Zika and Mosquito Control Prevention is the Best Defense #DebugtheMyths #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by Amy & Aron's Real Life Reviews written on behalf of Mom It Forward and Debug The Myth.

As parents we all think of the best way to keep our kids safe and prevent any harm that may come to them. I know I would wrap mine in a bubble if I could. We just recently got the cast off Cassie because of the amazing hand stands she learned how to do the hard way!

It is so much more than scrapes bruises and broken bones. What about disease. Keeping a clean environment, providing healthy food, and a warm place to sleep isn't the only thing we need for our precious cargo.


Have you heard of the Zika Virus? It's a virus spread by mosquitoes that is highly dangerous and needs to be prevented. Not the smack the bug with a news paper kind of prevention either. The kind of prevention that comes with pesticide and pest control. PREVENTION is the key! Safe Pesticides This virus is scary and has really a really serious outcome if infected.

There is an awesome twitter Party coming up June 28th with all kinds of great info on www.debugthemyths.com Use #AtoZika and @DebugtheMyths to attend and raise awareness and to get great educational facts on Zika Virus, safe use of pesticides, Mosquito repellent, EPA-approved repellent.

We are expecting our own little new baby in the next few weeks, it is so scary to us that "just a mosquito" can do so much potential damage.

Have you heard of RISE- (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment)? I didn't until I started on this campaign and it's pretty awesome. RISE works to educate people on the responsible use of pest control products such as personal repellents and pesticides used on lawns and gardens, playing fields and parks, and inside homes and other structures, as well as mosquito control.

Instead of writing this in my own words, I want you to see exactly what the Key message is in the RISE campaign.

RISE  A to Zika

Our worlds are interconnected, so while the U.S. is well-equipped to control mosquitoes and the spread of diseases such as the Zika virus, the most effective prevention method wherever you are is a team approach – involving you and your community, public health and vector control officials, and professional applicators.

Protect your family and your community from the Zika virus by doing your part in and around your home to prevent mosquito bites. RISE recommends four easy steps every mom, dad, homeowner or apartment dweller can do to help control mosquitoes: 1) Put up personal barriers. 2) Reinforce your home. 3) Apply mosquito-specific defenses. 4) Eliminate standing water.

Prevention is key; especially, for pregnant women, and men and women looking to start or grow their families.

The advice from medical professionals remains consistent — takes steps to prevent mosquito bites whether you’re traveling or staying in the comfort of your own home. A growing number of obstetricians and gynecologists are advising their patients to use contraception and abstain from unprotected sex when traveling to the countries where the Zika virus is currently active while pregnant or planning to become pregnant. For travelers, keep these recommendations in mind even after returning home.

The CDC recommends travelers, pregnant women, and residents living in areas where the risk for Zika virus is greatest should use EPA-approved insect repellents that are proven to work.

EPA-approved insect repellents – when needed and used according to label instructions – play an important role in helping protect our families and communities against pests that cause diseases like Zika and West Nile viruses.

Professional applicators and vector control officials are licensed to apply pesticides used for mosquito control that protect public health. They are also prepared to speak with clients and communities on best practices and make recommendations on the appropriate steps for the monitoring, maintenance and treatment of disease-causing mosquitoes.

Controlling mosquitoes is more than a lifestyle issue. It’s a matter of public health. Professional applicators and vector control officials who use an integrated mosquito management approach continue to be important and valued resources in keeping our families and communities safe.

Controlling Mosquitoes in Your Home, Yard and Community - Understand the Mosquito Life Cycle

Taking an integrated approach to controlling mosquitoes in yards, playgrounds and parks, helps protect our communities from disease and distress, not to mention preserves family backyard barbecues and the annual community fun day. Integrated pest management (IPM) and integrated mosquito management, keep these pests from wreaking havoc on our community.

Understanding the mosquito life cycle is important if you want to keep the insects from making your home their own.

All mosquitoes go through the following four stages during their life:


Mosquito Life Cycle


  • Stage 1: Egg that hatches when it’s exposed to water
  • Stage 2: Larva is a small “wriggler” that lives in water
  • Stage 3: Pupa is larger than larva and still in the water but it does not feed
  • Stage 4: Adult leaves the water and is able to fly shortly after

A mosquito typically lives up to two weeks, but can live as a long as one month depending on conditions. For example, eggs can survive longer in dry conditions.

Larvae mosquito treatments are applied directly to water sources to stop larvae from becoming flying, biting adult mosquitoes. Adult mosquito treatments are localized treatments used by public health mosquito control programs to reduce the flying mosquito population.

For more info on great topics like the following.


  • Safe use of pesticides
  • EPA registered pesticides or products
  • Integrated mosquito management
  • Pest control safe for kids
  • Safe and effective use of pesticides
  • Safe pest control
  • Follow label instructions
  • Mosquito repellent
  • EPA-approved repellent
  • Zika and mosquito control


Visit Debug The Myths

7 comments

  1. This article has a wealth of information. The zika virus is so scarry. I know that we are working on our home and yard to prevent this. Thank you so much for this great article

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  2. This is a great article with lots of good information! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. There is so much misinformation about the Zika virus that it's hard to know just what's what. Thanks for the straight-shooting article about it. As a dog parent, I have to worry about mosquitoes as they also spread heartworm to dogs.

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  4. Thanks for this great article. I live in Louisiana and mosquitoes are a huge problem here.

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  5. Thank you for posting this! I needed more information on this Zika Virus as we live in a country setting.

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  6. Good info! It's crazy how paranoid about tis virus I am getting, I need to read-up and take sensible precautions is all.

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  7. the virus and then it been gettting more and more attention and then i live in mo and we have alot of mosquito

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