Life

9 Surprising Things You Can Do To Keep Mosquitos Out Of Your House

by Carolyn de Lorenzo
auimeesri/Fotolia

Summer is in full swing, and while that means lots of lovely hours spent reveling in the great outdoors, it can also mean lots of bugs, especially in more humid climes. And, more to the immediate point, balmy summers can produce more mosquitos than you can shake a stick at. As it turns out, there are some surprising things that attract mosquitos, and you might be encouraging the little blood suckers to nibble on you without realizing it — and no one wants that. Though bugs are a natural part of life and can’t be avoided entirely, there are plenty of things we can do to keep mosquitos out of our apartments (and, like, our lives).

There's lots we can do to prevent bites, and discourage them from taking up real estate in our homes and kitchens. After all, mosquitoes aren't just annoying, but they can also cause some pretty annoying welts. And in more severe cases, they can potentially carry dangerous illnesses, such as the West Nile virus. If you happen to be one of the lucky ten percent of people who are especially attractive to mosquitos, don’t despair — there are steps you can take to deter them from swarming about.

1

Head Indoors During And/Or After Exercise

According to ABC News, mosquitos (along with other pests, like fruit flies) find carbon dioxide rather delicious. And while this isn’t something you can really control — after all, the body’s carbon dioxide output isn’t exactly voluntary — note that you do produce more when exercising vigorously or sweating a lot, ABC reported. So if you notice that bites are increasing when getting active outdoors, head inside for a bit until your body temperature cools down.

2

Avoid Wearing Dark Colors

ABC further reports that we’re more visible to mosquitoes when wearing dark colored clothes and jeans. Who knew? So if you’re heading outside for the day, opt for lighter colored clothing, and avoid all black or super dark outfits.

3

Skip The Beer

Certain foods and drinks, like carbon-dioxide heavy beer or La Croix, can up your chances of attracting icky mosquitoes, ABC notes, and some evidence suggests that drinking a bottle of beer might make you more susceptible to mosquito bites.

4

Keep Those Ceiling Fans Spinning

Pure Wow suggests that mosquitoes are repelled by moving and circulating air — so keeping ceiling and room fans a-spinning is a key way to help stop mosquitoes from buzzing about your apartment.

5

Seal Off Your Entrances

According to ForRent’s blog, it’s helpful to seal off all entrance points with weatherstripping and door sweeps in order to keep those little flying pest out of your home. Sealing your entrances will help keep mosquitoes out of your apartment, and can also help reduce your energy costs, ForRent further notes.

6

Install Mosquito Nets

Apartment Therapy reports that curtains and nets can be a super stylish way to keep mosquitos out of your apartment, and they don’t need to be all that expensive, either. Some mosquito curtains are a bit of an investment, but can be customized for your home or porch — you can check out some options here. And another extra budget friendly option is this magnetic screen door that you can easily install and then remove as needed.

7

Plant Some Lavender

According to Reader’s Digest, certain plants repel mosquitoes; so having some pots of lavender, catnip, basil, or marigolds around can help make your apartment less attractive to the little pests.

8

Remove Sources Of Standing Water

According to ForRent’s blog, one of the easiest ways to prevent mosquito infestations is to remove any sources of standing water, as that’s where lady mosquitoes opt to lay their eggs. Make sure to clean pet water bowls, vases, watering cans and buckets, and trash cans at least once per week.

9

Check Out Some Non-toxic Bug Spray

Despite all your best efforts, you might still need a good non-toxic mosquito repellent to help keep those little flying critters at bay. WebMD suggests both soy-based repellents, and those made with oil of lemon eucalyptus, as effective natural mosquito repellents.

While super irritating mosquitoes may seem like a hopeless inevitability during the summer months, there’s still lots you can do to reduce bites and infestations — and with a few simple steps and precautionary measures, you can enjoy theses warmer days without all those annoying bites.