that your lighting can affect mosquitoes? If you have standard light bulbs, mosquitoes will likely be flocking around that area, especially at night, as they use that light to search for food.

This doesn’t mean you have to sit in the dark to keep mosquitoes at bay. Instead, you can install some UV lights in areas where people gather. This lighting is less attractive to mosquitoes, which will help reduce their numbers.

7. Light Citronella Candles

Most bugs don’t like fire because it can kill them instantly. When fire is paired with a powerful scent, the result is an effective mosquito repellent. That is why citronella is so widely used to combat these pests.

It gives off a powerful smell that most bugs—namely mosquitoes—don’t love. So, if you plan on sitting outside, light a few of these candles to enjoy your evening in peace.

8. Avoid Peak Mosquito Hours When You Can

If it seems like there’s a mosquito waiting to bite you whenever you spend time outdoors, take note of the time of day that you’re going outside.

Mosquitoes are most active during sunrise and sunset because mosquitoes don’t like to be outside during the hottest part of the day.To enjoy your backyard, try heading outdoors when the sun is at its peak. Seek a shady spot and have some hydration handy. You may be a little warmer, but your chances of encountering mosquitoes will be less.

9. Spray Hydrogen Peroxide

Does hydrogen peroxide repel mosquitoes? The short answer is yes, it does. It’s an affordable mosquito-repellant hack you can use when you don’t have other options. If you’ve been wondering how to keep mosquitoes away from patio furniture, use a spray bottle to apply the solution to your patio furniture and other areas where mosquitoes frequent. This will help keep mosquitoes away for a short period and can kill any eggs they may have laid in the process.

Make the Outdoors Fun Again!

Now that you know how to keep mosquitoes away while sitting outside, it’s time to put it all to work. While not every method we mentioned will be effective in every situation, it’s important to remember that keeping mosquitoes away from your outdoor fun requires a proactive approach. One of the best and most effective ways to keep mosquitoes from ruining your outdoor activities is with the help of experts like Mosquito Joe®.

We know bugs and the best ways to keep them away from your outdoor areas. Our services are designed to eliminate mosquitoes and other pests so you can enjoy the time you spend on your patio, in your pool, or enjoying your backyard. And with work that’s backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™, you can rest assured the job will be done right the first time. To learn more or to get started, request a free quote today!

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BBQ Essentials in Every U.S. State

 

The best part of indulging in BBQ lies in that first succulent bite of fall-off-the-bone ribs, leaving you licking your fingers and wearing sauce all over your face. Backyard barbecues are a cherished tradition where good food and good company gather together. From hot dogs and wings to some of the best BBQ side dishes like pasta salad and collard greens, BBQ gatherings are a feast for the senses.

As grills sizzle this summer, we wanted to discover the most iconic BBQ dishes in every U.S. state. Prepare to tantalize your taste buds as we unveil the culinary delights that define BBQ culture across the nation.

The Most Popular BBQ Dishes in Every U.S. State

U.S. map showcasing the most popular BBQ dishes in every state

As spring rolls into summer, BBQ enthusiasts across the United States are firing up their smokers and getting ready for unforgettable BBQ cookouts. In six states, including Hawaii, New Jersey, Maryland, and Rhode Island, BBQ chicken has claimed the spotlight and captured the taste buds of many.

Meanwhile, Idaho and New Hampshire have developed a deep affection for pulled pork as their ultimate BBQ delight, while wings have soared to prominence in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Brisket has become a beloved favorite among residents of Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas, while West Virginia has maintained a long-standing devotion to the classic hot dog.

In a predictable turn of events, collard greens have asserted their dominance in southern states such as Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, while the timeless baked potato has garnered significant adoration in Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

The best BBQ side dishes according to other states included coleslaw, which won out in Maine, and biscuits which dominated in Kentucky.

When it comes to BBQ sauces, a sweet and tangy concoction like honey BBQ has triumphed in six states, including Utah, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Turning our attention to dessert, banana pudding has captured the hearts and palates of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee, while both D.C. and Florida have gravitated toward key lime pie.

America’s Backyard BBQ Plate

 Infographic showcasing the most popular BBQ foods overall

As you prepare to host a memorable gathering, impress your guests with the best BBQ essentials that have conquered the hearts and taste buds across the map. Get ready to elevate your backyard BBQ game and leave your guests craving for more.

