Mosquitos aren't just an outdoor nuisance -- they're a legitimate cause for health concerns. So far, 2012 has been the worst year on record for reported cases of West Nile virus in the United States, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus' season will extend into October.

Luckily, this doesn't mean you can't enjoy your outdoor area. A variety of mosquito-repelling tools in every price range can help you get rid of these pests. Make sure you can use the outdoor area you've spent so much time on for the rest of this year and the next with these effective solutions.

1. Mosquito Misting Systems

There are several mosquito misting systems, such as the MistAway Mosquito Misting System, which use insecticides to eliminate the pests from your outdoor space. Most systems are either tankless or drum-based systems that can be activated by remote control or set on a timing schedule.

The active ingredient most commonly used in these automated systems is called pyrethrin, which is derived from the extract of a certain variety of chrysanthemum flowers. There are man-made pyrethrin botanicals called "permethrin" as well, which are low in toxicity to humans and mammals.

When the system is activated, tankless mosquito misting systems mix a fresh batch of the misting formula. The homeowner can specifically program the dose rate and tailor the amount of active ingredient that's used.

The drum-based system has a 55-gallon drum made of molded plastic and a soft waterproof cover. When it's activated, an agitation cycle turns on and keeps the solution well mixed to ensure even distribution of the insecticide.

The tankless system is around $1,700, while the drum system is around $1,300.

You can have a system professionally installed by an authorized dealer, but DIYers can easily find the systems online and install one themselves.

I have the drum system in my Oklahoma backyard. Right now it is set up on a timing system and has a remote control. We set up the spray nozzles around the eaves of the house, our outdoor living areas and the pool -- sort of like a sprinkler system.

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Get a Mosquito Free Patios

Published: Saturday, September 29, 2012, 12:01 a.m.

While its old wall evokes the history of a long-ago empire, its elegant cityscape and convivial squares show a modern pride. Typical of southern Spain, it's a people-friendly place filled with energy and color.

Cordoba's centerpiece is its massive former mosque.or, in Spanish, Mezquita (for pronunciation ease, think female mosquito). Magical in its grandeur, this huge building dominates the higgledy-piggledy old town that surrounds it.

At its zenith, in the 10th century, the mosque was the center of Western Islam and a cultural hub that rivaled Baghdad and Constantinople. A wonder of the medieval world, the mosque is remarkably well-preserved, giving visitors a chance to appreciate Islamic Cordoba and the glory days of Muslim rule.

Grand gates lead to an outdoor courtyard sheltered by orange trees. Long ago, worshippers washed here before prayer, as directed by Muslim law. Entering the mosque, you step into a fantastic forest of delicate columns and graceful arches that seems to recede into infinity, as if reflecting the immensity and complexity of God's creation.

Inside, it's easy to picture Cordoba as the center of a thriving and sophisticated culture. During the Dark Ages, when much of Europe was barbaric and illiterate, Cordoba was a haven of enlightened thought: famous for a remarkable spirit of religious tolerance, artistic expression, and dedication to philosophy and the sciences.

Jews, Christians and Muslims had figured out how to live together more or less harmoniously. Everyone spoke the same language, cooked the same dishes, wore the same type of clothes and shared the same public baths. It was one culture, with three religious traditions.

But in 1236, when Christians conquered the city, everything changed. According to legend, one morning Muslims said their last prayers in the great mosque, and that afternoon the Christians set up a portable altar to celebrate their first Mass. Later, as if planting a cross into the mosque's religious heart, they build an imposing cathedral in the middle of the Mezquita. Towering overhead, the cathedral's bell tower encloses what had been a minaret.

In its juxtaposition of traditions, the Mezquita uniquely embodies the interplay of Spain's Christian and Muslim cultures.

Cordoba has a fortress (Alcazar), a 14th-century synagogue, a Roman bridge, and the Museum of Al-Andalus Life (unabashedly pro-Muslim), but most tourists leave the city having seen only the Mezquita and the trinket shops and cute medieval quarter that surround it.

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The tranquil patios of Cordoba

If you go:

What: 2012 Main Street patio program update

When: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7

Where: Louisville City Hall, 749 Main St.

LOUISVILLE -- The question of what role city government should play in the vitality of downtown Louisville will take center stage next week when a discussion on the future of the popular summertime patios on Main Street comes before the public.

The city is considering taking over the patio program, which for the past four years has been run by the Louisville Downtown Business Association, and wants the public's input on the best way to proceed.

Options include providing permanent space for outdoor seating on the sidewalks between Spruce and Walnut streets or installing hardier modular patios on that block on a seasonal basis.

City staff members will give a public presentation on the options Nov. 7 and then present the City Council with a final recommendation on how to proceed.

