Mosquitoes are turned off by several natural scents: cinnamon, peppermint, cedar, citronella, lemongrass, patchouli, catnip, lavender, and more. Find a favorite, and use it when you want to spend time outside.
Dragonflies
Why not use a helpful insect to fight a harmful one? In the realm of animals that help maintain mosquitoes, dragonflies are among the most unique.
Bluegills, Goldfish, catfish, guppies, and mosquitofish eat mosquito larvae. However, the mosquitofish, also known as Gambusia affinis, remains the most effective species for Mosquito control.
Use an indoor insect fogger or indoor insect spray to kill mosquitoes and treat areas where they rest. These products work immediately, and may need to be reapplied.
What smells do mosquitoes hate? Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary.
To reduce the possibility of a mosquito biting you, you could consider wearing white, green or blue. Lighter colors are less interesting to mosquitos than darker shades like navy and black, red or orange. However, clothing color alone is unlikely to keep mosquitos away for good.
The study found that mosquitoes were most attracted to four colors: red, orange, black, and cyan. The presence of these colors caused them to remain in an area longer. These colors have longer wavelengths, and colors with orange and red tones are present in human skin, which may be why mosquitoes are drawn to them.
Environmental Impact of Mosquito Extinction
Without the mosquitoes, many animals could decline due to a lack of food. Fish populations could be impacted, as many fish species rely on mosquito larvae as a food source. Bats that rely largely on mosquitoes for food may also decline or even go extinct if mosquitoes did.
Citronella oil is a natural mosquito repellent that will kill mosquitoes and drive them out of your house. Look for citronella candles or use citronella essential oil in your vaporizer or oil diffuser.
As has been found in previous studies, more mosquitoes seemed to prefer people whose scent contained a blend of carboxylic acids, the oily secretions that hydrate and protect our skin. Two of those carboxylic acids are also found in Limburger cheese, McMeniman notes, a known lure for mosquitoes.
Blue light in visible spectrum with exact wavelength of 467 nm kills 100% mosquitoes and fruit flies, while ultraviolet light with wavelength of 378 nm just kills 40% only. In short, right colour and right frequency can be an effective, safe, clean, and may be a cheap way to kill insects.
Wear long, loose clothing in light colors like white, cream, and tan to make yourself less of a mosquito target. Spray insect repellents like DEET or picaridin on your skin to keep mosquitoes away. Use unscented body wash and shampoo to smell less attractive to mosquitoes.
MYTH: Fair skinned people are more likely to be bitten
Although they don't get more bites than darker skinned people, it seems like they do because their bites are more prominent.
Lemongrass contains an oil called citronella, a common mosquito repellent. Swap your summer glass of lemonade for a chilled glass of lemongrass tea or carefully use lemongrass oil on your skin for a quick mosquito repellent.
Deter Insects
We may be fans of Vicks, but insects decidedly are not. Dab a bit on your arms, legs, neck, or other areas of exposed skin to keep bugs (including mosquitoes) at bay, however, it is not as effective at preventing bites as a commercial insect repellant.
Some methods rely on chemical attractants to lure mosquitoes to their doom. Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide, sugary scents, heat, lactic acid, and octenal. Gravid females (those carrying eggs) may be attracted to traps laced with a hormone released during the egg-laying process.
Light candles or lanterns.
Help keep mosquitoes away from your patio and porch by lighting candles or lanterns that contain one or more essential oils known to repel mosquitoes. These oils include: Citronella. Clove.
The repellants that worked were DEET and, in a bit of good news for those of us who prefer a more natural approach, oil of lemon eucalyptus sprays, which comes from the gum eucalyptus tree, reduced mosquito attraction by 60 percent.
Study authors concluded that, “DEET and PMD [are] the most effective and longest lasting mosquito repellents currently available.” PMD is found in products containing C. Citriodora (oil of lemon eucalyptus) and the tradenames Citrosynthol, Citrepel and Citriodiol. It is also effective against ticks.