Burgers were a clear crowd favorite and most beloved in 17 states, including Washington, New Mexico, Tennessee, and North Carolina, just to name a few. Coming in a close second is sausage, which delighted the taste buds of ten states, including Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Indiana.

Let’s talk about the sauce — because no one likes dry brisket. We examined different types of BBQ sauces to see which one was a fan favorite. Our findings reveal that buffalo sauce, featuring a tantalizing blend of cayenne pepper for a touch of tangy heat, emerged as the top choice in 16 states. From Alaska and Florida to New Jersey and North Dakota, the craving for this zesty sauce knows no bounds.

Surprisingly, in the second spot, we have St. Louis-style BBQ sauce, which failed to win over its home state of Missouri. Instead, it conquered in ten states, including Arkansas, Iowa, and Maine.

No picnic is complete without side dishes for your guests to gobble up — and we’re not talking about mojitos (okay, maybe we are)! Both french fries and watermelon were crowd favorites, dominating 19 and seven states, respectively. French fries captured the west coast in places like California, Arizona, and Nevada.

While you may be tempted to grab store-bought cookies and call it a day, there’s no better way to end a picnic than with fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies. Brownies are the best dessert according to 19 states and a classic, sweet treat everyone can agree on!

BBQ Essentials According to Every U.S. State

Curious if your taste buds align with your state? Review our map to see how your state builds the perfect backyard spread.

Closing Thoughts

There you have it — the best BBQ in every U.S. state! From cheesecake to grilled lobster and baked mac n’ cheese, it’s clear that no matter where you live, BBQ food has a way of bringing people together.

Now picture this: the smell of burgers wafts through the air, bowls of chips are laid out, lemonade is being poured, and your guests are arriving, there’s just one tiny problem — your backyard is inhabited by mosquitoes. Don’t fret! To prevent this potential disaster from occurring, make sure you schedule Mosquito Joe event services so you can get back to enjoying good food and even better company.

Methodology

To find out which BBQ dish was the most “essential” in each state, we compiled a list of typical BBQ meats, side dishes, desserts, and BBQ sauces that one would typically devour at a summertime backyard BBQ. We looked at a total of 53 keywords across the four categories on Google Trends for the summer of 2022 (Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend).

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Heartworm Disease Awareness Month

As the weather gets more conducive for outdoor activities, it means more barbecues, relaxing by the pool, and enjoying the fresh air! Unfortunately, it also means more interactions with mosquitoes and other biting pests that pose a threat to our family members, two-legged and four-legged alike. One of the fatal diseases pests can spread is heartworm disease. Sadly, this disease affects thousands of pets each year. April is National Heartworm Awareness Month, designed to raise awareness about the deadly threat that heartworm disease represents for our beloved pets.

What Is Heartworm Disease?

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal affliction. Infected animals can suffer from acute lung disease, cardiac failure, severe organ damage, or die if the disease is left untreated. The most common victims are dogs, cats, ferrets, wolves, coyotes, and foxes. This disease is caused by parasitic worms called Dirofilaria immitis, otherwise known as heartworms.

While dogs, cats, and ferrets are all vulnerable to heartworm disease, it is far more common in dogs and ferrets than in cats. In part, this is due to heartworms reproducing more rapidly in dogs. However, while successful heartworm disease treatments exist for dogs, no treatment is available for cats or ferrets. One study indicates that one-third of cats diagnosed with heartworm disease die or are euthanized soon after diagnosis. Therefore, it’s essential to protect your pets from this deadly disease.

How Do Pets Get Heartworm Disease?

Pets can get heartworms after being bitten by infected mosquitoes.

Heartworms can live in the major organs of an animal’s body, such as the heart, lungs, and connected blood vessels. Adult female heartworms living in an animal host produce microscopic baby worms that circulate throughout the infected animal’s bloodstream. When the host gets bitten by a bloodsucking mosquito, the insect picks up these tiny worms with the animal’s blood. When that pest bites another susceptible pet or wild animal, they deposit the infective worms into the animal’s bloodstream.

Heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states, but the highest number of reported cases are in the southeast, especially in Gulf Coast areas. Warmer climates make transmission from mosquitoes much easier, and the number of wildlife carriers in the area is also a contributing factor.

Symptoms of Heartworm Disease

Not all infected dogs and cats demonstrate symptoms of heartworm disease. A blood test is the surest way to detect heartworms in your pet. Use Heartworm Disease Month as your motivation to schedule regular vet visits for your pet(s).

