CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With outdoor sports like football in full-force, local school officials are doing what they can to keep the mosquitos at bay.
"My brother, my sister, grandma, grandpa, we all put on OFF right now, right here, before getting to our seat. You need that OFF," said Sonia Flores, parent of a Haas Middle School football player.
All it takes for mosquitos to appear is standing water, humidity and tall grass. The blood suckers have everything they need to to buzz off anyone in their way, including athletes playing outdoor sports.
"We're having him wear long-sleeve. We give him OFF in the mornings to put in his backpack to practice, then he puts it on. He tells us his friends are using it too. We've never had to do that before," Flores said.
Before any outdoor middle or high school game, the athletic department gets the City to spray the area.
"Making sure we coordinate it to where we don't have a lot of activity going on out here when they come out to spray," said Doug Bull, Assistant AD for the Corpus Christi Independent School District, "and coordinate that way our grounds are taking care of and not inconveniencing those around us."
But spraying only tackles so many mosquitos.
"It's difficult to keep up. We can't keep up with the grass. It grows so fast," Bull said.
He adds that loading up on insect repellent can help spectators keep the mosquitos at bay.
"Some type of spray on, just a squirt bottle or lotion with some type of deet on it," Bull said.
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