As far as pests go, mosquitoes are up there as one of the most irritating. When they bite you, they’ll leave you scratching for hours—and they won’t hesitate to fly in for a meal even when you’re wide awake. Trying to kill that elusive mosquito that has been terrorizing you all afternoon can be difficult enough as it is—if you have an actual mosquito problem, you’ll need to schedule mosquito control services. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can mosquito proof your home. The following are a few ways to protect your home against a mosquito onslaught:
- Remove Standing Water Outside of Your Home
Leaving standing water sitting around outside is a sure way to attract mosquitoes. This is because mosquitoes reproduce in still water. So avoid leaving standing water, such as a glass of water on your patio table, your pet’s water bowl or puddles of water in your empty trash can or trash can lids outside. If it’s rained recently and puddles have formed on your property, sweep them apart with a broom.
You should also periodically check your home for leaks, especially outside by your exterior faucets. A small leak may not seem like a big deal, but it can result in a large puddle within days—if not hours. If you spot any leaks, fix them right away.
- Grow Mosquito Repellent Plants in Your Garden
Believe it or not, but there are certain plants that contain scents that drive mosquitoes away. These plants include lemon grass, citronella, marigold, rosemary, lavender, basil and lemon balm plants. You can grow these outside or keep planters of them around your sitting areas outdoors. Keeping a few of them inside can be a good idea as well—especially since many people, unlike mosquitoes, enjoy the scents that they produce.
- Seal Your Home
At the very minimum, you should try to get rid of the access points that mosquitoes can use to infiltrate your home. The following are a few ways that you can do this:
- Caulk your windows – Check your windows to see if there are any leaks. You can do this by visually inspecting your windows or by lighting a match or incense stick near the window on a windy day. If the smoke pulls towards the window, there’s a leak.
- Add door sweeps and weatherstripping– Doorways often have gaps around the doors that mosquitoes can squeeze through. Add a door sweep or weatherstripping to close the gap.
- Repair your screen doors and windows – If you like to leave your windows and doors open during the summer in order to enjoy the beautiful weather indoors, then make sure all of your windows are fitted with screens and your doors with screen doors. If you already have these, check the screens for tears or holes that mosquitoes can fly through.
- Invest in a Few Citronella Accessories
Citronella oil helps keep mosquitoes away, which is why citronella plants are so effective. However, you can also purchase a number of different citronella products to use both indoors and outdoors, such as citronella candles. While candles will probably only protect a small radius from the wrath of a mosquito attack, citronella torches can be put up around your property for added protection—and they even help add ambiance to your yard at night!
- Use Outdoor Lighting That Won’t Attract Mosquitoes
Certain types of lights will draw mosquitoes, so be sure to use yellow bug lights, sodium lamps or LED lights around the exterior of your property to ensure that you don’t attract any passing mosquitoes.
- Attract Birds to Your Yard
Birds feed on small insects, including mosquitoes. If you can attract birds to your yard, mosquitoes will be less likely to stop by—and if they do, there’s more of a chance that they’ll be turned into bird food sooner rather than later. You can attract birds by throwing up a bird house on one of your trees and by adding a birdseed or nectar feeder to your property.
- Use Mosquito Traps
You can purchase mosquito traps that will attract and kill mosquitoes, or you easily make one yourself with the use of a two-liter plastic bottle and a mixture of water, brown sugar and yeast.
These are seven ways that you can mosquito-proof your home. However, if you already have a substantial mosquito problem, then the best way to get rid of them is by using professional mosquito control services.