Mosquito, Mosquito, Go Away
Are you taking these preventative measures to keep mosquitoes away from your house?
Some might refer to the current season as “summer.” Others might more endearingly call this time of year “mosquito season.”
It’s not our fault, though. The southeastern U.S. has the humidity thing down pat. With weather like this, it’s the mosquitoes’ world, and we’re just living in it. If you want someone to blame, Mother Nature is the culprit. It goes without saying that these insects are annoyances, but the fact that they carry threatening diseases like dengue fever, West Nile virus, and the newest buzz-word for moms-to-be, the Zika virus, should be ample reason for you to take preventative action. Your home could be a haven for our blood-sucking friends (or should we say "frenemies?"), and you might not even know it.
The good news is we can do our part to keep these nuisances from hanging around our homes (and biting us).
Raymond grubb
Though bird baths bring whimsical charm to a garden, homeowners should be wary that the standing water can attract mosquitoes. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant water. It's best to have your bird baths farther away from the entrance to your home so that the pests don't have easy entry.
Say no to stagnant water
This could be anything from an empty flowerpot that filled up during the last downpour or the kiddie pool you haven’t drained since last weekend. Did you know by keeping standing water near your home, you’re actually providing a breeding ground for more mosquitoes? Think about Fido’s water bowl, bird baths, and puddles, too.
Get lavender-d up!
Lavender is quite lovely for body lotions, and turns out, it’s got another perk: mosquitoes hate it! Use lavender essential oil to mix with vegetable oil to create your own at-home mosquito repellent/ body oil/ perfume. You can also hang ribbons with the scent near open windows.
Don’t Use DEET
If you do opt for store-bought bug repellant, make sure the ingredients do not include DEET. Look for the repellant picaridin instead. As Consumer Reports illuminated, “A 2013 analysis of about 4,000 DEET-related calls to poison control centers found that 450 people needed medical treatment after applying DEET; two died. Most cases of seizures, slurred speech, coma and other serious side effects have occurred in people who ingested DEET or applied it for three or more days in a row, or used products with 95 percent DEET or more.”
Keeping your homestead mosquito-free is more in your control than you think. Getting rid of standing water is your first and foremost step, then finding natural repellents that are free of toxic chemicals is next on your list to a happy and healthy home.
