YORK, Pa. — Staying up late, camping, enjoying bonfires and smores are all summertime staples -- but so are the bug bites you get from being outside.
JoAnn Adkins is a Senior Infection Preventionist at Patient Safety Authority. She says that some people are more prone to bug bites than others based on their blood types.
“We always have a tremendous amount of mosquitoes in this state," Adkins tells Fox43. “They have done research and mosquitoes prefer type O”.
Mosquitoes are also attracted to dark-colored clothes, clothes with flower patterns on them, floral perfumes and lotions, or people that work outside and sweat a lot.
While a nuisance, mosquito bites can also be problematic and carry diseases -- including the West Nile Virus, Adkins says.
RELATED: Mosquitoes collected in several York County municipalities test positive for West Nile Virus
About 80 percent of people who contract West Nile virus will remain asymptomatic, according to Adkins.
“The other 20%, the majority will have symptoms similar to the flu, to influenza, they’ll have a fever, they’ll have muscle aches, they’ll be very tired… that sort of thing," Adkins tells FOX43.
If you do notice flu-like symptoms or even neurological issues after being bitten, it’s important to contact your doctor to treat the potential disease and prevent further illness.
To treat bites that are itchy on your skin, hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion are best to soothe your skin.
And when it comes to preventing mosquito bites all together, Adkins says it's best to try and avoid the bugs when they're most active.
“They are most active at dawn and at dusk," she says. "So if you can avoid being outside at those times or if you do go outside then wear long pants, long sleeves, which I know it’s August in Central Pennsylvania so the humidity is high, the temperature’s high, but those will also help prevent from bites. And then you can always use repellents.”
You also want to clear off any standing water from your property, according to Adkins.
“People always think about bird baths, but they also got to remember if you have blocked gutters on your house, you will have standing water there," she says. "If you have big flower pots that do not drain, that do not have the drainage holes on the bottom, and it rains hard like some of the storms we’ve gotten the past couple of weeks, you will have standing water."
With heavy rainfall in the forecast this week, keeping your yard clear of standing water will be especially important to avoid having more mosquitoes breed in your backyard.