Prevent Mosquito Bites

Preventing deadly diseases like malaria, dengue, and even yellow fever is as simple as avoiding mosquito bites. Yes, these bug-borne diseases can be contracted from a little bite from an infected mosquito. But how do you prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes?

Lucky for us, advancement in technology and medicine has afforded us many solutions to  prevent mosquito bites. Mosquito repellents are commercially available in drug stores now which come in either lotion or spray forms. Aroma Diffusers are also available commercially which you can place anywhere in your home at night to repell unwanted mosquitoes and other insects.

[pullquote]There are many natural ways, which can be used to effectively repel mosquitoes. [/pullquote]There are natural remedies in the form of essential oil blends that can be used to prevent mosquito bites:

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, Catnip and Picaridin have just been introduced in the last decade and already have proven to be a better alternative to DEET.

Essential Oils from Plants

Some plants naturally produce chemicals that repel or even kill certain types of pests and insects. Extracting these essential oils can be a tricky task, but it’s a good thing that some essential oils can readily be purchased. And when mixed with alcohol or distilled water, can easily become mosquito repellents. Lavender, basil, cedar, citronella, and eucalyptus oils are just some of the many essential oils which you can use to make your own mosquito repellents. Spraying it over your body or clothing before heading outdoors will help you counter those pesky mosquitoes.

Oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits are delicious. Apart from being a great source of vitamin C, oranges and citruses can also be used as insect repellents. Oil from lemons together with Eucalyptus go easily together and made into an effective mosquito repellent to prevent mosquitoes from biting you. What you can do to test some scents out is to create a lemon or orange oil and vanilla blend which you can put in a small spray bottle and spray it on the skin and see if it’s pleasing.

Instead of lemon oil you can also try grapefruit oil. Put a couple of drops in an ultrasonic essential oil diffuser which diffuses the essential oil and water in an aromatic mist that drives away mosquitoes and at the same time relaxes your senses with a pleasant smell that continuously spreads through your surroundings.

Aside from these items, there are also a few simple things which you can easily purchase that are also helpful to prevent mosquito bites.

Sandal Wood Sticks

Sandalwood sticks are similar to incense sticks in the sense that you both burn them. However, instead of sending your prayers to Buddha, sandalwood sticks can help drive away mosquitoes from your home.

Sandalwood is a natural insect repellent and is a great alternative to chemical fogging machines. If you plan on having a party in your backyard but are worried about mosquitoes, you can burn a few sandalwood sticks on certain spots in your yard to drive them away.

Mosquito repellent bracelets are also useful little devices which can protect you from mosquito bites. These handy bracelets can be worn just like ordinary bracelets but they contain active ingredients in them which mosquitoes find repulsive. Many mosquito bracelets have ingredients like DEET and Citronella which are known to be effective in repelling mosquitoes. But because these bracelets contain a certain amount of DEET, always check its label for government approval before actually buying one.

While the points mentioned above are effective ways in preventing mosquito bites, the best way is to prevent them is to kill them at an early stage. Mosquitoes start out as eggs which mature mosquitoes lay in stagnant water. When they hatch, they turn into larva and then mature to become the flying pests we know them to be. One effective way of eradicating these pests from your property is to not give them a place to lay their eggs. If you have stagnant waters in your yard, make sure to drain them before mosquitoes can lay eggs on them. However, you have a pond, draining might not be a good idea. What you can do, though, is keep fish in the pond which prey on mature mosquitoes and larva.

For severe cases of mosquito infestations, you can contact your local pest-control company to help you with fogging your yard with pesticide to control mosquito populations. Alternatively, you can purchase mosquito traps and bug zappers to keep the mosquito outside your home, and away from your family members.