Pesky Bloodsuckers on a Breeding Bonanza

A recent article in the Telegraph newspaper had us feeling a bit twitchy and we thought we’d share it with you; it seems our warm wet summer means mosquitoes are on the rampage and are thriving as never before. It’s very fortunate that Appeal Shading launched a new product range of insect screens just in time!

According to journalist Sarah Rainey, they lurk in long, damp grass in our gardens, and lie in wait in gutters filled with stagnant rainwater. When the sun shines and temperatures rise, they will lay their eggs and start to breed.

She tells us that although associated with exotic climates, mosquitoes are native to the UK. There are 33 species in Britain, among them the Anopheles plumbeus, found buzzing around shady forests, and the Culiseta annulata, a stripy-legged insect known for its vicious bite. While mosquitoes are feared for the diseases they carry, such as malaria and yellow fever, in fact only the females are bloodsuckers.

Fortunately at Appeal Shading we have found you the ultimate solution just in time. With our new insect screens you can enjoy time spent in your conservatory or home without worrying about an invasion of these tiny terrors. Open your windows to allow a cool breeze to pass through whilst the moths, mosquitoes and other pests are unable to bother you. Appeal Shading offers two types of insect screen – a screen to be used with doors and a window screen that is also suitable for conservatory roof vents.

So what’s behind the latest plague? Mosquitoes favour wet, humid weather – and the combination of a wet June followed by a warm July has created the perfect atmosphere for them to flourish. Conditions have been great – muggy temperatures with lots of stagnant water around. Their larvae make tasty titbits for flies and other insects, so we can expect to see an increase in those, too.

“We’ve had the wet weather, but it’s only just warming up in the UK,” says Prof Steve Lindsay, a disease ecologist at Durham University. “Because the summer has been delayed, it may be that the mosquitoes’ breeding season is delayed – there could definitely be more to come.”

Just as well our product designers at Appeal Shading have come up with a whole range of fully retractable, easy to operate insect screens with different widths of mesh. For more information on Appeal’s range of insect screens, visit our Insect Screens page, request a brochure or call us on 0800 975 5757.