The Asian tiger mosquito is a known vector of West Nile virus, Dengue and Yellow Fever.
Along with being an aggressive day feeding mosquito, the Asian Tiger mosquito is also a known vector of West Nile Virus and is a vector of Dengue and Yellow fever as well. This mosquito, which made its appearance here in North America by hitching a ride within a shipment of tires bound for Texas from Asia in 1985, is definitely foe rather than friend. West Nile Virus is a potentially serious illness that is primarily spread through infected mosquitoes. West Nile virus infection affects humans, horses and other domestic animals. The first case of West Nile in South Carolina was reported in 2002.
With West Nile cases, symptoms generally appear within 3-14 days after the onset of infection. Symptoms include fever, headache and body aches. Although in some cases people won’t have any symptoms at all. West Nile Virus can move into becoming West Nile Encephalitis in one out of 150 people infected with West Nile Virus. This is a dangerous, neuroinvasive disease that causes inflammation of the area that surrounds the brain as well as the spinal cord. Signs that West Nile Encephalitis is present include stiffness of the neck, severe headaches, confusion, tremors, seizures, paralysis, coma and in some cases death.
Fortunately, South Carolina has been testing for West Nile since 1999 which includes detection in birds, mosquitoes, mammals and humans. At this point the only cure for West Nile is time. The medical professionals focus on relieving the patient of the symptoms while their body tries to fight the illness. This means that the best measure against West Nile is prevention.
Since the Asian Tiger mosquito, or Aedes albopictus , as well as forty-three other mosquito species are known to transmit the West Nile virus, it is in your best interests to avoid mosquitoes. Avoidance begins with controlling and preventing mosquitoes within your property. Exercising mosquito safe practices such as avoiding overgrowth and keeping your lawn and shrubbery trimmed and cleaned out is one way to discourage mosquitoes that like to harbor in the cool, damp, shady surroundings of an unkempt yard. Examining your property and around your house frequently for any sign of standing water and keep these turned over. Throw away or tip over any object that can pool water. Keep your gutters clean. Change the water in your bird bath, animal watering containers, and horse troughs frequently to avoid them becoming a nursery for new mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Having a licensed mosquito control professional treat your yard and property to kill and prevent mosquitoes as well.
Mosquito Squad of Columbia fights the bite with our safe and effective barrier spray programs designed to take the worry out of mosquito control and prevention. Our spray is applied on a regular schedule throughout the season to keep the mosquitoes and the dangers they pose to us, our family and our pets away all season long too. Contact us to learn more about our mosquito control programs and all of our other pest control programs as well. We also treat for fire ants, fleas, ticks, spiders and flies. Call us today to get started on your season long protection • (803) 345 – 7575 • email: columbia@mosquitosquad.com
The school year has come to an end and that means more kids will be out playing in the yard for much of the day. 
While most people associate high mosquito activity with the dusk hours, the Asian Tiger Mosquito is specifically a day biter. Not only is the Asian Tiger Mosquito a day biter, it also has a higher propensity for carrying debilitating diseases like West Nile Virus. Let us make sure you and your children are not on the dinner menu. The more time spent outdoors increases your likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes. We can come to your home, inspect your yard, find the trouble areas and treat your yard so that mosquitoes will be an afterthought for you and your loved ones.
By removing standing water from your yard and applying our barrier spray, you will see a 90% decrease in mosquitoes at the very least. It takes a well trained professional to properly treat your home’s yard for mosquitoes and other biting and stinging pests. For this reason, we recommend leaving 
To see exactly how effective 
Our extremely effective barrier application will disrupt the maturation process of mosquito eggs and will knock down mosquitoes which fly into your yard and land. When it comes to mosquito control in Columbia, SC and the surrounding areas, look no further than the experts at 
For all your pest control concerns, you can absolutely count on 
To find out why Mosquito Squad of Columbia is one of the most trusted names in Columbia, SC mosquito control, call us today at 
As mentioned earlier, being proactive in combatting mosquitoes is the best methodology. So long as you stay on top of the issue, there really shouldn’t be an issue eventually. Simply put, once mosquitoes gain a good stronghold with multiple areas where they lay their eggs in and around your yard, the more difficult it will become to put a cap on their population in and around your yard. In addition to our barrier spray, you should also keep in mind the “5 Ts” of mosquito control. If you’re unaware of them, 
To find out why 
If there is one single tiny creature that strikes fear in our hearts, it would undoubtedly have to be the spider. Spiders get their reputation for being the focus of terror in movies as well as books, they have even made their appearance in childrens’ nursery rhymes. The good new is that most spiders are harmless, here in Columbia there are only a small handful of spiders that are considered to be venomous. These dangerous spiders include the Brown Recluse, Brown Widow, and the Northern as well as Southern Black Widow. A bite from these arachnids can make you very ill and in some cases can be fatal.
The most efficient way of ridding your home of spiders is by applying our protective barrier spray around your home. 
Not only do mosquitoes put a damper on nearly all of your outdoor activities, but they also can carry West Nile virus and a multitude of other diseases. The recent flooding has allowed for pools of water to form in thousands of locations in Columbia and the surrounding area. These pools of water will inevitably result in a sort of “post-flood baby boom” of the mosquito population. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of newly hatched mosquitoes will be out and searching for first blood meal. While we have experienced a slight cold snap, the temperatures are expected to be in the eighties this coming Friday; this is not enough time to put even a dent in the mosquito population. It truly appears that the possibility of seeing mosquito activity here in Columbia SC on Christmas day is very real.
While seeing mosquito activity that’s quite considerable through Thanksgiving and Christmas is unusual, and in fact a near anomaly, you can expect to see 
To keep your yard completely free of the potential swarm of mosquitoes in the upcoming weeks and months ahead, call 
Fight the bite! 