How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes?
The Mosquito is a one of the commonest and most annoying of creatures. The name mosquito comes from the Spanish word mosca which means ‘a fly’ in the language. A scientist would say they belong to the Culicidae family. That is enough about mosquitoes! Now, let us come to our main questions: why do they bite us and how to keep them away?
Male mosquitoes are satisfied with the nectar they find in the flowers but the females of their species are more ambitious! They seem to be more health conscious and need blood to maintain required levels of protein in them. Scientists have discovered that the blood they suck is not meant for the female mosquitoes themselves but for their larva (unborn children). So female mosquitoes bite us for our blood to ensure that they have healthy baby mosquitoes.
How to keep the mosquitoes away?
The techniques can be divided in two categories:
(a) defensive methods
(b) offensive methods
Defensive methods:
The best and easiest way to avoid mosquito problems is to make sure that there is no standing water at your premises. Standing water is a heaven for mosquito baby-boomers! Mosquitoes lay their larvae in water. And, in less than a month the larvae get hatched and the result is – hundreds of mosquitoes from a single pair in just three-and-a-half weeks!
There are the following simple steps can be followed to get rid of the mosquito menace:
(1) Objects like buckets, wheel barrows, bird baths, coffee cans and anything that can hold water need a regular cleaning. It must be made certain that there is no standing water these objects.
(2) Garbage cans are essential for keeping a house clean but they are also the dirtiest place in the house. A way to ensure there is no water in them is to make a small hole at the bottom of the cans.
(3) If you happen to live in a villa or a mansion or in a house with a swimming pool then it must be ensured that the chlorine levels in the pool water are adequate and the pool needs to clean once every week.
(4) If there are still some mosquitoes left, than it is time to use window screens. Ensure if all your window screens are in good repair because, even the smallest hole could act as an express-way for the mosquitoes to enter into your house.
(5) Children, especially infants, haven’t got their immune systems as developed as that of an adult so one must ensure that there is a mosquito net around the cradle.
If, what is written above seems to you difficult, then there is another way out: use a skin-cream. There are some skin-creams available in the markets which act as excellent mosquito repellents. Just apply them on your body and no mosquito will dare to come near you!
Offensive methods:
Offense is the best defense. This saying is famous in military circles. If you believe in the saying, then insecticides and repellents are an option for you. DDT used to be a widely used chemical for this purpose but nowadays it has been banned in a lot of countries. There are some natural repellents too and they include: citronella oil, cinnamon oil, castor oil, cedar oil, clove oil, lemongrass oil etc.
If you want to kill all the mosquitoes, then there are chemicals available in the markets which are used where the mosquitoes breed. These chemicals are sprayed onto still water. While growing up, the larvae take in the chemicals and die. There.
Category: Home & Garden