Mosquitoes are persistent little buggers, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to get rid of. Here are a few techniques to get rid of mosquitoes in your house and yard.
Mosquitos can be both a nuisance and vectors of diseases like malaria, West Nile Virus, dengue fever, Zika, and others. Mosquitoes can be controlled in a variety of ways, from insecticides to natural and organic methods. If you don’t want to use bug zappers, you can make your own natural repellents, and if you don’t want to use DEET, you can make essential oil sprays.
Mosquitoes can be eliminated in a variety of methods, but not all of them are equally successful. Here’s a list of the top mosquito-removal methods in one convenient location. This tutorial will show you how to get rid of them from both your home and your yard.
If your mosquito problem is too severe for you to handle on your own, we recommend calling a professional pest control firm to rid your home of the bloodsuckers.
A professional mosquito treatment applied multiple times per season is one of our top suggestions for the most efficient mosquito management. Before deciding, we recommend receiving various quotes. Continue reading to learn how to get rid of mosquitoes on your own—as well as the advantages of hiring a professional mosquito removal company.
The Basics of Mosquitos
Let’s go over some mosquito basics before we get into the techniques for getting rid of them. For starters, mosquitoes come in over 3,000 different species, with over 200 of them found in the United States alone.
Mosquitoes don’t eat blood, contrary to popular belief. They aren’t exactly parasites because they just drink blood to keep their bodies nourished so that they can lay and birth healthy eggs. Mosquitoes can lay up to 100 eggs every day, thus populations of this pest can quickly become out of control. When it comes to mosquito control, it’s important to use a variety of methods because not all procedures kill mosquitos at every stage of their life cycle.
It’s also worth noting that repelling mosquitos and killing them are not the same thing. Mosquitoes are drawn to carbon dioxide from our breath, elements of our sweat. Repelling mosquitoes will keep them away from you by making you less attractive to them.
Although it may appear to be a tempting alternative, killing mosquitos is not always in our — or the environment’s — best interests. This is because mosquitoes can develop resistance to pesticides, making them more difficult to eliminate. Mosquito control can be damaging to the environment, depending on the pesticide used, and can disrupt the natural ecosystem, as mosquitoes are eaten by creatures such as birds and bats.
The Most Effective Method to Get Rid of Mosquitoes in Your Home
Mosquitoes are more likely to infest your yard than your home, although having mosquitoes buzzing around bedtime might be annoying.
Mosquitoes buzzing about during the day are simpler to see than mosquitoes buzzing around at night. If it’s becoming late and you want to find them before they bite, switch on a lamp, flashlight, or your smartphone and wait for them to be drawn to the light.
The best techniques to keep mosquitoes out of your house
Repellants
Mosquitoes will not bite you if you use a standard chemical mosquito repellent. You should look for mosquito repellents that include 30 to 50 percent DEET, which is the gold standard component. There have been some worries that DEET was not safe to use on human skin in the past, but recent studies by the Environmental Protection Agency have determined that when used properly, DEET continues to fulfill safety criteria.
DEET’s effects can continue up to 12 hours in most cases. Adults should use a repellent with 30 percent to 50 percent DEET, while children aged two months and up should use a repellent with 10 percent to 30 percent DEET. Infants under the age of two months should not be sprayed with repellent.
Seal Gaps
Fill any cracks in your screens and doors with caulk to keep mosquitoes out. It won’t help if you go through all the trouble of getting rid of mosquitoes only to let them back in. If sunlight can be seen in the space around your door, it isn’t securely sealed. Purchase a simple door strip to solve the problem.
Mosquito netting, screens
If you like to sleep with the windows open at night, mosquito netting and secure screens is a good investment to keep you safe from bites.
Mosquito traps
You can purchase a mosquito trap in a variety of methods, including ordering one online, purchasing one at a grocery shop or hardware store, or even making your own.
Fans that oscillate
Mosquitoes have a difficult time flying against the wind. This may appear to be extremely simplistic, but sometimes simplicity is exactly what you need. When you turn on the fan, the mosquitoes will scatter and eventually give up.
Repellant Soaps
Some outdoor soaps are made specifically to keep mosquitoes at bay. The aroma of your perspiration won’t irritate you after bathing with a 100 percent natural, non-toxic soap like Skin Armour Deep Woods Outdoor soap, but it will repel mosquitoes.
Essential oils
Mosquito repellent essential oils are reported to work; however, they may not be as efficient as standard pesticides. An essential oil including lavender, lemon, citronella, or eucalyptus is your best bet. Lemongrass, peppermint, clove, and tea tree oil are also some more choices.
