5 Ways to Get Rid of Mosquitos

With all the waterways and rainfall we get in Southwest Louisiana, mosquitos are a common pest. Besides well-known malaria, West Nile virus, and Zika fever, mosquitos are also known to spread the following: dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, filariasis, tularemia, dirofilariasis, Japanese encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis, Western equine encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Ross River fever, Barmah Forest fever, and La Crosse encephalitis.

That’s right, mosquitos spread over fifteen illnesses.

Here are a few ways to get rid of the little pests.

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Coffee Grounds

Just about everybody in Southwest Louisiana has access to this mosquito repellant. After you’ve had that morning, noon or evening coffee, you can use the grounds to help rid your property of mosquitoes. Sprinkle the coffee grounds in any stagnant water around your yard. Any mosquito eggs in the water will be killed before they hatch.

Insect Yard Fogger

This method of getting rid of mosquitoes is one that is the fastest, and commonly used by professional services. Foggers are a fast and effective way to control mosquitos and other pests in your yard and are great for large areas. These foggers are portable and run on small propane cylinders to disperse insecticides made for fogging. Fogged areas can typically be used about ten minutes after application. Check out one of the most popular yard foggers here.

Garlic

This one you can eat, apply to your skin or spray. It’s not for everyone, but if you don’t mind the smell of garlic it works well. Garlic has mosquito larvicidal properties which means it kills the larvae and repels the pests as well. To make a spray repellent, boil cloves of crushed garlic in water, let cool, then pour into a spray bottle. You can use it to spray any room or outdoor area to repel mosquitos. Eating garlic, taking garlic supplements, and rubbing garlic on your skin will also help repel the pests. Check out odorless garlic softgels.

Mint, Lavender and Tea Tree Oils

The odors, as well as some other properties of mint, lavender and tea tree oils and extracts, help keep mosquitoes and other insects away, plus they don’t smell too bad either. You can use either extracts or oils, but it usually takes less oil to do the job. You can apply the oils directly to your skin or dilute them with water in a spray bottle, and spray them in the area you want to rid of mosquitos. Use the oils by themselves or mix them to create a scent you enjoy. Mint oil – Tea tree oil – Lavender oil

Mosquito Bits

These little bits are degradable pieces of corn cob treated with a repellent and insecticide. If you have a garden, you might be happy to know that the bits are approved for use for pest control in organic farming operations. While they don’t work as quickly as some of the other methods on this list, they do last longer. You can sprinkle them around your yard or mix them in with potting soil. Get mosquito bits here.