How to Keep Kids Safe from Mosquitoes and Ticks this Summer

School’s out for summer, and that means your kiddos are ready for popsicles, pool parties and outside adventures! They’ve been waiting all year for the long, hot days of summer fun, so you slather them in sunscreen and send them out the door. But Wait! They’re protected from the blazing sun rays, but did you make sure they’re safe from mosquitoes and ticks? The experts at Giroud Tree and Lawn have your summertime checklist to keep kids safe from biting insects!

Making Kids Aware of Dangerous Insects

Teaching your kids ways to prevent mosquito and tick bites will empower them to be mindful of their surroundings while out in nature. You can’t be with them on all of their adventures, so it’s important to start mosquito and tick bite prevention habits early and reinforce them often. You can work together as a family to prepare for outside play and to check for mosquito bites and ticks once you’re back home.

Summertime Checklist to Keep Kids Safe from Biting Insects

• Wear light and neutral colored clothing: Mosquitoes are attracted to things that mimic nature like the colors in flowers, foliage or animals. Dress your kids in white, beige or khaki if they’re heading out for an adventure.
• Go Natural: Avoid heavily scented shampoos and any products that contain fragrances
• Cover up: It’s tough in the summer but if your kids are playing outside near water or woods, they should wear lightweight, long sleeves, long pants, and socks. Mosquitoes are most attracted to areas where the skin is thinner and the blood vessels are closer to the surface such as the ears, wrists, and ankles. Teach your kids to tuck their pants into their socks if they will be walking through high grasses or underbrush. This will prevent ticks from crawling up their legs.
• Use Repellents: Of course, DEET is the go-to chemical repellent. But there are natural alternatives. Often sold in health food stores, non-toxic, botanical repellents should be reapplied about every thirty minutes to remain effective. Repellents containing soybean oil protect for about ninety minutes—comparable to DEET. When mosquitoes start landing on you again, that’s the signal to reapply your repellent.
• Always Perform a Full Body Tick Check after Outside Play: Your Kids might be exhausted after playing outside all day in the hot summer sun, but it’s vital that you always check for ticks once they’ve arrived home. You can even make into a game! Check out this fun video from Composer Dad- Tick Check Song!

Protect Your Kids by Protecting Your Property

While you can’t keep mosquitoes and ticks away from parks, playgrounds, and ponds, there is a lot you can do to protect your own property. It takes an all-out assault on the parts of your yard that attract mosquitoes and ticks as well as creating a pest repellent barrier.

• Treat the Hot Spots and Perimeter of the Yard: Giroud has both Organic and Traditional Mosquito and Tick Control treatment plans. Most treatments kill the pests on contact and then repel for several weeks. Plus, property evaluations are always FREE!
  • Not sure which program is best for you and your family? Check out Giroud’s post Organic v. Traditional Mosquito & Tick Control: Which is Best for You?
• Remove or Empty Objects that Collect Water: Mosquitoes need water for two stages of their life cycle. Keep rain gutters clear and unclogged. Remove old tires, buckets, plastic covers, or any other container. Empty and change the water in birdbaths, fountains, wading pools, rain barrels and potted plant trays at least once a week. Drain temporary pools of water or fill with dirt. “Consider purchasing a battery operated water motion machine or a water baffler machine for your pond,” suggests Giroud Plant Health Care Manager, Rodney Stahl. “These water agitators will keep water in motion and deter mosquitoes from breeding”
• Prune or Remove Overgrown Vegetation: Mosquitoes are shade lovers. The Giroud Team can eliminate shady habitats in two ways. First, cleaning up and/or clearing overgrown areas. Second, pruning tree branches and shrubs around the lawn edge to let in more sunlight.
• Use yellow light bulbs in outdoor fixtures. They aren’t as attractive to bugs.
• Plant mosquito-repelling plants. These include scented geraniums, lemon thyme, marigold, tansy, citrus plants, sweet basil and/or sassafras near your home.

Get started today with FREE Property Evaluation with your Giroud ISA Certified Arborist!

Call 215-682-7704 to schedule your appointment now. Visit https://www.giroudtree.com/pest-control/ for more information about Giroud’s Organic and Traditional Mosquito and Tick Control Programs. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you are able to protect your property, and your children, from nasty, biting insects this summer!