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Have plans to attend a Memorial Day BBQ this weekend? Along with the jean shorts and flip flops, you may have to break out mosquito repellant. Yes, along with the unofficial opening weekend of the summer season, this holiday is also the beginning of open season on a veritable mosquito feast in the form of, well, humans.

We spoke to Janet McAllister, Ph.D., an entomologist in the Division of Vector-Born Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who gave us the lowdown on what’s true and what’s just hearsay. Read on for five of the biggest mosquito myths around, and tell us: What’s your anti-mosquito battle plan?

All Mosquitoes Are More Or Less The Same
Most people, if they notice the difference between mosquitoes at all, assume that the difference is as minimal as, say, the difference between breeds of house cat. Not so, says McAllister.

“Those individual mosquitoes are actually different species and as different from each other as a lion is from a housecat,” she says. “They have very different behaviors, very different preferences of what they want to eat and where they might live.”

Where mosquitoes want to live is a big one: Urban species don’t do well in the country and some species thrive only in one very specific region. What types of mosquitoes like your environment can have an effect on the types of diseases you’re exposed to. What’s more, only female mosquitoes bite humans.

All Mosquitoes Carry Disease
“There are over 3,000 mosquito species worldwide, but only a couple of hundred are important medically,” says McAllister. That’s because most species of mosquito don’t even bite humans — some prefer other animals like amphibians and reptiles.

The mosquitoes that do carry disease tend to be concentrated in specific species. For example, West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus — two of the biggest public health threats — come from the genera Culex. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Culex species of mosquito are the only insects capable of transmitting the viruses, explains McAllister. Instead, those species seem to be culpable for outbreaks of disease for reasons that scientists still don’t fully understand.

A Dry Winter Means Fewer Mosquito Worries In The Summer
“It’s true that mosquitoes breed in water, but actually, droughts are some of the most disease-promoting,” explains McAllister. That’s because the concentrated water, which is dirtier and more “richly organic,” is particularly appealing to some disease carrying mosquitoes. What’s more, the lack of water sources mean that mosquitoes and birds — who carry many of the mosquito-borne illnesses that affect us — are crowded together to share the resource, creating an environment rich for disease spread.

Mosquitoes Prefer People With “Sweet” Blood
While it’s true that mosquitoes prefer to feast on some people over others, it has nothing to do with blood sugar, floral scents or many of the commonly perceived attractions.

“Different species have different cues for being attracted,” says McAllister, though researchers have found that mosquitoes have in common a love of carbon dioxide, lactic acid and certain strains of bacteria that some people have in higher concentrations.

“Every individual is different: Some exhale more CO2, some sweat more,” explains McAllister. What’s more, anyone can make themselves more attractive to mosquitoes following heavy exercise, thanks to a potent combination of sweat, carbon dioxide and lactic acid.

Garlic Will Ward Off Mosquitoes
While there is some anecdotal evidence of people taking garlic pills or eating garlic to keep mosquitoes at bay, there is no scientific or clinical data to suggest that it helps.

Instead, choose an Environmental Protection Agency-registered spray or product, which has gone through extensive testing, to keep those mosquitoes at bay.

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• Ice

  A shock of cold therapy will provide relief for itching and keep you from swelling more, says Schultz. “Ice actually numbs the nerves that conduct itching and pain so you don’t feel either,” he says.
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  You may have heard that going the other direction in temperature can also help. Hot water would in fact have the same effect on the nerves, says Schultz, but after you remove your warm compress or step out of that hot shower, you’ll face a “rebound release of histamine that makes the itching worse,” he says.

• Essential Oils

  “Tea tree oil is one of my favorite essential oils in all of dermatology,” says Schultz. It a href=”http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/treating-insect-bites-with-aromatherapy.htm” target=”_hplink”acts as an anti-inflammatory/a, so it can combat itching, swelling and pain, and it seems to also have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties that can help prevent infection at the site of the bite, he explains.
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  Lavender oil can also help. “Lavender is the most versatile of all the essential oiils, with more benefits than you can shake a stick at,” says Schultz. A dab on the skin can help reduce inflammation and pain and prevent infections, he says.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/badlydrawn/4685088481/” target=”_hplink”.angels./a/em

• Vinegar

  This “way-underutilized” home remedy can help stop itching due to its acidity, says Schultz. He recommends diluting two or three cups in a bathtub of warm water to treat all-over bites, or putting a few drops on cotton and wiping an individual bite. Apple cider vinegar may be an even better bet, he adds, since it’s slightly less acidic, and it’s likely that the pH of itchy, red skin is off balance to begin with, he says.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/aroberts/4080080785/” target=”_hplink”AndyRobertsPhotos/a/em

