A warning for folks going out on clean-up...
With all the rain we have been getting, there is a lot of standing water for mosquitoes to breed in. West Nile has tested positive in mosquitoes in Cook County already this year.
Also with all the standing water, the leeches are in hardier force than usual, but are easily fended off by wearing boots with long pants tucked in. Once can carry salt to sprinkle on them to make them drop off if one does get attached for some reason.
The tick population has exploded this year as well. I was in a wooded area (not BG, but similar woods/water combination), and had to pick several ticks off because I didn't think about protection. I was only out for about 30 min, and I know clean-up is a lot longer than that:)
Make sure you spray well with repellent (over sunscreen if you use it), varieties containing DEET or pyrethrin is recommended by the EPA. Wear long sleeves/pants tucked tightly into boots/socks/gloves. Wearing light colors is better since you can see them on you easier. If you have long hair, tie it up tightly, as they like to attach themselves to dangling hair and climb up. If you fear bringing unseen ticks home, toss your clothes in a dryer on high for 30 min, that will kill them. Keep in mind that they do usually take their time before they decide to bite, and need to be attached for quite a while before alarm for disease.
And for the love of your pets, don't bring them, even if they are on the full spectrum of protective meds. Ticks missed by a brushing can cause bites that can get infected, even if they don't impart any disease.
