The best way to prevent mosquito bites is to avoid mosquitoes in the first place. Verify that screening on doors and windows around your home are in good repair; replace any screening with holes or gashes. Mosquito activity tends to increase around sunset and sunrise. If possible, avoid going outdoors during these hours. 

If going outside at night is unavoidable, or if mosquitoes are active during daylight hours, consider wearing long sleeve shirts, pants, and closed-toed shoes. Alternatively, articles of clothing infused with the active ingredient permethrin are available commercially, and have been shown to repel mosquitoes for long stretches of time.

Finally, insect repellents containing EPA-registered active ingredients can be sprayed on exposed skin and clothing to repel biting insects, including mosquitoes. A full list of EPA-registered repellents can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents. It is important to carefully read the product label before applying a repellent. Using an insect repellent is one of the most effective ways of preventing bites.

Mosquito larvae can live in containers holding less than an ounce of water. We frequently encounter larvae in potted plant saucers, buckets, tarps, bird-baths, kid’s toys, and many more objects that hold water. How many containers hold water around your house? Consider checking for and dumping out stagnant water once a week.

You can help St. Tammany Mosquito Abatement get rid of mosquito larvae in your roadside ditch by trimming the vegetation every other week. Vegetation provides mosquitoes harborage from both predators as well as the insecticides we use on a weekly basis.

The mosquito responsible for transmitting West Nile virus lays its eggs and rears its larvae in water polluted with organic waste including human sewage.  Maintaining septic systems by ensuring aerators are plugged in and operable and having your septic tank pumped out every 3 years can reduce mosquito populations and pollution of the Lake Pontchartrain basin.