Step outside, and you're enveloped in a buzzing dark cloud of mosquitoes.

You dash to your car, slapping and swatting, only to find the pesky critters have beat you there, poised to latch on to any exposed skin.It's summer in Pennsylvania, and mosquitoes are swarming, just in time for Fourth of July picnics.But while it may seem like there are more of the bloodthirsty beasts this year, there are probably actually fewer because mosquitoes like dry, hot weather, said Colleen Connolly of the state Department of Environmental Protection, and this summer has been cool and rainy.But that can change as temperatures rise.Although mosquitoes thrive in arid weather, they breed in standing water. There's plenty of that thanks to last month's relentless rainfalls.Rain measured at Mount Pocono showed that more than 12 inches have fallen since June 1."That is well above normal," said Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey.A normal amount for June would be 4.51 inches.Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. While you can't just tell the blood sucking pests to just buzz off, there are some steps you can take to discourage them.In addition to DEET-based insect repellents, peppermint oil, catnip, and beautyberry are all effective, natural mosquito repellents, according to the MosquitoMagnet website.Floral perfumes, dark colors, and blond hair tend to attract the insects, as do fidgety people.Mosquitoes are weak flyers, according to the American Mosquito Control Association. Putting a fan on your deck or patio can force them off course.Bats are our friendsIn addition to eliminating standing water, you can enlist one of Mother Nature's most effective mosquito control devices, bats."It's no secret that bats eat bugs, but many people don't realize just how many," says Franklin Klock of the Carbon County Environmental Education Center."The average little brown bat can consume its own weight in insects in a single night, at a rate of 600-1,000 mosquitoes an hour," he says.Contrary to common belief, bats do not fly in people's hair."Not to say it didn't ever happen to some lady with a beehive hairdo, but the real reason they fly around our heads is to eat the blood sucking insects that are after us," Klock says.Around your propertyBesides swatting and frequent applications of insect repellent, here's how you can combat mosquito bombardment, according to Pennsylvania's West Nile Virus Program.• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have collected on your property.• Pay special attention to discarded tires. Stagnant water in tires are where most mosquitoes breed.• Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers left outdoors.• Have clogged roof gutters cleaned every year, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to plug up the drains. Roof gutters can produce millions of mosquitoes each season.• Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use. Stagnant water in a wading pool becomes a place for mosquitoes to breed.• Turn over wheelbarrows and don't let water stagnate in birdbaths. Both provide breeding habitats for domestic mosquitoes.• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens can become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate. Clean and chlorinate swimming pools not in use. A swimming pool left untended by a family on vacation for a month can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhoodwide complaints. Mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on pool covers.• Make sure all windows and doors have screens, and that all screens are in good repair.