Diana Trettin, Louisville's capital improvement projects manager, said the existing wooden patios have a "fairly short life span" and can be easily damaged on installment or take-down. They are also bulky and difficult to store, she said.

"It's not an inexpensive endeavor," Trettin said, noting that the business association asked the city for help managing the patios. "The council would like to see them out there."

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Louisville mulls a takeover of popular downtown patios

Comment

Attention all smokers: Youre probably going to want to just start working from home, OK?

On Monday, the Toronto Board of Health adopted a report from the citys medical officer, Dr. David McKeown, that called for the city to extend its existing smoking bans to include outdoor patios, building entrances, hospital grounds and sports fields. For good measure, the board also decided to tack on a few extra places: civic squares and bus shelters. Public consultations into a potential ban are expected in the next few months.

I have never smoked cigarettes. Growing up as an asthmatic, cigarette smoke was something I learned to avoid. That aversion lasted longer than the asthma. And though I opposed, on libertarian grounds, the government banning smoking in bars or in smoking areas of restaurants, I was forced to reconsider while travelling in the United States several years ago. I stepped into a bar where the air was blue with smoke. It was disgusting.

So lets say, for the sake of argument, that we agree smoking indoors anywhere but in a private home should be banned. Risks of second-hand smoke and all that. OK. What about smoking in civic squares or on patios? You know, places that are outside?

We know that patios are one of the main places where young people and people who are trying to quit smoking are exposed to smoke, Dr. McKeown told reporters. So, it makes sense to look at it. There is a good case for taking a look at patios.

You know what else makes sense? For people who are trying to quit smoking to avoid places that might tempt them. Sorry to play the slippery slope card, but why is this any different than shutting restaurants lest they tempt dieters? If anything, obesity is a greater public-health issue than smoking. There are more obese Canadians than smokers, after all.

Dr. McKeown went on to add that smoking in public helps normalize smoking. Well, good heavens. We cant have that. Our bar patios must be kept free to do what they do best: Normalize sitting around in shirtsleeves in the evening chill, drinking beer by the pitcher and eating chicken wings and chili nachos.

Look I get it. Smoking is bad. It kills you, but not before costing the healthcare system a pretty penny. And youngsters are impressionable. Monkey see, monkey buy a pack of Players, monkey later die of esophageal cancer. Its terrible. A reasonable case can be made to protect people from second-hand smoke, or children from being unduly exposed.

But so long as cigarettes are a legal product, maybe its time to acknowledge that if someone wants to catch a smoke while walking across a civic square or standing next to a baseball diamond, they have a right to do so.

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Matt Gurney: As long as cigarettes are legal, we’ve got the right to smoke them

The City of Toronto is a big step closer to banning smoking on restaurant and bar patios, as well as public squares, the butt-littered entranceways to public buildings and all hospital grounds.

The health board voted unanimously Monday to launch consultations on extending the current ban for the first time since 2009, when areas around city playgrounds, splash pads and wading pools were added to the no-puff list.

Councillor John Filion, chair of the health board, said he hopes consultations with the public, restaurant and bar owners and others can wrap up by the end of the year, and will help produce recommendations for council in 2013.

But Filion (Ward 23, Willowdale) called restaurateurs worries that a patio ban will hurt their businesses not a credible argument. He made it clear that, no matter the feedback, his board will push council to expand the ban.

There is very broad public support for going further than we have, he told reporters. I dont think theres much doubt that the board of health will adopt some new measures; its just which those are, how soon they take effect, what are the exact parameters.

Dr. David McKeown, the citys medical officer of health, said diners and restaurant staff get unhealthy doses of second-hand smoke on patios, while clusters of smokers normalize tobacco use and influence teens who might start smoking and smokers who would like to quit.

Wayne Williams said on the patio of a downtown Jack Astors that such a ban would not bother him.

Im a smoker, but I dont mind that because it imposes on people, said Williams, 52, who would cross the street to puff. Its a bad habit Im an anti-smoker even though I smoke.

But outside Bier Markt on The Esplanade, 30-year smoker Shahab Gonbadi, 45, asked: Are they going to tell us that we cant smoke in our homes next?

Its outdoors, and they can split the patio into a smoking and non-smoking section if they want to do anything.

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Toronto health board moves toward restaurant patio smoking ban

Finding a good place to light up will be more difficult if Toronto expands the city's smoking ban.Toronto the Good is already a bad place to be a smoker, and a proposal to further limit acceptable smoking areas could soon make it even worse.

The city's board of health announced on Monday that it will consider a proposal to further expand its smoking ban next year.

The Canadian Press reports that the proposal would prohibit smoking on uncovered restaurant patios, public sports fields, and areas near hospitals, bus stops, public squares and doorways.

