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Teachers, click here to download the 2012 FTB Postcard!
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Tips for Teachers

Incorporating Fight the Bite poster contest into science or health lessons. "Fight the Bite" may be a good complement to a science curriculum focusing on mosquitoes, ticks or other ecological elements, diseases in the United States or the domestic risks presented by mosquitoes, if students have learned about malaria or other international health issues associated with insects. This information may also complement a health course looking at outdoor risks and prevention.

Objectives may include:

• Students will learn the difference between ticks and mosquitoes.
• The students will learn about insect repellent use.
• Students know how to identify major structures of insects and ticks (e.g., wings, legs, mouthparts) and their life cycles.
• Students will learn about proper insect repellent use and understand the differences between repellents (used to prevent insect bites) and insecticides (used to kill insects).
• Students will be able to identify at least two diseases transmitted by insects or ticks in the United States, particularly those present in their state.

1. Ask students to research Fight the Bite website. http://www.fightthebitecontest.org/.
2. Discuss why the contest is held and who is CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/about/ Discuss your state health department or local county/city health department. Find your state or local health department at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/international/relres.html Possible questions:
   • What does CDC and/ or your health departments do to keep us healthy?
   • Examples: CDC educates us about how to prevent disease, researches what causes disease and develop new prevention approaches.
3. Discuss disease transmission from vector (mosquito or tick). The tick (deer tick, black legged tick) that transmits Lyme disease does not live in all states in the country. Determine if the tick that transmits Lyme disease is found in your state at: http://www.tickencounter.org/education/tick_identification/
4. Research tick borne and mosquito borne diseases:
   • http://www.deetonline.org/insectborne.php
   • http://www.bam.gov/sub_diseases/diseases_westnile.html
   • http://www.bam.gov/sub_yoursafety/yoursafety_ticktactics.html
   • http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/arbor/neato.htm
   • http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm
   • http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
5. What do mosquitoes look like? Research images:
   • http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/insects.htm
   • http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp
6. What do ticks look like? Research images:
   • American Lyme Disease Association at: http://www.aldf.com/pdf/TickCard.pdf
   • CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_transmission.htm
   • Public Health Images: http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp
   • University of Rhode Island: http://www.tickencounter.org/education/tick_identification/
7. Have students create POSTERS following "Helpful Hints" on the Fight the Bite website: http://www.fightthebitecontest.org/Index.html. with emphasis on how to prevent mosquito or tick bites.

• Young ticks have six legs, and mature ticks have eight legs.
• Ticks are actually arachnids, not insects, since the adults have eight legs whereas insects only have six.
• Ticks do not jump or fly, although they may drop from their perch and fall onto a host.
• You cannot get West Nile virus from a person who sneezes or coughs on you.
• Mosquitoes have sensors that help them find people to bite.
• Most insects are not harmful to humans or plants.
• Female mosquitoes and females ticks are the disease transmitters, not the males, because the males do not bite people and other mammals..