Mosquitoes are a nuisance that you just can’t avoid sometimes. These blood-sucking insects not only sting you, they also infect you with serious diseases. Male mosquitoes are not a danger to you or to other creatures, because they feed on nectar and plant juice, while female mosquitoes are what you should be bothered about. These are the ones that survive on human blood. Not only do they cause itchiness, they also cause uncomfortable, and sometimes uncontrollable scratching of the tiny bumps at the bite site.
Mosquitoes are carriers of various serious diseases like malaria, yellow fever, chikungunya, dengue fever, West Nile disease and so on. These diseases have severe symptoms like severe joint pain, headaches, fever, fever with chills, fatigue, nausea, rashes, weakness, swollen lymph nodes, severe bleeding, and sometimes even death. Although some of these diseases can be protected against by getting vaccinated, but others are not. So it’s imperative that you protect yourself from mosquitoes and their bites.
Suggested read: 12 effective home remedies for mosquito bites
Home remedies for mosquitoes
Sure, you can use a mosquito repellent and get rid of them, but at what cost? The store-bought repellents contain chemicals, which come with their own set of side effects to your health. Therefore, it’s best to go for home remedies for mosquitoes to get rid of them from your home. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective ones here.
1. Beer
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Beer contains anti-cancer properties, while also being rich in sodium and phosphorus. These make it an excellent remedy to get rid of mosquitoes.
Remedy
- Pour a few tablespoons worth of beer in small bowls around your home to keep mosquitoes away.
2. Black pepper oil
Black pepper oil is an amazing ingredient to help against mosquitoes.
Remedy
- You could apply black pepper oil all over your body to keep mosquitoes at bay.
3. Camphor
Camphor is toxic to mosquitoes, which helps keep them at bay.
Remedies
- Keep camphor tablets around your home where you think mosquitoes are more. This should help keep them away from your house.
- Fill a bowl with water up to the halfway mark. Add camphor tablets to this water and place this bowl in a corner of the room. Place similar bowls around your home to keep mosquitoes away. You will have to change the water every second day to keep this remedy effective.
Pro tip: Camphor is pretty volatile, so you will have to replace these tablets regularly.
4. Citronella
Citronella oil is extracted from citronella grass, which helps protect you against mosquito bites.
Remedies
- Light citronella-infused candles around your home to keep the pesky insects away.
- Use citronella oil as a vaporizer to get rid of the blood-sucking parasites.
5. Clove oil
Clove oil has a very pungent odor, which helps keep mosquitoes away effectively.
Remedy
- Use a few drops of clove oil in a vaporizer to get rid of mosquitoes
Pro tip: It can be irritating on the skin, so use it wisely.
6. Coffee grounds
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Coffer grounds have a pleasant aroma, which is repellent to mosquitoes. It is an antioxidant, which helps keep these pesky insects at bay.
Remedies
- If there are stagnant water puddles near your house, sprinkle some coffee grounds in it. Mosquito eggs that are in those puddles come to the surface of the water, deprived of oxygen, and die before hatching.
- Dissolve some coffee grounds in small amounts of water and pour it into small bowls. Place these bowls around your home and patio to keep mosquitoes away.
7. Dry ice
Mosquitoes are lured in by the carbon dioxide you release when you exhale. So lure these pesky insects with dry ice, which is basically carbon dioxide in solid form. In fact, dry ice acts like a magnet for mosquitoes, and helps expel them from your home. It’s an easy, inexpensive, environment-friendly, and effective way to get rid of mosquitoes.
Remedy
- Hang a mosquito trap about 6 feet from the ground. Put the block of dry ice in a cloth bag and hang it beside the trap. The mosquitoes are lured in by the carbon dioxide released by the dry ice, and the trap does its work.
Precautions to take while handling dry ice
- Never use dry ice in enclosed spaces like a room, because it releases a lot of carbon dioxide, which could suffocate you.
- Always wear industrial grade gloves to handle dry ice, as it is so cold as to freeze human skin cells. Never let dry ice to come in contact with your bare skin.