These, combined with current off-limit areas, would leave Toronto smokers huddled near underpasses, in provincially-registered smoking areas and, perhaps, bobbing along the Don River in kayaks.

Toronto already has a bylaw prohibiting smoke from playground areas, wading pools and splash pads, but the meat of the city's smoking limitations come from province.

[ Related: California city bans smoking in multi-family homes ]

The Smoke-free Ontario Act prohibits smoking in or near private schools, common areas in condo and apartment buildings, nurseries and day cares, sports arenas and any other enclosed public space or workplace.

The Act was updated in 2010 to include partially- and fully-covered restaurant and bar patios, the thinking at the time being, "Let the smokers sit in the open air where they won't bother anyone."

According to CTV News, Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's chief medical officer, said extending the ban to more public spaces would limit smoking's negative effect on society.

"Smoking in public places does two things: it exposes non-smokers to second-hand smoke which we know has a negative impact on health," McKeowan said. "Secondly it normalizes smoking. When young people see a crowd of people enjoying themselves it reinforces the notion that smoking is OK."

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Toronto mulls expanding smoking ban in public spaces

Q. Our condominium is about 30 years old. Some of the first floor units have installed small patios. I read in your column that owners cannot use common ground for their own. But over the years our board has looked the other way and ignored such patios. Recently, a new owner complained about the construction of one such patio because her neighbors cooking smoke was coming into her unit. She questioned why other units were allowed to have their own patios since the documents do not allow private use of the common grounds. The directors took an attitude of leave us alone and live with the smoke.

Since the board is neglectful in enforcing the rules, we are beginning to have a patchwork of violations. Many homes have patio furniture, large flower pots, grills and smokers, and some have awnings and umbrellas. The board takes a do as you please attitude. Since the owners do not want the job and problems, most of the violators continue to break the rules. I ask why these people get reelected.

R.W., Clearwater

Until your owners understand that they have an obligation to others in the community to serve, you are going to have the same problems. Someone in your condominium must step up and begin to try to organize and convince others to take on the duties by becoming candidates or you will never recover. Some must say that they are not happy with the current board and they want to go back to the basics and start enforcing the rules. Maybe that person is you. Why not start knocking on doors and ask neighbors if they are happy with the current boards actions? The greatest privilege members have is to become a candidate and serve their fellow neighbors. Yes, it is a duty but it is a privilege.

Q. Our condominium board has raised some fees, but not all. When we ask why it is changing some and not others, members say that the old fee schedule was not fair. They said the larger units are worth more and use up more of the condominiums services. They say units that are worth more since they are larger should shoulder more of the responsibility to pay more. We now have a class warfare pitting smaller units against larger units. It has divided our condominium and we do not know how to correct the issue. What is wrong with our board and members?

G.G., Orlando

The association must be operated by the rule established in the documents and statutes. The board does not have the right to just change the budget collection fee schedule because they appeal to one group and not the other. Fee payment percentages are published in the documents, as in other official papers. I assume that there are more smaller than larger units and this board is seeking to be reelected by catering to the majority. However, this action is improper and you will have to either file a written complaint with the state or sue the board. It is a difficult problem, but you must take action to have your rights. A majority cannot rule the few. Q. Our newly elected board has appointed two unit owners as finance officers to consult with the board. They were not elected as directors. Is this appointment proper and if one or two of the directors meets with these officers, is it considered a board meeting?

R.Z., Tampa

The board is allowed to seek advice from professionals or non-professionals. They can hire outside guidance or seek volunteers from the members to provide oversight and advice. Even if they were not elected as directors, they can be named as an officer, vice officer or a committee member. Directors may meet with the appointed officers and it would not be considered a board meeting as long as a majority of the elected directors are not in attendance. At a board meeting these appointees do not have a vote, but can provide reports or advice to the directors. These appointed or contracted people can even be compensated.

Write to Condo Line, Richard White, 6039 Cypress Gardens Blvd., #201, Winter Haven, FL 33884-4115., or e-mail CAMquestion@cfl.rr.com. Include name and city.

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Board ignores illegal patios

Durango City Council on Tuesday was told to butt out of bar owners livelihood with an excessive outdoor smoking ban in most public outdoor areas, such as saloon patios.

The busy work legislation should be edited to remove all references to private businesses, said Phil Roth, the owner of the 8th Avenue Tavern who has invested in a screened-in patio that has become a sanctuary for smokers.

Roth counted three bars and seven alcohol-serving restaurants with outdoor patios in Durango.

Billy Faucheux, a veteran of Vietnam era who doesnt smoke, said he was worried about the loss of individual liberties.

Where do they stop? Faucheux said in an interview. I dont want to see peoples rights taken away from them. Its as simple as that.

