These methods and products can help repel mosquito from your yard for a bite - gratis summertime .
As enjoyable as it is to dine outside in the summer , al fresco case often come in with an plaguy side impression : mosquito bites , which , in addition to itch , can carry diseases such as West Nile virus . The best way to repel mosquito from your thou is to use a compounding of product and methods .
Products that Repel Mosquitoes
• Spatial repellents : Certain devices , like those by Thermacell , keep mosquito from a section of your M by slowly releasing an odorless repellant into the air . While effective , they are modified to a little area and necessitate continuous cartridge purchases .
• Traps : These products keep mosquito from stinging you by entice them through various methods — include carbon dioxide , heat , and odor — and then trapping or down them .
• Mosquito - repelling coil : Affordable and effectual , these whorl release a mosquito repellant into the breeze as they ’re burned . The gimmick : The odor can be off - putting to some citizenry .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
• Light medulla oblongata : Mosquitoes aredrawn to light outdoors , but sure light-colored bulbs , foretell bug bulbs , have a chicken coating that mosquitoes ca n’t see . apply them in areas where hoi polloi are congregate . There are also special drawstring light that resign a mosquito repellent as they glow .
• buff : Because mosquitoes are weak flyer , go a large fanon your terrace — ideally on the background , since mosquito tend to prick legs — can keep the bugs at bay .
• Mosquito stuff shot : piss can be abreeding ground for mosquito . If you havea water feature in your chiliad , stop mosquitoes from breeding with mosquito dunk shot or act , which contain bacteria toxic to mosquitoes only ( not fish or animals ) .
Credit: Bob Stefko
Plants That Repel Mosquitoes
Most plants on their own wo n’t fight off mosquito entirely , but evidence suggests that certain plants , includingeucalyptus , lavender , Basil the Great , and garlic , may repel mosquitoes to varying degree . Catmint ( Nepeta cataria)hasstrong insect - repellent property . It grows best in full sun and well - drained dirt . It ’s a perennial that ’s hardy throughout most of the United States . It spreads easy , so implant it in a fix where you may contain it .
Citronella grass(Cymbopogon nardus)and its first cousin , lemongrass(Cymbopogon citratus ) , bear ingredients often used in bug repellent oils and spray . These grasses are illiberal of cold-blooded temperatures and can only mature year - daily round in USDA Zones 10 and warmer . Grow them in full sun in container that can be locomote indoors over the winter , and keep them under control , because they can spread rapidly .
Rubbing the crushed leaves or flowers of certain plants , such as citronella supergrass and lemongrass , on your skin can serve as an worm repellent . However , always examine a humble amount on your inner forearm first to assure you do n’t have an allergic response .
Best Insect Repellents for Your Skin
Most mosquito - repelling eubstance products rely on a finical active ingredient to ward off insect bit . When snitch for aneffective mosquito repellent , check up on the label to see which of the following harmful substances are included . Always study and follow the software program management to utilize these products properly .
The American Academy of Pediatrics ( AAP ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) urge that DEET products not be usedon children under two calendar month of eld . sometime children can habituate a repellent containing 10 to 30 percent DEET that is effective for two to five hours .
Catnip , Nepeta Cataria . University of Wisconsin – Madison reference
Repelling Summer Mosquitoes with Citronella , University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources .
Deet . U.S. Environmental Protection Agency .
Insect Repellents Fact Sheet . National Pesticide Information Center , Oregon State University .
How to Choose an Insect Repellent for Your Child , American Academy of Pediatrics
