How to get rid of mosquitoes at home
Mosquito invasions lead to sleepless nights of villagers and townspeople. Blood-sucking bites cause irritation and discomfort, up to the occurrence of allergic reactions in sensitive people, so it is so important to know how to get rid of mosquitoes at home.
During the summer holidays, many want to spend time in nature, have a picnic, but the buzzing and mosquito bites can ruin the holiday. Females of insects, which are in the state of gestation, feed on the blood of humans and animals, so this is a seasonal phenomenon. Female eggs lay near water, therefore mosquitoes mainly live around rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, as well as in places with high humidity and swampiness.
Mosquitoes can carry several types of viruses, including:
- Malaria.
- Yellow fever.
- West Nile virus.
- Zika virus.
- Dengue virus.
But these diseases are rare. Discomfort and allergies appear much more often.
Mosquitoes participate in natural processes - pollinate plants, act as food for frogs, fish and birds, so their complete destruction will lead to natural disasters. Do not forget about personal hygiene - the less the smell of sweat appears, the less interesting you are to blood-sucking insects.
Alternative methods of getting rid of mosquitoes
Essential oils and some seasonings are effective against mosquitoes. Among the leaders among the means popular among the people is cloves - and dry buds, which are often used as a delicious seasoning, and clove oil. Pour 5 grams of buds with a glass of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes, and then spray onto the skin with a spray bottle.
Odor also possesses mosquito qualities:
- geraniums;
- Basilica
- lavender;
- lemongrass;
- lemon balm;
- peppermint;
- eucalyptus.
The best improvised means to protect a country house, garden, apartment
There are plants that reliably protect against insects with their aroma.
- Lemon balm (during flowering). It is enough to put the plant on the windowsill.
- Cat mint.
- Bird cherry (a bouquet of flowers or leaves).
- Tomato seedlings around the house.
- Valerian, tobacco (not acceptable to everyone).
Garden weed leek is useful against mosquitoes, a decoction from its roots will scare away bloodsucking. They are used to protect against mosquitoes and:
- Caucasian camomile.
- Ageratum.
- Thyme or thyme.
- Calendula.
- Peppermint
- Basil.
- Rosemary.
- Sagebrush.
- Tea tree.
If the liquid in the home fumigator runs out, you can fill it with 100% eucalyptus extract.
Video material
How to scare away mosquitoes on the street and in the summer cottage
I will list a few simple tools at hand that can be used for walking in nature.
Formic acid
While camping, find the anthill and put your T-shirt on it. Gradually, the T-shirt is saturated with formic acid. The substance remaining on the T-shirt can be used to wipe exposed skin.
Vinegar mixture
- 9 percent table vinegar (50 ml).
- Vegetable oil - sunflower, olive or other (50 ml).
- Shampoo with a pleasant aroma (50 ml).
- If there is no shampoo and oil, you can mix vinegar with water.
Mix all components and spread on exposed skin before going outside. Less: may stain clothes.
Special odors against mosquitoes
- Pork fat (if the bacon flavor is not confusing).
- Nettle juice (if insensitive to nettle burns).
- The smell of garlic. Not everyone wants to rub themselves and objects in the house with garlic so that the smell drives away pests. Option: eat two cloves every day, and then the smell will stand out and scare away pests.
- Bread yeast.
- Cedar oil.
- The smoke of burning needles.
- Fish fat.
Spray with essential oils and salt
You can make yourself a spray for spraying on the street, on the curtains of a country house and other household items, exposed skin. Take:
- 40-50 ml of water.
- Essential oil of your choice.
- A little salt.
Homemade Essential Oil Repellent
You can cook it yourself. Take:
- Vodka - 2 tablespoons (you can also drink alcohol).
- Half a teaspoon of vodka as a preservative.
- Cosmetic oils - 2 tablespoons (any of your choice or a mixture: almond, jojoba, olive, etc.).
- Essential oils - 110 drops (lavender, cloves, citronella, rosemary, tea tree and others).
Essential oils are environmentally friendly, and the resulting product will cost much cheaper than store preparations. Repellents based on essential oils should be used with caution in the presence of children, pregnant women and people prone to allergic reactions.
Homemade Herb Repellent
Take:
- Dried thyme.
- Dried Rosemary.
- Dried sage.
- Lavender.
- Peppermint
- Chopped garlic (you can do without garlic if this flavor is not suitable).
