Mosquitoes are accountable for millions of cases of malaria every year.
However, these pesky pests also transmit many different diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever, and West Nile.
There’s enough reason to take every possible step to circumvent mosquito bites even without taking into account their stinging and terrible itchiness.
When a mosquito lands on you to feed on your blood, it leaves the proteins in its saliva behind.
Your immune system sees this foreign protein as a threat and pumps out histamine to attack these proteins; it’s the same response that the immune system has to other allergens.
And as a result, itchy, red welts form on your skin at the site of the bite.
Mosquitoes can carry all sorts of diseases that can be hazardous for your health, like the Zika viruses or West Nile, or even malaria and chikungunya.
That’s why it should be on priority to prevent mosquito bites during the warmer months.
Read more to know about the best ways to repel and prevent mosquitoes around you.
Though it gets a bad reputation, this chemical repellent has been analyzed for over 40 years. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has confirmed that DEET poses no health risk when appropriately used, even to kids.
Picaridin, also labeled as KBR 3023 or Icaridin, a chemical mosquito repellent associated with the black pepper plant, is used prominently worldwide.
The Zika Foundation states that it effectively works for about 6-8 hours and safe for use on babies older than two months; it’s marketed as Sawyer and Natrapel.
Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), marketed as Repel, Bug Shield, and Cutter, effectively prevents and repels mosquitoes.
Don’t confuse it with the “pure oil of lemon eucalyptus.” It is an essential oil & not a repellent.
You can use spray-on pesticides made particularly for use in tents, clothing, shoes, and nets. Make sure it’s the right product, and the label says it’s meant for gear and fabrics, not to be applied on the skin.
Note: Don’t apply permethrin sprays directly to your skin; it’s strictly for fabrics.
It is recommended to use mosquito nets if your space isn’t screened well. Nets pre-treated with insecticides will fair to be the most effective.
It is easier said than done in the summer season but try to stay cool as much as possible because mosquitoes are drawn in by the released pheromones in your sweat.
Though this can vary, some people still draw in mosquitoes despite what they eat, drink, or wear.
Still, staying hydrated is also essential, especially in the summer season.
CO2 is the primary thing mosquitoes seek to distinguish food sources. And your body produces more co2 when your heart rate is elevated.
From eating spicy foods to drinking alcohol, anything that makes your metabolic rate rise will increase the CO2 production in your body—and make you more susceptive to mosquito bites. Unfortunately, being pregnant or overweight can also raise your CO2 output.
Ensure you wear protective clothing or apply a repellent if you’re outdoors, and know your heart rate will be spiking to keep mosquito bites at bay.
Mosquitoes can reproduce and breed even in a tiny amount of water. Regularly, dump or drain the water from tires, gutters, birdbaths, wheelbarrows, toys, pots, and planters.
Smearing grounded coffee and tea waste throughout your lawn wouldn’t keep the bites away, but researchers have shown that coffee and tea waste limits the breeding of mosquitoes.
The takeaway
Assume you want protection against mosquitoes that can cause dengue, malaria, Zika, West Nile, and chikungunya. In that case, your products should include active ingredients like DEET, picaridin, or lemon eucalyptus oil. Permethrin-treated apparel can also be an effective repellent.
Most products deemed “natural” aren’t recognized as insect repellents, and most mobile apps branded as insect repellents don’t work.
Mosquito populations can be kept down by eliminating standing water and maintaining your yard.