Aurora Starchild
Mosquito season is just around the corner—but are you prepared? The little blood-sucking vampires spread a variety of deadly diseases like malaria and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). EEE was discovered at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and has a whopping 33% mortality rate in humans. That being said, here are some of the best (and worst) ways to control mosquitos.
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Best Ways to Control Mosquitos:
Firstly, the best way to control mosquitos is to get rid of their habitat. This means you need to remove standing water sources whenever you can.
Do you have gutters, empty soil pots, or sinkholes anywhere around your property? Get rid of them. Turn your pots upside-down, use a shovel or whatever tool you can to remove water. Try to fill sunken parts of your yard with soil or another medium to prevent pooling water.
Get rid of the standing water and you’ll take care of most of the mosquito problem.
If you have water features around, or just simply cannot get rid of all the nearby standing water, try this:
You can get a 6-pack of Mosquito Dunks from Amazon for about $7. They’re nontoxic to humans, pets, and wildlife. Importantly, they only kill mosquitos. Just drop one of these little rings into the standing water and watch those bloodsuckers die. Mosquito Dunks are labeled as organic by the EPA and are a great alternative to nasty pesticides.
However, if you can’t get rid of standing water and you can’t treat it with Mosquito Dunks, what do you do? Let’s say you live next to a lake or a pond, and the habitat is just out of your control.
You can use a DEET-based mosquito repellant, but DEET is a controversial substance. Some claim that it can cause brain cell death and other neurological problems. The EPA claims it’s safe.
Don’t want to use DEET? Read on.
Worst Ways to Control Mosquitos:
There are bug zappers and mist systems. Neither are proven to actually work against biting mosquitos. Bummer.
You basically have two choices to control mosquitos at this point. You can go with an insecticide spray or fogger, or you can go au naturel.
These days, many people try to avoid harsh chemicals. Here are some more options—but use them at your own risk. These might not work as well as you’d like (but hey, we can try, right?)
Make yourself taste disgusting to mosquitos. You know how vampire lore talks about garlic keeping the monsters away? Well, there could be some truth to that.
While more research should be done, eating garlic may repel mosquitos. The reason for this could be because of the sulfurs present in garlic. They linger in the body for weeks after ingestion. Mosquitos are attracted to smells, and this is one smell that they don’t like. Garlic can be incorporated into topical applications as well as eaten. However, garlic may be contraindicated for some people with health conditions, so be wary!
Candles. The smoke from candles repels mosquitos. Ironically, while citronella candles are sold as a mosquito repellant, they don’t produce enough of a scent to successfully ward the little buggers off. It’s really just the smoke from the candle that works. In other words, you’re better off purchasing any candle and burning it.
Or you can obtain citronella essential oil-based mosquito repellant and use it on your body.
This study looked into natural mosquito repellants such as citronella, neem, and a variety of essential oils. Thyme, peppermint, cedar, and clove are some of the best essential oil ingredients in natural repellants. But they only control mosquitos for about 60 to 180 minutes.
Further, the researchers give a word of caution:
“Repellents containing only essential oils in the absence of an active ingredient such as DEET should not be recommended as repellents for use in disease endemic areas, and those containing high levels of essential oils could cause skin irritation, especially in the presence of sunlight.”
Your best bet? Start with long-sleeved shirts and pants, and take it from there.
Photo by Егор Камелев on Unsplash
