Pest Control

Ways To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes Indoors

Mosquito prevention is cheap & effective

It would take 1.2 million bites for a mosquito to drain all of the blood from our body – that entire thought is enough to want to make us run inside and hide away from all those nasty mosquitos.

If only that worked – running into the house and hiding, that is. It’s quite inevitable, actually, that mosquitos will find their way indoors. Mosquitos can make their way into your room through open doors and windows, obviously, but they also make their way in through minuscule holes in your window screens, and they even get blown in on occasion, from the wind.

Easy steps to less mosquitoes in your home

Kill off the larvae. The fewer mosquitoes are buzzing around the smaller is the chance that they will annoy you indoors.

Use mosquito dunks & mosquito beater granules around your yard – they work best in the weeks before mosquito seasons starts.

Use mosquito netting for doors & windows. They don’t offer 100% protection but they are cheap & make everything else easier.

Once they hatched you can get rid of them with mosquito traps on your property. These devices are expensive but very effective killing machines.

Mosquito lanterns & mosquito killer sprays are cheaper helpful, but generally less effective.

Are electric indoor traps effective?

From my experience electric insect killers are the best indoor tool because they help against mosquitoes and many other bugs. I usually switch my indoor mosquito trap on for 2 days a week and it gets rid of most insects in my house.

Chemical-free & easy to use

They are nontoxic, require minimal maintenance and they are straightforward to use. Their light lures flying critters into a grid where they meet their doom. In comparison to many other ways to get rid of mosquitoes they are chemical-free and you won’t experience any concerning side effects in regard to your health.

 

Ways to Keep Mosquitoes Away

It only takes a few minutes outdoors, particularly at dusk, to develop a deep-rooted disdain for mosquitoes. And as if buzzing incessantly near your ear and feasting on your exposed arms and legs aren’t enough, mosquitoes can transmit a number of infectious diseases, a fact that elevates the insects from a nuisance to an outright health risk.

a veterinarian and senior research associate in University’s department of population medicine and diagnostic sciences, specializes in infectious diseases spread by ticks, which also transmit infectious diseases. But they’re not her main concern on a personal level.

Sure, you can buy a plethora of devices designed to repel, capture, and kill the bugs. But as satisfying as bug zappers and electrified insect swatters may seem, few, if any, of these products are effective when it comes to controlling the mosquito population in your yard.

Use Your Screens

Maximize fresh air indoors, but introduce a bugproof barrier. advises using fine mesh screens in all open windows and doors. This allows cross-breezes to enter your house, but the screens’ openings are too small for mosquitoes to permeate.

Get Rid of Standing Water

That means it’s imperative to empty outdoor water toys and remove wheelbarrows and other outdoor gear that can catch water after a rainfall. Keep your gutters and drain lines clear of debris—clogged leaves and branches can cause water to pool.

 

Controlling Mosquitoes at Home

Remove standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs

Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. Mosquitoes lay eggs near water.

Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so that mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.

For containers without lids, use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

Use larvicides to treat large containers of water that will not be used for drinking and cannot be covered or dumped out.

If you have a septic tank, repair cracks or gaps. Cover open vent or plumbing pipes. Use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

Kill mosquitoes outside your home

Use an outdoor insect spray made to kill mosquitoes in areas where they rest.

Mosquitoes rest in dark, humid areas like under patio furniture, or under the carport or garage. When using insecticides, always follow label instructions.

Keep mosquitoes out

Install or repair and use window and door screens. Do not leave doors propped open.

Use air conditioning when possible.

Kill mosquitoes inside your home

Kill mosquitoes inside your home. Use an indoor insect fogger or indoor insect spray to kill mosquitoes and treat areas where they rest. These products work immediately, and may need to be reapplied. When using insecticides, always follow label directions. Only using insecticide will not keep your home free of mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes rest in dark, humid places like under the sink, in closets, under furniture, or in the laundry room.

 

A Guide To Mosquito Repellents

People do the darnedest things in hopes of avoiding mosquito bites. They burn cow dung, coconut shells or coffee. They drink gin and tonic. They eat bananas. They spray themselves with mouthwash or slather themselves in clove/alcohol solution. And they rub themselves with Bounce. “You know, those heavily perfumed sheets you put in your dryer,”

None of those techniques have been tested to see if they actually keep mosquitoes away. But that doesn’t stop people from trying them, according to a study that will be published this summer

Beyond folklore and traditional remedies, there are proven ways to protect against mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. NPR talked with researchers, many of whom spend lots of time in mosquito-infested jungles, marshes and tropical areas.

Which repellents work best to stop mosquitoes from biting?

