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Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer — a time Seattle homeowners dust off patios, fire up grills, and plan backyard gatherings. Unfortunately, it also coincides with the ramp-up of mosquito activity after weeks of cool, wet weather. In the Pacific Northwest even small amounts of standing water — a saucer under a potted…

The Pacific Northwest — with its lush forests, abundant waterways and long summer evenings — is ideal habitat for mosquitoes, and it’s also a region where many people prefer “natural” solutions over synthetic insecticides. Homeowners, campers and public-health planners alike increasingly ask whether plant-based repellents, essential oils and other non-synthetic options can reliably protect against…

Mosquito protection is more than a matter of comfort — it’s an important part of preventing itchy bites and the diseases some species can carry. When children and pets are in the house or yard, choosing a repellent means balancing effectiveness with safety. Not all mosquito repellents are created equal: active ingredients, concentrations, and how…

May marks the start of mosquito and tick season in much of the country, and for pet owners that means a renewed focus on protection. Mosquitoes and ticks aren’t just itchy nuisances — they are vectors for diseases that can seriously harm dogs and cats. Mosquitoes transmit heartworm disease (a potentially fatal parasite, especially in…

Finding a tick on your child can be unsettling, but prompt and proper removal dramatically reduces the chance of infection. Ticks are small parasites that can transmit diseases—most commonly Lyme disease in many parts of the United States—if they remain attached and feeding for many hours. The goal when you discover a tick is to…

Tick-borne diseases are a growing public-health concern, and homeowners, land managers, and public-health officials increasingly look to targeted control options to reduce tick populations around homes and recreational areas. Two commonly discussed tactics are tick tubes and granular tick treatments. Though both aim to reduce the risk of human exposure to ticks, they work very…

Ticks are more than a nuisance; they are vectors for diseases such as Lyme, anaplasmosis and babesiosis, and controlling their numbers around your home is an important part of reducing human and pet exposure. Tick tubes are a popular, low-effort tool designed to reduce local tick populations by interrupting a key part of the tick…

Each spring, Pacific Northwest hikers begin to notice something unwelcome joining them on trails: ticks. May in particular often sees a spike in tick encounters across forested and brushy hiking areas, a pattern driven by the life cycle and behavior of the region’s dominant tick species (notably the western black‑legged tick, Ixodes pacificus), the seasonal…

May in Seattle is the time when the city shifts from cool, rainy spring toward longer, sunnier days, and that combination makes backyard standing water an important early-season mosquito breeding ground. Spring rains fill gutters, saucers, puddles and planters, while yard cleanups and gardening leave tarps, toys and pots that can hold water. Even though…

If you live in King County, Washington, mosquitoes are more than a summertime nuisance — they’re a diverse group of insects with different habits, habitats and public‑health implications. Understanding which species are most common locally helps explain when and where you’re likely to be bitten, which diseases (if any) are a concern, and which control…