Enjoying a beautiful, warm day in your yard can be spoiled by the unpleasant experience of getting covered in mosquito bites. After constant, miserable itching, you’re ready to find a solution to keep these bothersome insects away from you. So, what can you do to ward off mosquitoes? Are there any smells that mosquitoes hate that you could spray around your yard or even put directly on your skin to keep from getting bitten?

Scientists have studied the varying effectiveness of certain scents to repel mosquitoes, but insufficient research has been done to compare these to chemically-formulated repellents. Studies show that mosquitoes don’t like the smell or taste of DEET, which is one reason that repellents with that chemical compound tend to be more effective than some others. Other substances that are considered alternatives to traditional sprays and lotions that do have a particular odor include:

• Citronella
• Neem
• Thyme oil
• Geraniol oil
• Peppermint oil
• Cedar oil
• Patchouli oil
• Clove oil
• Garlic

Many … Read Full Post »

Some people aren’t bothered by mosquitoes, but most of us can’t stand them. Their itchy bites, that annoying whine in the ear, even the tiny tickle on the skin when they’re hovering around—for many of us, mosquitoes are seriously annoying! Summertime is prime mosquito season, but if you live in a warmer, wetter part of the country, you might have to deal with them for the better part of the year. And if you have a mosquito problem at your home, you might find yourself wondering whether or not mosquitoes make and live in nests.

This is a great question, and the answer involves an issue of semantics. Mosquitoes do not technically nest or build nests for living and breeding the way that ants, termites, bees, wasps and other insects do. Since mosquitoes aren’t social the way these other insects are, they have no need for a nest. While mosquitoes don’t … Read Full Post »

As winter winds down, the days grow longer, buds start popping out on bare tree branches and the weather slowly, but surely, begins to warm up. The beauty of it all almost makes us forget that it’s about time for mosquitoes to come out again. As many people know, mosquitoes are more active when it’s warmer outside, and these pests typically breed in water. Therefore, mosquitoes start coming out more when outdoor temperatures rise, which is unfortunate because the same is also true for humans. Many of us, especially those of us with pleasant outdoor spaces that aren’t used as much during colder winter months, hope to get in as many comfortable afternoons and evenings outdoors as we can before mosquitoes come out in full force once again, biting us and leaving their signature itchy welts in their wake.

Of course, different people react to mosquito bites differently. Not everyone finds … Read Full Post »

Your home is normally the best place to relax and unwind. But recently, just when you were decompressing after a long day, you heard it. That ominous buzzing in your ear that tells you that there’s a mosquito nearby.

Nothing interrupts your moment of Zen quite like hunting down one of these bloodsucking pests so that you can avoid getting bitten. Naturally, after one of these experiences, you’re left wondering how to get rid of mosquitoes in the house. In this blog post, we will explore why mosquitoes may decide your humble abode is a perfect place to stick around, and provide you with tips on how to keep these pesky pests in their natural environment.

Steps You Can Take To Reduce Your Indoor Mosquito Population

Do you constantly feel like you are swatting away mosquitoes, even when you are inside? When trying to control an indoor mosquito problem, the following do-it-yourself methods … Read Full Post »