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| Yes to fans! |
Summer is approaching and unofficial summer is already here. Unfortunately so are bugs. The most hated bugs of all are arguably mosquitos. Researching how to keep them away and specifically how to stop mosquitos from biting us leads to good news and bad news. |
citronella bracelets |
First the bad news. Nearly all the natural mosquito repellents on the market are worthless. When tested in scientific labs they either don't work, or don't work well enough to be considered effective. Natural mosquito repellents come in the form of citronella candles, slow-burning citronella sticks, and citronella bracelets. Research shows people still get bitten despite wearing or burning citronella repellents. Perhaps a mosquito will avoid your wrist where the bracelet is, but you'll still get eaten alive because the blood-sucking pest will move up to your shoulder or down to your leg for a meal.
Likewise, essential oils such as lemongrass, rosemary, eucalyptus, and peppermint do not work. Moreover, electronic bug zappers do not work as mosquitos largely ignore the violet light. Ultrasonic mosquito repellent devices do not work either. Studies show they fail to irritate or scare mosquitos away. And lastly, newer portable devices that lure mosquitos away from people with carbon dioxide, then entrap them do not show much evidence of reducing bites to people nearby. So what does work ... are you ready for the good news?
1) A good old fashion fan. Sitting in the wind of a fan works because mosquitos are not strong fliers.
2) DEET - Chemical name, N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (or diethyltoluamide) was developed by the US Army in 1946 and sold on the market beginning in 1957 as an ingredient in lotions and sprays. This potent mosquito, chigger, and other bug repellent has been widely studied over the years. Despite peoples' fears, DEET has an excellent public safety record and lasts for hours.
3) Another effective way to reduce the number of mosquitos in your backyard is to eliminate water sources like puddles, ponds, or birdbaths. Water is where mosquitos like to lay their eggs so don't invite them into your space with basins of standing water.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a mosquito "is the most deadly creature on earth killing hundreds of thousands of people and making millions more sick each year." Therefore, it might be gratifying to consider some of the critters who eat mosquitos or their larvae. Our friends include fish, birds🦜, bats, dragonflies, frogs, spiders, and the red-eared slider turtle (a common pet in the USA).🐢
As much as we hate to acknowledge it, mosquitos are important to the food chain in our ecosystem, which is not to say, we want to be an important food source for mosquitos. You're not a bad person if your motto is: Stay away or die today! Nothing should bite you with impunity. Squash the living daylights out of it!!👾
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Ah mosquitos, the insect we love to hate. We have always had screens on our windows which keep them and the flies out - but we have to keep the screen doors shut too. At times, there can be quite the plague of the pesky little guys in Summer. Yes, ceiling fans are good to keep them away, as it only takes one mosquito at night to spoil our sleep. We also use the repellents you describe. I agree nothing else works. As kids we had mosquito nets over our beds, but they always got in and bit me :)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, mosquitos are universally hated! In Manhattan we don't have as many due to the lack of nature, but all you has to do is step outside of the city to get bitten. My mother who doesn't live in Manhattan seems to have various bugs hanging on her doors waiting for for someone to open it so they can rush in. The mosquitos are sneaky enemies. You don't see them until your bites inch. :)
DeleteIt's THAT time of year. At the beach, not much you can do about all these bugs. I recommend burning wood chips in an outdoor BBQ- but that does not work in urban settings.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely setting.
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