• Honey

  Since this natural sweetener is known for a a href=”http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/8-health-benefits-of-honey-for-a-happy-new-year-sd.aspx” target=”_hplink”wide range of health benefits/a, including its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, it’s not surprising that honey can also ease itchy bites. It’s included in a number of natural lotions and balms for this exact reason, Everyday Health explains.
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  Schultz recommends opting for raw honey and only dabbing a little bit right on the bite.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/dphiffer/79606170/” target=”_hplink”dphiffer/a/em

• Tea Bag

  Just like (cooled!) tea bags can a href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/12/allergies-skin-problems_n_1418961.html” target=”_hplink”reduce under-eye puffiness/a, they can ease swelling on bites, too, says Schultz. The tannins in tea act as an astringent, he says, drawing extra fluid out of the bite.

• Baking Soda

  “Sodium bicarbonate is a mild alkaline compound that a href=”http://www.prevention.com/doubledutyremedies/list/3.shtml” target=”_hplink”can help neutralize the pH balance of your skin/a,” Dr. Linda K. Franks told emPrevention/em. “This ‘buffering effect’ may help quell the inflammation that occurs at the skin’s surface, easing your soreness.”
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  Try dissolving some into a warm bath and soaking for 30 minutes, or mixing some with a little water to create a paste to apply directly to the bitten skin.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/f-oxymoron/5423065696/” target=”_hplink”[F]oxymoron/a/em

• Witch Hazel

  Baking soda can also work in conjunction with other remedies, says Schultz, like this plant-based astringent that, when applied in a paste with baking soda, will draw fluid out and reduce swelling at the bite. “There’s a synergy, they work even better together,” he says.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimpenfish/7074564449/” target=”_hplink”zimpenfish/a/em

• Basil

  The aromatic leaf naturally a href=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18401780? target=”_hplink”contains camphor and thymol/a, two compounds that can relieve itching, says Schultz. It’s easy to crush some up and apply it to bites, or buy the essential oil and dab onto the skin.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/saragoldsmith/2541929711/” target=”_hplink”saragoldsmith/a/em

• Lemon And Lime

  Both citrus fruits are anti-itch, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial, according to Schultz. The juice or the peel can “kill all sorts of bacteria” he says.
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  There is one downside, though. Just the way you used to squeeze lemon juice into your hair for beachy highlights, the oils will also react with the sun on your skin. “You’ll get a blistering reaction,” Schultz says. Stay safe by only using citrus-based remedies indoors.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/2873520174/” target=”_hplink”psd/a/em

• Peppermint

  You may have heard that a dab of toothpaste can ease the itch, but it might be that minty-fresh flavoring that’s at work.
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  “It causes a cooling sensation, [which] gets to the brain faster than the itching,” Schultz says. Because the brain can only process one sensation at a time, cooling agents are often added to skin products to act as “counter-irritants” he says, which prevent and block other sensations, like itching. If you don’t want to slather the chemicals in your toothpaste on your bites, try a drop of the essential oil or a paste made from crushed leaves.

• Banana Peel

  While some people swear by this home remedy, there (perhaps unsurprisingly) isn’t a whole lot of credible research to back it up. Schultz hypothesizes that the sugars in the chemical makeup of the skin of a banana could be soothing and draw fluid out from a bite.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/7171600976/” target=”_hplink”CarbonNYC/a/em

• Milk And Water

  For a soothing compress, Schultz recommends soaking equal parts milk and water into a handkerchief and applying it to the skin. “It’s very soothing and helpful at relieving itching, swelling and inflammation,” he says, “plus it’s also a great technique for relieving sunburn.” Skim works the best, he adds, as it’s the protein and not the fat in milk that soothes the skin.
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/elements/3937169441/” target=”_hplink”tauress/a/em

• Slapping Or Pinching

  It sounds silly, but it works! “Slapping is a greater form of pain than itching,” explains Schultz. “It’s more startling, but it’s not annoying the way itching is.” The brain can only register one feeling at a time, he says, so you may get some relief from the itchiness when the pain of a slap takes over, even if you might feel strange inflicting that pain on yourself.
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  Squeezing the bite gently but firmly is another option (which may feel less ‘out there’). These methods can ease all itchy bumps, adds Schultz, not just mosquito bites.

• Aloe

  While it’s primarily thought of as sunburn relief, aloe shouldn’t be ignored in treating bites, says Schultz. “It’s very good for itching and swelling and really is very soothing.”
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  emFlickr photo by a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/veggiefrog/2252234971/” target=”_hplink”veggiefrog/a/em

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