How Do I Stop Mosquitoes from Entering My Home?
How Do I Stop Mosquitoes from Entering My Home?
If you live in Georgia, particularly in Atlanta, you’re probably aware that mosquitoes can be frustrating and a health concern when temperatures soar. Did you know that mosquito season reaches its peak during summer? The warm temperatures make their life cycle quicker because more are laying eggs, which means that more eggs are hatching. By the end of the hot season, you can notice fewer mosquitoes are flying around, so there is also a decline in mosquito bites.
Aside from their annoying noise and itchy bites, mosquitoes can trigger dangerous illnesses, including dengue, malaria, and yellow fever. While you can’t control the temperature that contributes to the growth of mosquitoes, you can discourage breeding by doing some simple steps.
Simple Tips to Get Rid of Mosquitoes Inside your Home
1. Stop Mosquitoes Before They Even Enter Your House
For a mosquito-free residence, you need to ensure they aren’t even entering. Before dusk, when the sun sets down, start closing your windows and doors tightly if you do not have nets attached to them yet. While sunshine helps keep them away, mosquitoes are more active after sunset. Investing a few bucks on door strips that you can find online is not bad. These block the space around your doors and windows where these insects can pass through.
2. Stop Mosquitoes from Breeding Inside Your Home
Inspect every spot in your house where mosquitoes are potentially breeding. You may not realize it, but your toilet and restroom can contribute to the breeding of mosquitoes if you’re not cautious. Since these areas get wet, are often filled with moisture, and can hold water, they can become an ideal environment for them to reproduce. Ensure that your buckets and basins don’t collect water for days. It will help if you avoid hanging damp clothes for too long since they can attract tiny mosquitoes.
Moreover, pooled water from your aircon can attract these pests, so make sure to clean it regularly. If there are other spaces in your house like kitchen lofts or storage places where you stack old items, clean them from time to time to avoid mosquitoes from making a nest.
3. Keep Indoor Mosquito Repellent Plants
Consider keeping indoor mosquito repellent plants, which you can place in your room or on your desks. These plants don’t just keep mosquitoes away but also other pests like mice. Plus, they serve as extra decorations for your home.
You can try these plants:
- Marigold
- Tulsi
- Basil
- Lemon balm
- Citronella ( ideal in places with colder climates)
- Lemongrass
- Mint
- Catnip
- Lavender
4. Use Garlic Spray to Control Mosquitoes
If you are not keen on using chemical-laden mosquito sprays, natural mosquito control sprays can be great alternatives. For a DIY home remedy, simple garlic spray can do the trick.
Boil minced or crushed cloves of garlic for some time. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it everywhere in your house. Garlic has numerous benefits, and one of these is to repel mosquitoes. While its pungent smell can be intolerable for some, this is the factor that kills mosquitoes immediately. Besides, it will dissipate, so you won’t have to smell it for too long.
5. Keep Sliced Lemon and Cloves Around your House
Among the tried and tested tricks to eliminate mosquitoes inside your home is a lemon with cloves. According to research, citrus peels include natural chemicals that can eliminate mosquito larvae. Citrus fragrances are also found to ward off adult mosquitoes.
Slice a lemon in two and push cloves into the halves. Keep plates of these clove-infused lemons inside your house to help get rid of mosquitoes.
Keep in Mind
Even if you can eliminate mosquitoes inside your house, it’s always best to manage them outside at the same time. Regularly remove standing water where these pests can lay eggs. Check items that can hold water, such as tires, containers, toys, flower pot saucers, planters, pools, birdbaths, and trash containers. It’s also important to cover water storage containers so that they can not get in to lay eggs.
If possible, repair cracks or gaps in your septic tank, cover open plumbing pipes or open vents, and utilize wire mesh with holes that are smaller than adult mosquitoes.
If the problem is serious that you can’t handle, contact your local mosquito control experts immediately, like Mr. Mister Mosquito Control. Their business office is located in Atlanta, Georgia. You can also visit their website to learn more about their services.