Products containing DEET have been shown both safe and effective. DEET is shorthand for the chemical N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, the active ingredient in many insect repellents

DEET appeared on store shelves in 1957. There was some early concern about its safety — speculation that it was linked to neurological problems. But recent reviews, for example a study published in June 2014 in the journal Parasites and Vectors, says, “Animal testing, observational studies and intervention trials have found no evidence of severe adverse events associated with recommended DEET use.”

 

Mosquito Control For Your Backyard

There’s so much to love about summer: getting outside to enjoy the longer days with a barbecue or enjoying a friendly game of Wiffle ball with the family … that is until pesky mosquitoes drive you back inside.

Unfortunately, the warmer months also mean mosquitoes. Mosquitoes might seem like an annoyance that you can easily swat away, but they can be a big problem. They not only make it impossible for you to truly enjoy your backyard, but they can also spread diseases. Using bug spray can help keep them away, but they are almost impossible to avoid completely unless you plan to stay inside all summer.

Don’t pack up your outdoor gear just yet! There are actions you can take to greatly reduce, or even eliminate mosquitoes from your backyard this summer. Most are fairly simple and just require a different approach to taking care of your lawn. The payoff can be a summer without itchy bug bites, giving you more time to enjoy your yard.

Avoid Standing Water

The best approach to mosquito control is to keep them from showing up in the first place. You can accomplish that by removing places where they breed. And where do they breed? Anywhere there is standing water. That can include spots as small as a bottle cap, so do a careful inspection of your yard to find any containers of water. This includes kiddie pools, toys, plant trays, garbage cans and gutters. The exception to this rule is a swimming pool, as the chlorine drives them away

Keep your Grass Cut

In addition to water, mosquitoes like to hang out in cool, shady spots. Shady areas near trees, tall grass or brushy areas are ideal mosquito habitats, so focus on getting rid of those spots. As a bonus, the more sunlight that reaches your yard, the less likely you are to have wet or damp spots that foster mosquito breeding, disease or even mildew.

How to Get Rid of Bats

If bats have taken up residence in your home, you may have a bigger problem on your hands than noise. Invading bats often cause structural damage and leave behind droppings that slowly corrode wood and other building materials. Exposure to bat guano can also pose a serious health risk to you and your family if ignored. Bats are protected species in many parts of the world, so your first step is to find out what you can legally do in your country

Verify that it’s bats you’re dealing with. The occasional rustling in the attic may just be an old water pipe or the sound of the house settling. Make sure you’ve excluded all other possibilities before you begin spending time and energy on a bat-removal project. The best way to tell that you have bats in your home is to see one with your own eyes or come across their tell-tale droppings

Be on the lookout for droppings. Bat excrement (commonly known as “guano”) most often takes the form of small, dark pellets. These are round in shape and give off an overpowering musky stench. Should you encounter bat guano in any part of your home, there’s a good chance that bats have recently been roosting there

Research the types of bats found in your area. There are many different varieties of bats. Find out when maternity season begins for your local bat population. If you drive off the mother after she’s given birth, her babies won’t be able to survive. This will leave you with an unbearable stench and an attic full of dead bats to dispose of

Inspect for places where bats might be getting in. Bats gravitate toward dark, enclosed spaces because they most closely resemble their natural cave habitats. Take a look around your attic, chimney flue, basement or crawlspace and see if you can turn up evidence that bats have been roosting there. Pay special attention to areas accessible through small cracks and apertures, as bats often use these as entry points

 

How to Get Rid of Bats

Forget mothballs, aerosols, and ultrasonic deterrents. They don’t work, particularly if you have an established colony of bats in your house. The easiest way to get rid of bats is through a process called exclusion.

Bats love old houses: All those crumbling chimneys, cracks and holes, and vents with missing screens are open doors for little mammals that can squeeze through a 3/8″ x 1″ crack, or into a hole smaller than a quarter.  A few bats during migration season may be a temporary situation and nothing to worry about. If there’s bat poop—guano—all over the place, you’ve got a problem

Bats are a critical part of the ecosystem, controlling the insect population. It’s impractical, inhumane, and probably illegal to kill them, so you have to go through a live exclusion. If the infestation is large or has been recurrent over years, call in a pro for both exclusion and cleanup. Every state has a wildlife or conservation department that can help you find a licensed wildlife removal specialist

Inspection

Where are the bats getting in? Do a sunny-day inspection to look for missing roof shingles, deteriorating eaves, holes in soffits, etc. Then watch the house (all sides) on a warm, clear summer evening, beginning just before dusk, noting any bat activity. Also, entry points may have “bat tracks,” or greasy brown marks, around them.

Exclusion

The process of exclusion involves using netting or tubes at entry points, which allow the bats to drop down and take flight but which confound re-entry. The excluders are left in place for a week, so that the bats give up. After they’re gone, the plugging and sealing and caulking can take place.

