Mosquitos can be a frustrating nuisance wherever you live. In addition to being annoying, they can also carry serious diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, zika, and filarial worms.
Here are 18 tips for getting rid of mosquitoes in your home.
18 tips for getting rid of mosquitoes in your home
- Clean stagnant water: Mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water, be it clean or dirty. So make sure that you replace water in pools, birdbaths, flower pots, or trash containers at least once a week.
- Remove junk: Get rid of any junk in your backyard that collects water so that mosquitoes cannot lay eggs there.
- Use proper lids: Tightly cover your water storage containers, such as buckets and rain barrels, with lids and wire mesh with very small openings so that mosquitoes cannot enter and breed there.
- Larvicides: You can use the larvicides available on the market, such as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). These contain bacteria that kill mosquito larvae. These are available online as donuts, briquettes, or granules and are effective for up to 30 days, safe for pets as well as fish, but need timely replacement.
- Foggers: Mosquitoes often hide in plants or other shady sites in the garden after feeding. Fogging these areas is an effective way to keep these areas mosquito-free, although they do not kill larvae or eggs. Keep in mind that foggers can only be used in open spaces, such as backyards or gardens, and may harm beneficial insects, such as bees and butterflies.
- Chemical fogger: Generates very small particles of floating insecticide that kill adult mosquitoes through direct contact.
- Thermal fogger: Uses the heat produced from a propane flame to create a thick white fog, which is fatal to mosquitoes.
- Mosquito traps: Store bought mosquito traps use carbon dioxide or human scent attractants to draw in, trap, and kill mosquitoes. Some of these traps, however, are expensive and success rates may vary.
- Bug zappers: These machines use ultraviolet light sources to attract mosquitoes and electrocute them.
- Ovitraps: These are artificial breeding containers that kill mosquitoes that go there to lay eggs.
- Residual sprays: Sprays containing permethrin, N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) or even citronella oil can be sprayed with simple hand-held pumps or insecticide bottles around the doorways and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house. Effects last for a few days.
- Nets and screens: You can use nets and screens on your doors, vents, chimneys, and windows. These are a great option if you are allergic to strong smells or sensitive to pesticides and worried about killing bees in your garden. Make sure you repair and mend torn nets. Do not leave doors open.
- Mosquito coils or heated repellent pads: These can often repel mosquitoes in small areas. They are fitted and sold in lamps, lanterns or portable units.
- Air conditioning: Air conditioning can keep temperatures inside the home cooler and forces you to keep windows and doors shut, which can help keep mosquitoes away.
- Plant and shrubs: Regular pruning of overgrown shrubs, grass, weeds, vines, and ground cover around your house helps keep mosquitoes at bay. Overgrown plants provide cool, dark, damp areas where adult mosquitoes rest.
- Outside lighting: Some reports suggest that the use of yellow light bulbs or sodium-vapor orange lights may help keep mosquitoes away.
- Insect repellents: Insect repellents come as creams or roll-ons to be applied over clothes or the skin. These are safe to use for babies as well as during pregnancy. Many of these contain citronella, eucalyptus, or other essential oils (such as oil of lemon eucalyptus). Though you may give these a try, some individuals report itching, rash or nasal congestion with their use. Some mosquito repellents contain chemicals, such as DEET, IR3535 or picaridin. These are synthetic but more effective.
- Essential oils: Spraying essential oils in the bedroom and flower vases can repel mosquitoes. Lavender, geranium, peppermint, cinnamon bark oil, catnip, rosemary, and pine oil can make the house smell fresh and prevent mosquitoes from entering the home.
- Fish: Keeping fish as pets can help keep your water tanks clean. These fish feed on mosquito larvae, thus disrupting the mosquitoes' life cycle.
- Professional fumigation: If your mosquito problem is severe or if you are moving into a new house that is known to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, you may want to pay for professional fumigation. Though it costs more than other treatments, effects are long-lasting and reliable. Remember to keep professional fumigation as a last resort, as repeated use may result in a resistant breed of mosquitoes.
How to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes
- Avoid strong scents: Some WHO-funded studies have confirmed that female mosquitoes possess a CpA neuron receptor that detects both carbon dioxide levels as well as skin odor. Hence, those who wear strong perfumes may be more prone to being attacked by mosquitoes.
- Wear long, loose clothing: Unfortunately, if they are hungry enough, mosquitoes can bite through thin fabric or tight-fitting clothes, though they prefer direct access to the blood via uncovered skin. Wearing loose, long-sleeved clothes covered in mosquito repellent may help minimize the risk of getting bitten.
SLIDESHOW
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References
Image Source: iStock Images
Merchant M, Swiger S, Presley S. o-It-Yourself Backyard Mosquito Control. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. https://cdn-ext.agnet.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ENTO-054-DIY-Backyard-Mosquito-Control.pdf
National Institutes of Health. How Mosquitoes Detect People. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-mosquitoes-detect-people
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Controlling Mosquitoes at Home. https://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/controlling-mosquitoes-at-home.html
Merchant M, Swiger S, Presley S. o-It-Yourself Backyard Mosquito Control. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. https://cdn-ext.agnet.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ENTO-054-DIY-Backyard-Mosquito-Control.pdf
National Institutes of Health. How Mosquitoes Detect People. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-mosquitoes-detect-people
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Controlling Mosquitoes at Home. https://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/controlling-mosquitoes-at-home.html
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