Hoover, AL - "It's terrible where we live. Go outside late in the evening and you're swarmed," says Sam Wells, who takes whatever precautions he can against mosquitoes for his children. He uses all sorts of things. "Fogger sprays, bug zappers, bug repellants, the little clip on bug repellants."

Do it yourself mosquito control will be crucial as more cities like Calera slash mosquito abatement from their budgets. Lowe's Bill Mitchell showed us several products that will keep the pests from biting.

"We've got backyard sprays that you can hook up to your hose and spray your entire backyard. Then we've got the electric stingers that attract mosquitoes that attract them and kills them instantly with electricity. We've got a little bit of everything."

From tiki torches to eco-friendly repellants. Many folks are using minnows to eat mosquito larvae in standing water. And some on-line sites sell bat boxes which will attract the insect-eating creatures.

"We talked about trying to find some way to make dragonflies and bats live at the house," Wells says, "Anything to get rid of the mosquitoes. It's terrible."

There are several ways to avoid mosquito bites. The CDC (web | news) says to use an insect repellant with DEET, wear long sleeves and pants, weather permitting, and beware during peak mosquito hours, especially during evening and early morning.

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