Mosquito Screens In San Diego

A recent article from the San Diego County Office of Environmental Health and Quality states that “Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito) have been detected in the County of San Diego. These mosquitoes are not native to California and can transmit the viruses that cause Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. There have been no recent cases of these viruses being transmitted locally in California. Aedes notoscriptus (the Australian Backyard Mosquito) has also been detected in the County of San Diego.”

What does this mean for San Diego residents wanting to protect themselves from this invasive species of mosquito? Simply that some precautionary measures are in order to keep you and your family safe and sane.

To protect yourself from bites, the article suggests that San Diego area residents follow this simple plan:

1. Put screens on windows and doors. Screens can prevent Aedes mosquitoes from living and breeding indoors.
2. Wear long sleeves and pants. They are aggressive biters indoors and outdoors, especially during the day.
3. Apply insect repellent containing an EPA approved active ingredient such as: DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, Para-menthane-diol, 2-undecanone, or IR3535. Use insect repellent as directed by the label. 
4. Find the right insect repellent for you and your family.

Things You Can Do to Prevent Mosquito Entry

There are also plenty of do-it-yourself fixes for smaller tears, and different methods work best for different materials.

Clear nail polish is a great sealant for vinyl or fiberglass screens. Silicone adhesive is better for metal screens.

Metal screens can also be darned using a spare strand of metal screening and a traditional sewing needle. Another option is to darn a small tear using a spare strand of metal screening and a traditional sewing needle.

For a more significant hole, you can purchase a screen patch kit at most hardware stores, or patch it up yourself with similar material using glue. If you do this, though, it’s important to ensure that you have a piece of material at least an inch bigger than the hole on each side; the last thing you’d want is to leave another opportunity for a mosquito to slide back in!

If none of these options sounds right for you, call the mosquito screen repair experts at North County Mobile Screen. We would be happy to come to your home or business to repair and replace any screens that may need attention. Call us today at (760)473-8536!