Easy Ways to Get Rid of (And Prevent) Mosquitoes – 719woman.com
Mosquitoes are not only annoying, as they buzz around, landing on picnic food and swarming around sugary drinks, looking for the perfect landing spot on your body, but they can also cause serious illnesses. Depending on where you live, mosquitoes can cause malaria, encephalitis, yellow fever, west Nile fever, and now the Zika virus. (Among others.)
There aren’t vaccines for some of the mosquito-borne diseases, such as Zika, so minimizing mosquito bites is the number one way to prevent getting ill.
Wearing a mosquito repellent that contains DEET or Picaridin is highly effective, especially when applied to exposed skin during the late afternoon or from dusk to dawn. There have been questions as to if whether or not DEET is safe but recent studies have found that insect repellents containing DEET is generally safe to use on the skin.
Here’s an informative, and easy-to-read article from the CDC regarding DEET and safety.
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/toolkit/DEET.pdf
Keeping your yard free from mosquitoes is important too. Standing water makes for a great breeding ground so check areas like bird baths, potted plant drain pans, sagging gutters, kiddy pools, anywhere you might have standing water. We empty our bird bath out on a daily basis and refill with fresh water, which keeps the bugs at bay and keeps the squirrel and birds happy. You want to check your yard areas on a regular basis since mosquitoes can develop from egg to adult in a week or so in as little as a tablespoon of water.
I have read great reviews on mosquito dunks, which contain BTI (a bacteria toxic only to mosquito larvae,) that you put in water and then will kill mosquito larvae within hours. It lasts for 30 days, treats 100 square feet of surface water, and is non-toxic to other wildlife, pets, fish, and humans. I haven’t tried it personally since I have no need, but again, have read excellent reviews. It’s available on Amazon, at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
You can also purchase mosquito insecticides made to be sprayed in the yard, keep citronella candles lit when outside, and if necessary, again depending on where you live, use a commercial mosquito control service.
And even if you don’t live in an area where mosquito bites can cause serious illnesses, the bites are uncomfortable, with lots of itching and redness.
Read on for 15 easy ways to get rid of pesky mosquitoes and prevent them from attacking you, your yard, and house.