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How to protect your home from mosquitoes

Mecklenburg County Department of Health is warning parents to be prepared with mosquito season kicking off across the region.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Mecklenburg County Department of Health is warning parents to be prepared with mosquito season starting in the region.

The county launched a campaign called "Tip and Toss," which reminds people to remove any standing water on their property.

"They have to have water to lay their eggs and continue the life cycle," Tim Dutcher of Mecklenburg County Health said.

He said some mosquitoes carry diseases like West Nile Virus and even Zika Virus, but he said the aedes aegypti species, which is responsible for Zika, is not a big risk in the Charlotte area.

He said mosquitoes are mostly a nuisance.

"It's just important to get out as often as you can at least every seven days going out in your yard and tipping and tossing," he said.

Objects where standing water could accumulate in include open buckets, the bottoms of flower pots, kids' toys and cups left outside.

The Mecklenburg Health Department will also be placing mosquito traps around the city to track which species of the insect are most prevalent in each neighborhood.

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