Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on earth, and they transmit a number of diseases that can seriously impact your health. To protect yourself, it is essential to learn how to get rid of mosquitoes around your flats in Calicut and your yard.
Cut off their food supply. If you have any containers (like buckets or birdbaths) that collect water in your yard, make sure to empty them out every week so that the mosquito larvae don’t have a chance to grow into adult mosquitos. You should also put screens over rain barrels and other containers on your property that collect rainwater.
How to get rid of mosquitoes at home: Preventive measures
Mosquitoes can be a huge nuisance and with the current outbreak of the Zika virus, getting rid of them is more important than ever.
Luckily, there are a lot of ways you can take action to get rid of mosquitoes in your house and yard.
Using chemical repellents
Apply mosquito repellent to your skin before going outdoors. Choose a repellent that contains DEET, IR3535, or picaridin as the active ingredient.
When using any insecticide product, only apply it to exposed skin or clothing. Spray it onto your hands first and then rub it onto your face. For best results, use mosquito control products in combination with other mosquito-reducing measures such as window screens and citronella candles.
Anti-mosquito solution with essential oils and other organic oils
If you are looking for a natural mosquito repellent, I would say the best ones are the most potent ones.
Citronella oil is not a very strong repellent, it is only partially effective.
Lemon eucalyptus oil is a moderate strength repellent and I think it works pretty well.
I find that catnip oil is more effective than either of these two oils. It is considered to be one of the best natural mosquito repellents. There have been studies done on catnip essential oil showing that it is more effective than DEET.
Finally, if you can get your hands on some neem oil, this is also a very good repellent and has the added benefit of being anti-fungal as well so it can help treat fungal infections in plants as well as humans and animals.
How to control mosquitoes in home
Mosquitoes have difficulty flying in high winds, so place a fan near your outdoor seating area to keep mosquitoes at bay. You can also use a fan indoors to move air around, making it harder for mosquitoes to find you.
If you have a deck or patio, consider installing ceiling fans to cool the room and keep it mosquito-free.
Using soap water trick
To make the soap water trick, mix some dishwashing liquid into a bucket of water, and put it near the mosquito-ridden area. The mosquitoes will be drawn to the water and become trapped in the suds.
This works for several reasons. Mosquitoes are actually not very good at flying, so they need to land on a flat surface to get a running start when they take off again. When they see the soapy water in the bucket, they think it’s a nice flat surface where they can land and rest, but once they land on it, they don’t have enough strength to fly out again. If you’re using a dark-coloured bucket, this will work even better because mosquitoes are also attracted to dark colours.
Get rid of breeding grounds
Mosquitoes need water to breed. Eliminate any standing water around your home, including in rain gutters, old tires, buckets, and plant saucers. After every rainfall, empty children’s wading pools and wheelbarrows. Clear away leaves and other debris that may collect water.
Replace the water in birdbaths and wading pools weekly; stock ornamental ponds with fish that eat mosquito larvae or use a biological control such as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis); aerate ornamental ponds or add water plants such as cattails, which help prevent mosquito larvae from growing.
Keep swimming pool water treated and circulating. Control mosquitoes inside the house by emptying standing water from flowerpots, pet food dishes, and other containers at least once a week. Change the water in birdbaths every three or four days.
10. Attract natural predators
Birds like robins, swallows, wagtails, and swifts can be attracted with bird boxes and feeding stations. Make sure you keep bird feeders topped up throughout the breeding season (March-September) as this will ensure they stick around.
As for bats, it’s best to purchase a bat box – these are available from most DIY stores and can be easily installed in gardens or on the side of buildings.
Dragonfly larvae live in standing water and therefore frogs will lay their eggs in anything from ponds or puddles to old tires or upturned buckets.
Purchase a bat house and place it in an area where there is little human activity, but where the bats can easily access open areas to hunt. Install bird feeders filled with seeds or suet to attract certain varieties of birds that eat mosquitoes. These include purple martins, swallows and chimney swifts.
