Children, Summer Play, & Pest-Free Florida Living

With most children in Florida on break from school, playing outside is a given. Before you send your children outside, be sure to teach them how to protect themselves against summer’s most prevalent pests: mosquitoes, ticks, and fire ants. Apex Pest Control presents the following Orlando pest control information for your family on how to prevent and avoid dangerous insects.

• Mosquito females must lay their eggs in water, and even a puddle the size of the palm of your hand and ¼-inch deep will make a fantastic nursery for these bothersome insects. Walk around your yard with your children, showing them how to dump out water from their toys and rake up any cupped leaves, such as magnolia or baywood leaves, that can act as a mosquito playground. Before they venture outside, spray exposed skin and clothing with products containing DEET to keep female mosquitoes from biting.
• Ticks linger in tall grasses and wooded areas. If your children play in areas such as these, ensure they wear long sleeves and pants. Tuck the pants into boots for the best protection. When they come inside, check for ticks, especially in places where the body naturally bends or where elastic meets skin. Take care removing ticks and treat any tick bites that itch with an anti-itch cream.
• Fire ants are abundant in the summertime, especially after rain when their subterranean homes are waterlogged. When they surface, the displaced sand is a magnet for investigative children. Their discovery may leave them with fire ant stings, which are itchy and, because they all bite simultaneously, can result in multiple welts. Walk around the yard after a rain to see if any fire ants are present. Keep your lawn mowed at 3-inches to make fire ant mounds easier to spot, and call Apex if you find several mounds. While you can sprinkle fire ant killer on exposed mounds, this is only a temporary fix since the ants to surface in another area of the yard.

If your children complain of insects while they are playing in the yard this summer, call the Orlando pest control team at Apex Pest Control at 866-675-4070. They can spray the perimeter of your yard and the exterior of your home to deter many pests from entering