THE WASHINGTON POST - Few things ruin an evening outdoors faster than the realization that you’re being eaten alive by mosquitos.
These biting insects, which can transmit diseases like dengue, malaria and West Nile virus, “remain the most dangerous animal on Earth,” said Adrian Vasquez, an assistant professor in the biology department at Mercer University who studies mosquitos. And avoiding them is becoming more important than ever, since research suggests that mosquito populations are expanding across the United States, he added.
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Eliminate standing water in your yard
Experts said regularly surveying your property for standing water is a crucial way to curb mosquito numbers. “I go around my backyard and my front yard and maybe a little bit around in my neighborhood to see if there are any obvious areas with puddles of water,” said Anandasankar Ray, a professor in the Molecular Cell & Systems Bio Department at the University of California Riverside who studies the effectiveness of mosquito repellents.