The preparation is easy. Simply mix a few drops of your preferred essential oil with one cup of water or witch hazel, pour into a spray bottle, and shake well. It’s safe to spray on your skin and throughout your home but avoid spraying it on any delicate fabrics or near pets.
Neem oil and coconut oil
Mosquitoes can be repelled for up to half a day with a mixture of coconut oil and neem oil mixed well with water. As a natural repellant, spray it on your skin.
Citronella candles
Mosquitoes can’t bear the aroma of lavender candles or the well-known citronella, so they’ll stay away.
Garlic
You can use garlic instead of essential oils to make the spray, but it obviously won’t smell as pleasant!
Rosemary with sage
Although the perfume of burning sage and rosemary may be pleasant and relaxing to you, mosquitoes are repulsed by it and will avoid it.
Basil
Basil is a mosquito repellent that can be used in a variety of ways. You can keep mosquitoes at bay by keeping a plant on your windowsill, or you can use it as a topical oil and apply it to your skin.
Lemon balm
Lemon balm has been demonstrated to repel mosquitoes when applied directly to the skin, particularly on sensitive areas such as ankles and wrists. It’s as simple as crushing it and rubbing it on your skin.
Bug killers
Although bug zappers can kill mosquitos on contact, you can’t avoid zapping insects that aren’t harmful.
The Most Effective Method for Getting Rid of Mosquitoes in Your Yard
Chances are, you spend a lot of time outdoors when the weather is nice. Unfortunately, that’s when mosquitoes are out, too. Here are a few techniques to keep mosquitoes out of your yard so you can enjoy being n your back yard.
Chemical repellents
Mosquitoes can be effectively eliminated by using a chemical insect repellent formulated for outdoor use. Repellents such as Off! Bug Extermination For up to eight weeks, Backyard Pretreat can protect the perimeters of lawns, backyards, and gardens. You can also use a traditional, non-toxic repellent to spray on your skin.
Picaridin, a synthesized pepper plant element that lasts up to 14 hours, is another possibility. Permethrin is a chemical repellent active element that should never be applied to the skin but can be quite useful when applied to camping gear, clothing, and shoes. Unlike DEET, which merely repels mosquitoes, permethrin-based solutions kill them on contact. It can irritate skin and destroy helpful insects like bees, which is NOT what you want.
Mosquito Traps
Mosquito traps are a convenient way to keep your mosquito population under control. These traps entice mosquitos to fly into them by simulating the visual and olfactory cues that humans use to attract them.
There are many different types of mosquito traps available. Some work by gluing mosquitos to a sticky surface, while others use an electric grid to electrocute them. One of the most popular traps is the Mosquito Magnet, which works by sucking mosquitos up into a vacuum.
Place your traps in a shady region for this strategy. It’s possible that you’ll have to shift them around to find the best spot for catching mosquitoes. It’s important to note that different mosquito species react differently to traps, so this isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
Electric bug zappers
Mosquitoes are electrocuted with zappers. This method can help you fry a few of these pesky insects, but it’s ineffective in general and comes with the risk of killing useful and harmless bugs.
Remove any standing water
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, and their larvae hatch there as well. Remove any water that has accumulated in buckets, gutters, or other stagnant bodies of water.
Natural predators
If you’re overwhelmed with mosquitoes, predators won’t be able to entirely eliminate your problem, but if you’re only getting a few unpleasant bugs here and there, luring them is worth a try.
Purple martins, waterfowl, swallows, and migrating songbirds, for example, are natural mosquito predators. Setting up bird feeders is a great way to get these birds to come to your yard. A bat home can also be beneficial. Although bats consume mosquitos, you may not want to attract them to your home.
Predators such as goldfish, koi, and red-eared slider turtles can help you if you have a pond.
Mosquitoes are prey to a variety of insects, some of which you’d like in your garden and others which you’d rather avoid. Mosquitoes are eaten by spiders when they fly into their webs, and dragonflies devour mosquitoes whole.
Yellow LED lighting
The light from ordinary light bulbs attracts mosquitoes. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, warm, yellow LED lights are less enticing to them.
Professional Mosquito Control
While DIY approaches may yield some results, if you’re dealing with a large number of mosquitoes, you’ll need to hire a professional pest control firm. Professional pest control firms are better aware of safe chemical application procedures and have the expertise to eliminate mosquitos at all phases of their life cycle.
