The Buzz on 'Skeeters

She's out resting in the shade of your shrubs and vines, waiting for you to walk by before she attacks.
In the blink of an eye, the wispy creature takes a nip out of you, leaving behind the most common summertime tattoo.

Why does a mosquito bite? It's all about sex.

"Her sole purpose is to reproduce," said Lane Carr, senior environmental inspector for Henrico County. "The only reason she looks for blood is to help her lay fertile eggs."

Mosquito season, which runs from April through October but peaks in July and August, is especially bad in Virginia this summer.
"We've definitely had an explosion of mosquitoes due to the rainfall in the spring," said Carr, also president of the Virginia Mosquito Control Association, a group of professionals ranging from biologists to government officials.

Almost 90 percent of the mosquito bites in Virginia can be blamed on the exotic, invasive Asian tiger mosquito, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Unlike dusk feeders, it bites all day. It loves shade. It breeds in small amounts of water, exclusively in containers. It flies very little, preferring to sit in foliage waiting for a meal to stroll past.

Experts say you don't need new gimmicks or unproven home remedies that make the rounds on the Internet.

Here's the buzz on skeeters:

How can I keep mosquitoes off my property?

Keep it free of standing water. Look beyond the obvious -- birdbaths, wading pools, wheelbarrows. Check the folds of the tarp covering your woodpile, that stack of unused planter pots, downspouts and gutters.
Carr recommends thoroughly inspecting your property once a week. She also suggests drilling holes in the bottom of garbage cans and recycling bins so water drains out.
What's the best personal protection?
Once again, eliminate the water sources and you won't have to deal with mosquitoes. "If your neighborhood gets on board with this once-a-week inspection, you will drive the mosquitoes away," Carr said.
Most homeowners don't know that mosquitoes have limited range. "If they're biting you in your yard, you know those breeding places are very close by," Carr said. "Mosquitoes can't fly more than a couple hundred feet."
A mosquito-awareness pilot program in Richmond's Spottswood Park neighborhood has drastically reduced the number of Asian tiger mosquitoes, Carr said.

If I'm outside in a mosquito-prone area, what kind of precautions should I take?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing light-colored, loose clothing and using repellents with one of the following ingredients:
* DEET (20 percent to 30 percent for adults; 10 percent for children, but not infants or pregnant women);
* Picaridin;
* oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD, the synthesized version; or
* IR3535.

Do high-tech, anti-mosquito devices work?

Bug zappers and other large-scale area repellents don't work on mosquitoes. They "fry a lot of good bugs that provide food for bats and songbirds," said Joe Conlon of the American Mosquito Control Association. "Some devices, such as a mosquito trap, which uses carbon dioxide to lure in mosquitoes, have a little bit of success, but they really have to saturate an area to work well."

Among the new devices are ThermaCELL and the ALLCLEAR Mosquito Mister. ThermaCELL is a portable repellent that sprays allethrin, a synthetic analog of a natural insecticide found in chrysanthemums. The Mosquito Mister is a backyard sprayer that releases either pyrethrum concentrate derived from dried chrysanthemums or the synthetic insecticide permethrin, classified as a carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency. It should not be used on the skin but can be effective on clothing, according to the CDC.

The problem with such devices is wind direction. "If you're sitting away from it, you'll be bitten," said David N. Gaines, the Virginia Department of Health's state entomologist. "Not all people will be protected at all times. I'm also not sure you want to be in a steady stream" of chemicals.

What are the risks and symptoms of West Nile virus?

Very few mosquitoes are infected with the virus, according to the CDC. Even if the mosquito is infected, less than 1 percent of people who are bitten and become infected will become severely ill. About 20 percent of people who contract West Nile virus will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash and swollen lymph glands.