The most common symptoms of heartworm disease are the following:

  • A dry, persistent cough, particularly in otherwise healthy-appearing pets
  • Lethargy, poor stamina, and a reluctance to exercise
  • Decreased appetite and weight loss
  • Swollen belly due to fluid buildup in the abdomen
  • Difficulty breathing or shallow, rapid breaths
  • Frequent vomiting, sometimes with blood
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • Nosebleeds
  • Blindness
  • Seizures

If your dog or cat displays any of these symptoms, don’t hesitate to take them to your vet. However, heartworms cannot be detected in your pet until the parasites are about 7 months old.

Stages of Heartworm Disease

There are four distinct stages of heartworm disease, which are as follows:

  1. A mosquito bites a pet or wild animal infected with heartworms, ingesting microfilariae, the immature larval form of Dirofilaria immitis.
  2. The heartworm microfilariae mature into infective larvae inside the mosquito.*
  3. The infected mosquito bites a healthy animal, transmitting the infective heartworm larvae.
  4. The larvae enter the animal’s bloodstream, traveling to the heart and lungs, where they mature and begin to reproduce, growing up to a foot in length.

* Heartworm microfilariae, the microscopic immature larval form, must spend time in the digestive tract of a mosquito to develop into infective larvae. An infected pet cannot pass heartworm to another animal through contact, scratches, bites, or grooming. Mosquitoes are essential to the spread of heartworm disease.

Mature heartworms can live in dogs for five to seven years and in cats for two or three years. (Yuck!) But this long lifespan means that every mosquito season, your pet can develop an increasing number of heartworms, worsening the severity of the heartworm disease and its symptoms.

How To Prevent Heartworm Disease in Dogs?

While Heartworm Disease Awareness Month is dedicated to raising pet owners’ awareness of the disease, prevention is the main purpose. Heartworm disease in dogs and cats can be prevented, so it’s essential to check your pet(s) regularly for symptoms and schedule periodic checkups with your vet.

The best way to deal with the threat of heartworm disease is the regular use of preventative medications prescribed by your vet. Various effective formulas are available in once-monthly chewable form, once-monthly topical applications, and once- or twice-yearly injections.

Effective prevention consists of following your veterinarian’s recommendation and having a proactive plan in place. The American Heartworm Society recommends starting puppies and kittens on a preventative medication as early as the label allows, typically at 8 weeks old. Ferrets should weigh at least two pounds before starting the medication. Experts also recommend that pets aged 7 months and older be tested for heartworms every 12 months. Although cats are less likely to contract heartworms as they are atypical hosts, it is important to provide cats with preventative treatment and test them regularly for early detection.

Additional Protection Against Heartworm Disease

Another component of heartworm disease prevention is effective mosquito control around your property. Remember that mosquitoes are essential to the transmission of heartworm disease. Mosquito Joe®’s barrier-treatment sprays, misting systems, and mosquito traps  provide an added layer of defense and protection against mosquitoes that transmit heartworm disease. With a regular schedule of our barrier treatments, especially during the peak mosquito season, you can protect your family and pets from mosquitoes and the health risks they pose.

You can also lower the mosquito population near your home by doing the following:

  • Emptying standing water sources. Tires, puddles, bird baths, and even children’s toys can be prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
  • Cleaning gutters regularly so water doesn’t build up.
  • Cut grass and shrubs short so pests can’t hide.
  • Drilling holes in tires, swings, trash cans, and recycle bins so water drains out.
  • Repairing leaky outdoor faucets and pipes.
  • Keeping your lawn weed-free and avoiding overgrown vegetation.

Treatment of Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is treated in dogs with the use of Melarsomine dihydrochloride. This is a drug that contains arsenic and has been approved by the FDA to kill adult heartworms in dogs. It is available under the trade names Immiticide and Diroban. Heartworm disease prevention is far and away the best treatment.

To find more information on heartworms, visit the American Heartworm Society.

Help Protect My Pets from Heartworm Disease

At Mosquito Joe, we’re dedicated to keeping your family and furry friends safe from biting insects. In addition to mosquito control, our services include flea and tick control. We also provide extensive ongoing education about insects and vector-borne diseases to help you protect all of your loved ones.

To keep your outdoor spaces free from itching and swatting, trust the professionals at your local Mosquito Joe. All our work is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and the Mosquito Joe® Satisfaction Guarantee. So you know we’ll get the job done right the first time. Request a free quote and say goodbye to biting mosquitoes and hello to the great outdoors.

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