FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Most people would not think positively about increases in mosquito and tick populations. However, Max Meisch is not most people.

"There’s a wonderful mosquito crop this year, especially down state," said Meisch, a University of Arkansas professor of entomology.

Meisch’s general area of interest is medical entomology, and he specializes in riceland mosquito control.

"In northwest Arkansas, mosquitoes are not extremely annoying, although they seem to be increasing over the last few years," Meisch said. "However, in comparison to the rice fields, the mosquito population is pretty light."

This summer Meisch is assisting UA graduate student Rebekah Crockett in a mosquito surveillance program. Crockett is trapping mosquitoes from around Arkansas to send to a private lab, which is testing them for West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis and eastern equine encephalitis. Meisch said so far the tests have not yielded any cases of the viruses.

People should take preventive measures to avoid mosquito bites. In addition to protecting themselves, people should protect their pets. Mosquitoes are also vectors of heart worms.

About 55 mosquito species thrive in Arkansas, but most do not present serious health threats.

"Not all mosquitoes are vectors of disease, but they are a first-class annoyance," Meisch said.

Mosquito pestilence is not the only summer nuisance. Meisch said the tick population this year is also thriving.

Like some mosquito species, some tick species are disease vectors. Lyme disease, which is primarily a threat in the northeastern United States, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are among the diseases ticks carry. However, people can prevent infection even after a tick bites.

"Removal of a tick within 24 hours of attachment will prevent these diseases," Meisch said.

Another disease that ticks carry is tularmia, a bacterial disease which can be fatal. Tularmia is transmitted from ticks to rabbits. Humans are exposed to the disease when they come in contact with infected rabbits.

People should take care to protect themselves from insect bites, but some products on the market should be avoided. Meisch said products that emit sounds to deter insects are "not usually effective" and although light traps kill mosquitoes, they attract a host of other insects. Long sleeves and insect repellents are the best defenses when battling pesky insects.