Minimizing Mosquitoes Without Using Chemicals

Crashing every Summer cookout, pool party, bonfire or campfire, and really any outside event are those pesky, blood-sucking, little, black mosquitoes. Rather than give you fun facts about them (like how only female mosquitoes bite humans), here are a few potentially useful tips on how to get rid of and prevent having prime mosquito real estate.

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What They Like

Clutter is really what makes a good mosquito residency. Wooded areas, thick natural debris such as leaf piles, decaying wood, woodpiles, thick grass offer shelter from heat but also are great natural collectors of water. Less than the amount of water to fill a cupped hand is all they need. Carbon dioxide and certain chemicals in our sweat attract mosquitoes to us...so simply existing outside is a beacon for them.

What To Do

Remove clutter. Look around your yard or area look for areas where small puddles of standing water can or will accumulate. These will be the first places to address, removing water, and try to find ways to prevent the water from pooling again.

Next remove things like children's toys, sporting equipment, unused tools, as these things can collect water inside which mosquitoes can easily access.

Doing things like covering hollow tree stumps or other natural water-collecting areas, keeping underbrush to a minimal, and keeping grass from getting thick or tall will help prevent mosquito habitats from forming.

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Plants To Help

-Marigolds (Aroma is natural insect repellent)

-Basil (Aroma is natural insect repellent)

-Catnip (Can be 10x more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET)

-Lavender (Aroma is natural insect repellent)

-Lemon balm (Attracts beneficial insects like bees, but repels mosquitoes)

-Peppermint’s (Aroma is natural insect repellent. Crushed can be used as an effective mosquito bite relief treatment)

-Rosemary (Long history of use as a mosquito repellent)

-Citronella (Strong smell can help mask carbon dioxide and body odor, in effect, hiding you from mosquitoes)

-Pennyroyal (Crushed and fresh, repels mosquitoes)

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Some places are impossible to completely mosquito-proof but by at least cutting down on the possible number of breeding grounds and sustainable habitats, the number of unwanted, good-for-nothing, pesky, blood-sucking, annoying mosquitoes should thin out dramatically.