If there is one thing that can ruin a perfect summer cookout or pool party, it’s mosquitos. These pesky little bugs are not only irritating, but they can also be carriers of harmful diseases. Fortunately, there are numerous mosquito control techniques you can employ to keep the mosquitos away from you and your family:
Use a Mosquito Repellant
One of the most effective and widely known mosquito control methods is personal mosquito repellant. Use an EPA-approved personal repellant when you are outdoors, especially during the evening or early morning hours. These sprays will keep the pesky mosquitos far away from you, but they will wear off in a few hours, so be sure to keep your repellant on hand to re-spray and keep up your protection.
Light Candles or Lanterns
You can help keep mosquitos away by simply lighting a regular candle because mosquitos do not like to be around smoke, but an even more effective mosquito control tactic is to use an essential oil candle or lantern. There are several different types of essential oils that are effective against mosquitos, including citronella, cedarwood, lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, and lemongrass. This tactic works best in smaller areas, where there is not a lot of wind.
Choose Your Scents Carefully
While there are some scents that repel mosquitos, like lavender and peppermint, there are also a lot of scents that attract mosquitos. Unfortunately, many of the scents that attract mosquitos are found in fancy-smelling perfumes, colognes, body washes, and lotions that have floral scents. If you know you are going to be spending time outdoors, exercise an easy mosquito control tactic by using unscented body wash and lotion and using a lavender or peppermint essential oil as your “perfume” instead.
Remove Water Sources
Many mosquito control methods focus on keeping away the full-grown mosquitos, but an even better tactic is to make sure the mosquitos do not have a place to lay their eggs in the first place. Mosquitos lay eggs in still or slowly moving water, so eliminating those water sources will make it far more difficult for mosquitos to reproduce. These water sources can be found in unexpected places, like unused tires, cans, ceramic or plastic pots, gutters, pools, and pool covers.
Clean Up Debris
While most types of mosquitos use standing water as a place to lay their eggs, there are some kinds of mosquitos that also use damp soil or debris as a breeding ground. This can include decaying logs and leaf piles in the yard, compost piles, and even leaves that have collected in the gutter, so be sure to clean up those as well.