Mosquitoes are a pain. They cause annoying, itchy bites and they can carry diseases. There are strategies listed below that you can adopt to help you avoid these blood sucking monsters and the issues they cause.
1. Remove all standing water from your property. A mere tablespoon of water is all mosquitoes need to breed. And females can lay up to 200 eggs per day! Removing standing water from flower pots, kids toys, grill covers and any other rain collectors will make a huge difference since the there are no breeding opportunities. If you do nothing else to keep these blood suckers away, by removing their breeding opportunities you minimize the population substantially.
2. Avoid being outside during peak mosquito activity. Dawn and dusk are the main times that mosquitoes search for prey. This is because their other food sources (deer, birds, etc.) are active at that time. These little monsters avoid direct sunlight so the longer the shadows, the more likely mosquitoes will be around.
3. Wear long sleeves and long pants if you must be outside around mosquito activity. Mosquitoes need exposed skin to get a really good feeding. If you minimize the amount of skin they can attack, you minimize your chances for large, itchy welts that linger for days. And it is also good to wear light colored clothing as dark colors seem to be attractive to these suckers.
4. Use safe and natural mosquito repellents. Do NOT use DEET or other synthetic chemical poisons on yourself or your clothes! These toxic chemical pesticides are undeniably linked to health issues such as Autism, Alzheimer’s, Asthma, Cancer, and many others. Yet a safe and natural repellent will kill as well as repel mosquitoes. Even though you are told these chemical repellents are safe, repeated exposure accumulates the toxicity. Why use a poison when safe, natural products work just as well?
5. This is a hard one sometimes – but very important to repel mosquitoes. Avoid fragrances in your lotions, shampoos, styling products and laundry detergent. Mosquitoes are typically drawn to carbon dioxide as people exhale. But many of the chemical additives of fragrance and color can confuse and attract biting pests. If one person gets eaten up and another person gets no bites, there is far more to the mosquito attraction than just exhaling. If you must use fragrance, use something natural that keeps the balance and aromas of Nature in check.
If you follow these steps, you’ll minimize the opportunity for mosquito bites and the potential problems they cause. You’ll not only avoid irritating bites but some pretty horrific diseases as well.