The council agreed with Roth and fellow bar owners, deciding to separate bar and restaurant patios from the ban while keeping in place restrictions on smoking on city-owned property and public areas such as parks, playgrounds, bus stops, the Animas River Trail and the lawn outside the Durango Community Recreation Center.

The council also tweaked the ordinance language to exclude the Hillcrest Golf Course and the citys playing fields at Fort Lewis College.

The ban will be enforced with fines of $100 for first offense and as much as $200 to $300 fines for consecutive offenses.

A formal vote was not taken because City Attorney David Smith must still write the ordinance with the revisions. It will return in two weeks.

Mayor Doug Lyon said he would have exempted the river trail from the ban because people on the trail are more likely to be exposed to smoke from the train than from secondhand cigarette smoke.

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City butts out of bar, eatery patios

MONROE, Ohio, Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Deceuninck North America, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality systems for windows, doors, and outdoor living, has contributed to the restoration of the decks and patios at Jean Bonnet Tavern, an historic tavern and inn in Bedford, Pa. Keystone Vinyl, a company specializing in the installation of decking, vinyl railing systems and fencing, installed nearly 1,200 sq. ft. of Deceuninck's Clubhouse PVC Decking on guest room balconies and the back porch that serves as part of the tavern's outdoor dining area.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110214/NE47651LOGO )

"The Jean Bonnet Tavern dates back to the late 18th century, which means any renovations had to maintain the tavern's authentic appearance," said Filip Geeraert, president and CEO of Deceuninck North America. "With its deep-grain embossing and wide variety of colors, Clubhouse PVC Decking was the optimal solution for a project such as this. The decks are appealing to the eye, they match well with the look of the rest of the structure, and they are now stronger and more durable than ever before."

Clubhouse Decking is 100-percent PVC and contains no wood or wood fillers. It is formulated to be up to 25-percent lighter than most wood and composites, and its denser cell structure offers superior strength and solid underfoot feel with Deceuninck's Korelite technology. Korelite also helps to keep moisture out and reduces the opportunity for degradation from mold, mildew, freezing and thawing.

SunShield technology helps protect Clubhouse from the harsh effects of the sun, including UV resistance and fade protection, resistance to cracking and brittleness, and surface degradation. Clubhouse Decking is also 100-percent recyclable and does not require painting or staining. It features a limited lifetime warranty with 25-year fade and stain protection backed by Deceuninck.

"Clubhouse by Deceuninck was the perfect choice for this project," said Josh Weyandt, partner of Keystone Vinyl. "Its warranty can't be matched. It's practically maintenance free. Clubhouse also retains its color and is slip- and scratch-resistant. All of this was important to the Jean Bonnet."

The tavern chose Clubhouse Decking in cobblestone to create a stacked stone appearance to match the look and feel of the historic structure.

About Deceuninck

Deceuninck North America, LLC is part of the Deceuninck Group, an integrated global organization specializing in compounding, tool fabrication, design, development, extrusion, finishing of PVC-U window systems and composite applications for the building industry. The company is active in more than 75 countries, has 35 subsidiaries (production and/or sales), and is supported by nearly 3,000 personnel worldwide. In 2011, Deceuninck Group achieved consolidated sales of 536.1 million Euros worldwide (approximately $670 million USD). Deceuninck North America encompasses fully-integrated design, compounding, tooling, extrusion and quality assurance disciplines for the production of vinyl window and door systems and composite applications for the building industry at its corporate headquarters in Monroe, Ohio. For more information, please visit http://www.deceuninck-americas.com.

Contact: Jeff Donaldson For Deceuninck North America 412-642-7700 jeff.donaldson@elias-savion.com

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Deceuninck North America's Clubhouse PVC Decking Revitalizes the Porches on an Historic Tavern in Bedford, Pa.

Torontos Board of Health will decide next week whether to explore a further clamping down on smoking in public places, including patios and sports fields.

On Monday the board will consider whether the citys medical officer of health should consult with key stakeholders on extending smoking restrictions. If the board gives its assent, a decision on further limits would not come before next year.

In 2009, the City surpassed the level of protection offered by the [Smoke-Free Ontario Act] by banning smoking near City playgrounds, wading pools, splash pads and in farms and zoos operated by Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division, the board of health notes in an agenda for next weeks meeting. Now, there is strong public interest and support for Toronto to join other Ontario municipalities in expanding [second-hand-smoke] protection to other outdoor spaces, including public building entranceways, bar and restaurant patios and hospital grounds.

A report cited by the board notes that adult smoking rates have dropped since 2001, but that about one in five young adults are still smoking.

Experts agree that tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide, including in Canada and that tobacco use and [second-hand-smoke] exposure remain important public health concerns, the report states.

In 2011 the board of health sought advice on ways to control tobacco use through expansions to existing smoke-free by-laws.

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City to consider expanding smoking bans in public places