Also check out my post from earlier this year: Zika is the new black!
An announcement was made on Sept 6th about areal spraying for Mosquitos that can potentially carry the Zika virus would take place on Thursday night over the “Zika Zone” (8th st up to 28th st) in Miami Beach. The City of Miami Beach and Miami Dade County leaders have decided to postpone the spraying over Miami Beach until Friday. The chemical that is planned to be sprayed is called NALED. During a workshop held in the Miami Beach Convention Center, Commissioner Michael Grieco spoke about his disappointment with the decision to only delay the spraying. Read the full article here.
The chemical “Naled” that will be used during the overhead spraying and has been utilized in the United States since 1959. Naked is commonly used after major storm events such as hurricanes to control growing mosquito populations due to the amount of standing water. You can read more about Naled on the EPA’s website HERE.
During the Miami Beach workshop, several residents expressed that they would rather be given a choice on how to avoid and/or protect themselves from Mosquitos than to have aerial spraying. Either way, we all have a personal responsibility to avoid mosquitos and protect ourselves and our families from the potential risk of Zika.
Mosquitos have always been a concern in Florida. There’s so much standing water here. Personally, I don’t get “eaten alive” like the rest of my family. (Not sure why exactly.) Preventing my kids and family from mosquito bites has always been on my radar – but more so now – with the uncertain threat of the Zika Virus. My understanding (from research I have done & my understanding as a medical professional) is that the symptoms of Zika are flu-like symptoms (nausea, vomiting, body-aches, fever, headaches, red eyes, & joint pain) Pretty non specific, right? But unpleasant nonetheless! The real scary risk is the birth defects and possible guillain barre syndrome.… thankfully I’m not pregnant or every planning on getting pregnant. (*wipes brow* whew!) However, I still don’t want to deal with the bites or nasty symptoms. Here are a few products that we use as a family to help reduce and prevent the chance of mosquito bites & the icky ZIKA VIRUS…….dun dun duuuuuuun….
The first product and the one I have found most effective if you are sitting in one location, is the Thermocel. Thermacell is a butane fueled portable repellent device. The repellent used is called “allethrin” and it is a synthetic copy of a naturally occurring repellant from the chrysanthemum plant. Thermacell is non toxic and works amazingly! There is an “outdoorsman” table top version that can be used on your patio or on a picnic. My husband has extensively used this product while hunting and fishing and the results are just amazing. He is constantly being “eaten alive”. Mosquitos LOVE HIM! We own a few of these and often give them as gifts to friends and family. It is important to keep extra repellent pads and fuel cartridges on hand because if they run out you will notice the change. Buy some HERE
My second reliable go-to is a Natural Deet-Free pump spray by All Terrain. It’s called Kids Herbal Armor – Natural Insect Repellent. It smells better than your average repellent and your kids aren’t absorbing those carcinogens. The ingredients are just a combination of oils that naturally repel bugs. It wont ruin your clothes. It wont come off when your kids sweat. And even the most sensitive skin (my baby Walter) can tolerate it. I did find that it needs to be reapplied every 3 hours or so. This one is my favorite and the one I use most often! Buy some HERE
The third and final repellent is OFF! Deep Woods. This is your “typical” insect repellent containing 25% deet. This spray is long lasting and works. I rarely use this on my little ones and usually only on the ankles, waist, and wrist lines of their clothing. Buy some HERE
My family and I are constantly outside. We love to camp, hike, fish and explore. If it’s in a park or visiting our “kitchen house” in Virginia, I always keep a collection of insect repellents on hand to keep us all well protected.
I hope sharing my experiences will help you fight the fight against those rotten biting insects.
If you use one of these repellents or a combo, you are sure to reduce your chances of getting bit.
Protect your babies and families. STAY ZIKA FREE my friends!
xo
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