9 Simple Things Mosquitoes Absolutely Hate
Updated: Oct. 04, 2018Any product with DEET is the gold standard for repelling mosquitoes. But the following will tick off a mosquito, too.
A good fan
When you’re sitting outside on a warm, windless day, bring a fan outside and turn it on high. Mosquitoes are weak fliers, not to mention itty-bitty things, and hate the breeze from a strong fan.
Here’s the buzz on the worst places in Canada for mosquitoes according to the readers of Reader’s Digest.
Picaridin
Quick, what’s the most popular mosquito repellent in the world? DEET, right? Wrong! It’s picaridin (pronounced pih-CARE-a-den), a synthetic compound developed from a plant extract that’s a close cousin to table pepper.
“Picaridin is a little more effective than DEET and seems to keep mosquitoes at a greater distance,” Dan Strickman, of the Global Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, told NPR. DEET doesn’t stop a mosquito from landing on you. It just makes you less tasty. Skeeters avoid picaridin outright, making it less likely one will even land on you.
Loose-fitting clothes
The best defence against mosquitoes is making sure they can’t get to your skin. But covering up isn’t good enough, because the little buggers can get you through your clothes. So wear baggy shirts and pants. Let them bite air and not you.
Want to avoid those itchy bug bites this summer? Insect repellent is your best defense. Look for one of these ingredients.
Teetotalers
Mosquitoes like to have a good time like anyone else, which is why studies have shown they often target beer drinkers. “There’s possibly something different about the way they smell to a mosquito,” Susan Paskewitz, an entomologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, told ABC News.
Mosquitoes are also keen on clammy and sweaty skin. Since booze tends to make people flush and makes their skin warmer, added Joe Conlon, technical advisor for the American Mosquito Control Association, that’s one more plus in the booze column as far as mosquitoes are concerned.
Pale clothing
Mosquitoes are the hipsters of the insect world: They’re attracted to dark clothing. Wear whites and pales and they’ll turn their proboscis up next time they see you.
Citrus
Lemon grass, basil, rosemary, mint…you can make a pretty good meal with those herbs as the base. But don’t invite a mosquito for dinner—they don’t like them. And catnip isn’t catnip to them either. In fact, any plant in the citrus family is off the mosquito menu. The plant they really loathe is lantana, which has a bitter, citrusy odour. A study by the science journal PLOS One had 231 families in Tanzania keep lantana plants, while 90 other families didn’t. At the end of the study, there were 50 per cent fewer mosquitoes in houses that grew lantana.
Check out how to Grow Your Own Essential Herbs!
Smoke
Mosquitoes don’t care for smoke. So Bruce Lubin, who edits WhoKnewTips.com, had this simple suggestion. “All you need is a cardboard egg carton,” he wrote on Huffington Post. “Light the corner of it on fire, then place it somewhere safe (like on top of your barbecue grill) and let it smoke.” Gardentherapy.com also suggests smudging. Next time you’re camping or settled around the fire pit, toss in a few herb branches, “like lavender, mint, lemon balm, sage, and, of course, citronella” to keep the skeeters away.
Oil of lemon eucalyptus
The CDC, which is mired in a pitched battle against the Zika virus, recommends oil of lemon eucalyptus to keep mosquitoes away. “When researchers from New Mexico State University tested a variety of commercial products for their ability to repel mosquitoes,” reported NPR, “they found that a product containing lemon eucalyptus oil was about as effective and as long lasting as products containing DEET.”
Dryness
Mosquitoes like standing water; everyone knows that. And everyone knows that a birdbath or a pond is a mosquito’s best friend. But so is a pet water bowl left out too long. Or the folds of a tarp that has collected water. Or the area behind a rain spout. Or the inside tube of a tire swing. Or…well, you get the idea.
Look around your yard and get rid of any standing water to keep your family healthy. “Once a week,” says the CDC, “empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. Mosquitoes lay eggs near water.”