- Apple cider vinegar - 1 liter.
Pour all the herbs in a glass jar and pour apple cider vinegar. The mixture is insisted for 2-3 weeks, shaking daily. Then strain the resulting infusion, pour into a glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Spray infusion from a spray bottle.
Remedies for mosquitoes safe for children
Chemicals
The chemical industry offers a lot of products that are designed for children - creams, lotions, sprays. There are special children's bracelets against mosquitoes, repellent devices that create an ultrasonic wave are used.
Using children's insect repellents, keep in mind that most of them should not be applied to damaged skin with wounds and scratches; it is important to avoid exposure to mucous membranes. Chemicals can not be used more often than 2-3 times a day, while their maximum duration is about two hours. When setting out on a picnic with your child, handle your clothes well, not your skin. Sometimes mosquitoes are applied to the canopy of the stroller. After a walk you need to remove substances from children's skin.
Folk remedies
Caution in the use of chemicals, restrictions and precautions encourage parents to look for folk remedies for mosquitoes. Use essential oils in a nursery or on a walk with a child with caution. But such folk remedies as:
- Branches of fresh elderberry.
- Camphor (evaporate 100 grams above the burner).
- Carbolic acid (applied to walls and household items).
To protect against mosquitoes at home, vanillin is suitable (do not confuse it with vanilla sugar). Dissolve 2-3 sachets of vanillin in a liter of water and pour into a spray bottle. The tool is not very long-term action (about an hour), then repeat spraying.
A teaspoon of vanillin can be mixed with a tablespoon of baby cream, and the resulting composition to protect the skin of the child on a walk. Such a cream is suitable for pregnant women, and vanillin can be added to petroleum jelly or a familiar cream.
If the child does not have allergies, you can mix citronella, basil, anise, cedar, eucalyptus essential oils in the baby cream. The same applies to pregnant women.
To prevent bites from scratching - 9 best remedies
If a mosquito has bitten, use simple means to relieve itching and soothe the skin:
- Salt slurry: mix salt and a little water. It will pinch a little, then the itch will subside.
- Vinegar with soda: place the bite on the site with vinegar and rub with a pinch of soda.
- Put a leaf of basil or rosemary in place of the bite.
- Place the bite to rub with baby soap.
- Grind and attach a sheet of plantain or parsley.
- Apply a tampon with apple cider vinegar.
- Moisten with milk, kefir or sour cream.
- Cut a scarlet leaf and rub the bite area with the flesh.
- If you are afraid of infections, lubricate the bite site with a weak solution of iodine or potassium permanganate.
Purchased drugs and chemistry against mosquitoes
Modern industry offers a lot of anti-mosquito repellents in a variety of forms, packaging and formulations. It:
- creams;
- fumigators;
- traps
- key rings
- bracelets.
Electric appliances are produced that repel insects using high vibrations that recreate squeaks, as well as spirals and other benefits of civilization. There are situations when such funds are needed. Coming to the store for mosquito repellents, carefully read the instructions, recommendations for use and composition.
There are tools used for spraying in the house, for applying to clothing or skin. Some forms have negative aspects: for example, creams can wear off or stain clothes. Material factors also play an important role in times of crisis: European means of production are expensive.
Many repellents that are difficult to choose from, and caution when using "chemistry" encourages people to choose folk remedies - safe and environmentally friendly. Indeed, during outdoor recreation, it is necessary to protect not only adults, but also children.
Remedies for mosquitoes for workers in the forest, in the taiga
During work in the taiga, clothing made of dense fabric that is not very close to the body should be worn. An effective mosquito repellent will be birch tar, which must be diluted with alcohol and applied with a spray gun not on the skin (the smell is difficult to wash off!), But on the edges of the clothes - sleeve cuffs, hood, bottom of trousers. During physical work, a person sweats, so all known chemical repellents will be washed off.
To protect against mosquitoes in a forest house, tar must be applied to a dry pine cone and set fire to it.
If strawberries have already ripened in the forest, then exposed skin can be greased with crumbs of crushed wild berries. Another effective folk remedy is to set fire to dry pine needles, mosquitoes will fly away from this smell (remember, the flame must be controlled).
Video tips
When choosing a mosquito repellent, consider the susceptibility to drugs. A walk should be a pleasure. When deciding how to protect yourself - with fish oil or your favorite essential oil, garlic or “fragrant” shampoo - do not miss the aesthetic moment.