Mosquitoes are supreme hunters, sensing our breaths from 100 feet, honing in on body odors, heat and movement. They lay 200 eggs every third night in a mix of places, from damp soil to tree holes, with larvae hatching in 24 hours. Yet, taking a few common sense steps can separate your warm weather fun from these blood thirsty insects.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: On-going Efforts Are Required
Here's How:
- Treat mosquitoes like criminals by barring them physically from your home or apartment. Repair damaged window screens and keep your garage door closed. Screen the deck or patio. Make sure pet doors close tightly. Run ceiling or floor fans to create indoor wind currents. Install yellow “bug lights” at entry points.
- Further strengthen your mosquito curtain by growing mosquito repelling plants like geraniums, sweet basil and holy basil near entry doors.
- Avoid working or playing in your garden or yard at dawn and dusk. Wear light-colored, loose- fitting clothing and no perfume when you do.
- Dab your exposed skin areas with natural botanicals like crushed catnip leaves or oil of lemon-eucalyptus and ask your veterinarian if Fido and Fluffy may use it too.
- Stock your fountain with aquatic plants to create a dragonfly den and enliven your garden pond with mosquito fish appropriate for your temperature zone.
- Unplug and garage-sale any electrocution-type bug devices. Despite their wild popularity, studies have shown that they do little to control mosquitoes, instead zapping mostly beetles and moths, the primary diet of many songbirds.
- Ask your neighbor if you can haul his discarded tires to the recycler or craft them into playground swings. Poke or slice drain holes into the tires to prevent creating a mosquito haven from any standing water.
- Organize a neighborhood work party to clear and drain common areas and properties of neighbors that are infirmed.
- As mosquito larvae can fly up to a mile, report any abandoned swimming pools to the homeowner, neighborhood association or county health department. Demand that they be drained, cleaned and covered.