We’re still a few weeks from the official start of summer, but there are already squadrons of blood-sucking mosquitoes on patrol a little early this year. Iowa State Epidemiologist Ann Garvey says the rains and warm weather have made a bad situation worse and anyone who’s outdoors for any longer than a few minutes needs to take the proper precautions.

Garvey says those who spend a lot of time outdoors who want to protect themselves from both mosquitoes and the sun face something of a dilemma:

A bonus from wearing most insect repellants is that they’ll keep ticks away in addition to pesky mosquitoes.