Tips on How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes
As the days begin warm, countless numbers seek the answer to an age-old dilemma: how to get rid of mosquitoes. Sometimes an epithetic adjective is placed before the word mosquito, but the intent is the same. They are pests, carry disease, and need to be dealt with. Fortunately, there are many effective measures that work.
Tips for mosquito abatement
Drain standing water. This is paramount. Mosquitoes love to frolic in the wet, and it is an aphrodisiac to them. Let them near puddles, ponds, and pools, and before you know it, little larvae are having a swimmingly good time, patiently waiting until they can become adults and feast on the old flesh and blood.
Avoid peak activity hours. Mosquitoes have limited tolerance for heat, or lack of it. Thus, they are at their most active around dawn and dusk. Keeping indoors and letting them enjoy them enjoy the beauty of your well-kept yard keeps you from going buggy. This does address the issue of how to get rid of mosquitoes, but at least they won’t put the bite on you.
Use EPA approved mosquito repellents DEET is a highly effective repellent, and is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter products. Catnip oil and other naturally occurring substances are also widely available. Pure vanilla extract also works well, although your children will want to know where you hid the cake and cookies – a different kind of pest, but much more enjoyable.
Landscape with mosquito repellant plants. Besides adding to the beauty of your yard and producing oxygen, many are edible as well. Marigolds, geraniums, creeping thyme, and other herbs are common plantings. Your local lawn and garden center will be able to help you with what works best in your area.
Encourage birds and bats to dine at your mosquito restaurant. Putting up bat and birdhouses will attract these helpful aerial acrobats who love the taste of skeeters in the morning. In decorative ponds, keep fish or copepods that feed on mosquito larvae.
Use fabric softener dryer sheets. For some reason, mosquitoes are not attracted to the active ingredients in these dryer sheets. Rub them on exposed skin.
Burn citronella. In limited space or enclosed areas, this naturally occurring repellant from the “mosquito plant”drives the pests away.
Use mosquito dunks. These products are designed to work in ponds and other areas that always have water. They keep mosquito eggs from hatching. Because mosquitoes need stagnant water for their eggs, installing a pump to agitate the water works.
Lemon infused dish soap. The word on the street, or in the backyard actually, that a few drops of lemon scented dish soap in water, placed on a white plate in a mosquito ravaged area draws them and kills them after they drink. It’s poison I tell ya – It’s poison. And, it smells nice.
While contemplating the various modes and means as to how to get rid of mosquitoes, consider pro-active approaches that make your home and garden a less attractive gathering spot for the little buzzers.