- Don’t use airtight containers to store dry ice, since carbon dioxide gas expansion could cause the container to expand, possibly even explode.
- Keep dry ice out of reach of pets and kids.
Suggested read: 17 extremely effective home remedies for ant bites
8. Eucalyptus and lemon oil
Eucalyptus and lemon oil, both contain very strong odors, which contain antiseptic and insect-repellent properties, which make it quite effective in keeping mosquitoes far away.
Remedy
- Add equal parts of eucalyptus oil and lemon oil to a clean bowl and mix well. Apply this all over the exposed parts of your body to keep mosquitoes away.
9. Garlic
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Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which has a strong odor. This is repellent to mosquitoes, and prevents them from biting you.
Remedies
- Crush a few garlic cloves and boil them in 3 cups of water. Allow it to cool down a bit, before pouring it into a spray bottle. Shake well and spray it all around you home. This should you get rid of them effectively.
- Crush a few pods of garlic and place them in strategic places around your home to help expel these pesky insects.
10. Holy basil
Holy basil is another excellent natural remedy to get rid of mosquitoes. It has antibiotic and anti-bacterial properties, which make it a natural repellent to mosquitoes.
Remedies
- Keep pots of holy basil plant near the open windows around your house.
- Place holy basil leaves around your house where you suspect there are too many mosquitoes to help keep them away.
11. Lavender
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Lavender has a pleasant smell, but it’s repellent to mosquitoes, making them unable to bite because of the strong odor.
Remedies
- Apply lavender essential oil to keep mosquitoes at bay.
- Use lavender oil as a room freshener to expel any mosquitoes in your home.
12. Mint
Mint is yet another natural remedy that helps repel mosquitoes quite effectively. Its pungent odor is repellent to mosquitoes.
Remedies
- Add mint essential oil to a vaporizer to diffuse mint-infused air into the room.
- Apply mint essential oil on your body to keep mosquitoes away from your person.
- Keep pots of mint near open windows and doors around your home.
- Take a handful of fresh mint leaves and boil them in 2 cups of water. Allow it to cool down a bit, before pouring it into a spray bottle. Spray this mint-infused water around your home to get rid of mosquitoes.
13. Neem oil
Neem oil is an excellent indoor mosquito repellent. Its pungent odor helps keep the parasites away. Additionally, it contains anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-protozoal properties, which make it quite an effective insecticide.
Remedy
- In a clean bowl, mix together equal amounts of neem oil and coconut oil, and rub it all over your body. It will effectively protect you from mosquito bites for up to 8 hours.
14. Rosemary
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Rosemary is an herb that has a strong odor, which is quite effective in getting rid of mosquitoes.
Remedy
- Burn stalks of rosemary in your yard or patio of your house to diffuse the air with its odor to keep mosquitoes away.
15. Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is another essential oil that is quite effective against mosquitoes, all thanks to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. These properties help prevent these insects from biting you.
Remedies
- Add a few drops of tea tree oil to a vaporizer to get rid of mosquitoes
- Rub some tea tree oil on the exposed parts of your body to keep these pesky insects away from your person.
Suggested read: 12 amazingly effective home remedies for skin rashes
Additional tips
- You could get screens attached to the windows in your home to prevent mosquitoes from entering.
- It’s good to have shrubs like mint and holy basil, and trees like lemon and neem to keep your home protected against mosquitoes.
- If you have numerous plants and trees around your house, they help keep mosquitoes away.
- If you have swimming pools or koi ponds or ornamental ponds in your home, you need to keep them clean, aerated, and chlorinated as applies to each of these architectural ornaments, to keep mosquitoes from breeding.
- Be careful that there are no stagnant water puddles near your home, as these make for excellent breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
- Clear away garbage as soon as they’re collected.
- Avoid scratching away at a mosquito bite, as it only aggravates the wound.
- If you run a fever after a mosquito bite, it’s best if you consult a doctor.
These are all the amazingly easy yet effective home remedies for mosquitoes you can employ to get rid of them. For more home remedies, fitness tips, and skin care secrets, subscribe to our newsletter.
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