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The Atlanta-based bug and pest control company ranks metro areas by the number of mosquito customers served each year. The list includes both residential and commercial treatments.
In the latest list, from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017, more than 20 metro areas in the Southeast are included in the ranking, the most of any region in the U.S.
LIST | Orkin’s Top 50 Mosquito Cities
- Atlanta
- Washington, D.C. (+1)
- Chicago (-1)
- New York (+1)
- Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (+8)
- Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
- Houston (+5)
- Detroit (-4)
- Charlotte, N.C. (-1)
- Nashville, Tenn. (-3)
- Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. (+11)
- Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Fla. (+11)
- Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, Va. (+1)
- Memphis, Tenn. (-3)
- Mobile-Pensacola, Fla. (+11)
- West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, Fla. (+15)
- Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (-8)
- Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Mich. (-3)
- Boston (-9)
- Phoenix, Ariz.
- Philadelphia (+9)
- Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., Asheville, N.C (-6)
- Richmond-Petersburg, Va. (-2)
- Kansas City, Mo. (+25)
- Cleveland-Akron-Canton, Ohio (-7)
- St. Louis, Mo.
- New Orleans, La. (+16)
- Baltimore, Md. (+9)
- Los Angeles
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. (-11)
- Hartford-New Haven, Conn. (-8)
- Lafayette, La. (+12)
- Knoxville, Tenn. (+1)
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y. (-17)
- Indianapolis, Ind. (-8)
- Birmingham, Ala. (+11)
- Austin, Texas (+11)
- Cincinnati, Ohio (+7)
- San Antonio, Texas
- Baton Rouge, La.
- Charleston, S.C. (-16)
- Shreveport, La.
- Columbia, S.C.
- Columbus, Ohio (-12)
- Bangor, Maine (-16)
- Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, Mich. (-18)
- Greensboro-High Pt.-Winston-Salem, N.C. (-9)
- Myrtle Beach-Florence, S.C. (-2)
- Tulsa, Okla. (-13)
- Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.
Mosquitoes can become an issue through the year because they can be carriers for diseases, like the West Nile Virus, malaria and Zika.
In recent years, Zika has become a major public health concern because of its believed link to microcephaly, a damaging birth defect causing smaller-than-normal head size in babies. Orkin entomologist Mark Beavers, Ph.D. called it one of the most notable illnesses that can be spread by mosquitoes.
“It will likely be a problem again this year, especially in areas where the type of mosquito that can carry the virus thrives,” he said.
Despite the emergency of Zika, many Americans remain unconcerned by the disease. A recent Gallup poll found that 90 percent of Americans believe they’re unlikely to contract Zika, even though the CDC has found it in more than 20 states and confirmed more than 5000 cases in the U.S. since January 2015.
Orkin said one of the best strategies for eliminating Zika is to reduce the populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito (also called the yellow fever mosquito) that carries it.
To help you protect yourself against mosquitoes, Orkin recommends the following tips:
- Remove any standing water from buckets, toys and other containers. Mosquitoes can breed in just an inch of standing water.
- Change water weekly in bird baths, fountains and potted plants that hold water.
- Keep pool water treated and circulating
- Regularly clean gutters so water doesn’t pool
- Trim shrubbery where adult mosquitoes like to rest during the day
- Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants– mosquitoes can bite through tight clothing
- Apply EPA-registered repellent
- Repair and use window and door screens
- Close gaps around windows
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