How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes
Outdoors
– Get rid of any standing water around your yard – that includes any water that may have collected on things around your yard during a previous rainstorm. Since mosquito larvae live in water (and can’t live without it), effectively ridding your yard of their habitat will help break the reproductive cycle of the surrounding mosquitoes, which will help to significantly decrease their numbers.
– Also get rid of damp leaves, yard trimmings, wood chips, and any other damp organic matter. This includes keeping your yard well raked. Mosquito larvae are able to survive in the tiny pools of water that collect in these situations.
– Minimize the items you have outside that can collect water. This not only will save you a lot of work dumping water after every rain, but it will also help stop the problem before it even begins.
– Try to eliminate their fuel as much as possible. Can your dog Rover stand to be an inside pet? Mosquitoes are attracted to animals more than humans, so keeping pets inside may help reduce the appeal of your yard. Only female mosquitoes bite, and for a very good reason – because they’re ready to reproduce. If they can’t get a bite, they can’t reproduce.
Indoors
– Use screens around your home. If you’re having problems with mosquitoes inside, there’s only one real answer to that – use screens in your windows and doors. Really use them, too – that means not leaving any windows or doors open without a screen barring any curious flying insects from entering your home.
Keeping Them off You and Others
– If you’re frustrated with bug sprays not working on you and your family, or want to find something safe for children and/or pets, try Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil in the classic Woodland scent. This product was so unintentionally effective at warding off mosquitoes that Avon (the company that makes it) released a line of mosquito repellents based on the stuff. However, the bath oil is still the most effective (and the least costly). Just rub it on and go. If you want less oil, try the lotion.
– If you want to spend time in your yard without being bothered, and/or you have done everything listed in the indoors section and still have trouble, try Citronella mosquito repellent candles, mosquito repellent coils, and/or Citronella torches. .
– Take a zinc supplement every day, and wait a few months. Over time, you’ll notice less and less mosquitoes biting you. Why is this? Because there’s something about that boosted zinc content in your body that mosquitoes don’t like, so they’re more likely to leave you alone.
And If You Still Get Bitten…
– Apply some hydrocortisone based anti-itch cream to relieve the itching.
– Oatmeal is also a very effective treatment. If you’re covered in a lot of bites, try putting at least a cupful of it in a hot bath, letting the water get warm, then stepping in and soaking in it for about 15-30 minutes (30 minutes being the most effective). If you just have one or a few, try wrapping some up in a cloth, soaking it in hot water for 10 minutes, then letting it go from hot to warm and applying it to the bite with slight pressure and holding it there for about 15-30 minutes.
– Don’t scratch! That will not only prolong the healing process, but will also make it itch worse and even burn.
Finally, if you’re thinking something along the lines of “None of this probably applies to me since I’m in an area with a very high mosquito population” rest assured these tips will work for you, as they have been tried true and written by a native Floridian that has to battle these giant suckers year-round. 😉
