Fight the bite Published July 10, 2013 By Senior Airman Samuel Whitten 5th Medical Operations Squadron MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- With summer here and swarms of mosquitoes out, they can be annoying. Not only that, they can be a Public Health concern. Mosquitoes are capable of transmitting a variety of diseases. Some mosquito-borne diseases found in North Dakota include St Louis encephalitis, Western Equine encephalitis and West Nile Virus. Luckily our risk of getting them is low. Mosquitoes are small, long-legged insects. The females, in most species, have piercing and sucking mouth parts. The males may have beaks, that cannot pierce through skin and they feed on fruit and plant juices. Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide, body odor or spray, perspiration, warmth, and light. Easy Bite Prevention Steps: · Use insect repellent with DEET or permethrin · If you're staying outside for long periods of time, treat clothing and outdoor gear with permethrin · Wear Long sleeves and pants while outside · Eliminate mosquitoes habitat (i.e. standing water around house) · Avoid being outside at dusk and dawn If you have questions, please call Public Health at 723-5204. For more info about mosquitos please check out http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/avoid-bug-bites