Dr. Janis Reed, BCE, Technical Services Manager, Product Development Team, Control Solutions Inc.

As most of the world spent the months of March and April indoors, I’ve seen memes and had people ask: Won’t the mosquitoes starve to death? The answer is unfortunately, no.

While it is true that mosquitoes use the blood they feed on for egg production, a bloodmeal is not necessary. An adult mosquito can use proteins stored during her development to produce eggs.

Here are some actions we should advise our customers (and ourselves) to take to protect against the potentially very hungry mosquitoes when we can finally go outside again:

• Avoid going to areas known to be heavily active with mosquitoes.
• Wear light-colored clothes that cover most of your skin.
• Use an insect repellent that is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Try to avoid being outdoors at twilight.
• Limit your adult beverage intake, as some research has shown that drinking alcohol can make you more attractive to mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes can reduce your customers’ quality of life. Providing them with a few tips to avoid being bitten can increase your value and customer satisfaction — and ultimately, retention.