 

How to Get Rid of Bats

Bloodsuckers! Vampires! Dracula!

Those are some of the first thoughts people naturally tend to have when the subject of bats comes up. It’s understandable but entirely unnecessary. As it turns out, bats are some of the most harmless, inoffensive creatures on earth. Your cat or dog is more likely to bite you than a bat.

Bats aren’t related to rodents either, as many people suppose. The old trope of ‘flying rats’ is unwarranted. Nor are they blind during the day. They’re nocturnal, of course, but their eyes are perfectly normal and they can see just fine in daylight.

What Attracts Bats in the First Place?

The first step in getting rid of bats is to know what they’re attracted to and what kind of environment they prefer. Once you know that, you’ll know where to look for them and how to get rid of them if you have a bat problem.

Cave Dwellers

Bats in the wild are cave dwellers, hiding from the sun during the day. The rough surfaces of rocks give their clawed feet good purchase to cling to when they sleep upside-down during the day. A colony of bats in a cave are mostly females, taking care of their baby bats, called pups.

Food Sources

When the sun sets, bats quit roosting and fly out of their living space to go hunting. Incidentally, bats are the only mammals that can fly. So-called flying squirrels can’t fly.  They jump then glide on the outstretched membrane between their legs but they don’t actually fly.

 

Getting Rid of Bats From Your Home, Property

If you have a bat colony living in your home or find a lone bat in your yard, here’s what you need to know about these creatures before you evict them yourself, or call a wildlife removal professional that has exclusion devices.

Problems Caused by Bats

Bozone says bats can pose some serious health risks to people if you get a bat infestation in your home, sheds and other areas of your property.

If you compromise the droppings without precautions, you can cause histoplasmosis. It is an infection caused by breathing in spores of the fungus often found in bird and bat droppings. Professional bat poop cleaners use respirators.

Getting Rid of a Single Bat Inside Your Home

Turn on lights in the house to see the bat. They can see you. The myth was wrong. Bats can see and are not afraid of the light. Close doors to adjoining rooms and open exterior doors and windows in the room to allow the pest to fly out.

Don’t Touch a Bat

Handling the bat with bare hands is definitely a no-no. It could bite you to protect itself, just like any animal. If it does bite someone or transfer saliva to someone’s open wound, eyes, mouth or nose, go to the emergency room quickly. Save the bat, too, to be tested for rabies.

 

How To: Get Rid of Bats

The good news: Bats are not aggressive. The bad news: If there are bats in your house, it’s only a matter of time before their waste begins to pose a serious problem.

Health concerns aside—and there are indeed viable health concerns—bat droppings and urine can actually destroy wood and other building materials, gradually compromising the structural integrity of your home.

So even if you are not skittish and don’t mind the idea of bats dwelling under your roof, there are very good, rational reasons to act fast. Follow the steps outlined below about how to get rid of bats and prevent them from returning.

Research local laws

Familiarize yourself with local laws. In most states, bats are a protected species, which means that it’s illegal to kill them. One humane approach is to install a bat house on your property prior to evicting your unwanted guests. Chances are that once barred entry to your home, the bats would take up residence in the new accommodations you’ve prepared. From there, you could count on the bats to continue their beneficial service of eating the insects on your property.

Identify the bat type

When you’re trying to get rid of bats, it’s essential to figure out what type of bat you’re dealing with. So the first thing to do is learn what types of bats are common in your neck of the woods. Next, try to get a good look at the bats, if you haven’t already, so you can compare your observations to your research. Vampire aficionados could easily guess that your best chances of seeing a bat are at dusk and dawn.

HOW DO BED BUGS REPRODUCE AND HOW OFTEN?

Stopping the spread of bed bugs can be a difficult task, although new studies on bed bug reproduction are exploring how to reduce the frequency of mating. To understand how bed bugs spread, it is helpful to understand their mating habits.

HOW DO BED BUGS REPRODUCE?

On average, female bed bugs lay about one to seven eggs per day after a blood feeding has taken place. However, the mating process can sometimes be difficult for the female bed bug. Frequent mating can cause injury. As a result, female bed bugs do not necessarily produce more eggs with increased mating sessions. Instead, a female bed bug is more likely to travel away from her original location to an area where she can guarantee a food source and a lack of mates. With lack of disruption and access to food, a female bed bug can lay many eggs.

HOW MANY EGGS CAN A FEMALE BED BUG LAY?

On average, a female bed bug with access to regular meals will lay anywhere from 200 to 250 eggs during her lifetime. Because mating causes scarring, a female that has mated multiple times during a short period will lay fewer eggs than a female who has had time to recover from the reproduction process. The need for females to protect themselves from future mating sessions has helped to increase the spread of bed bugs.

Pregnant female bed bugs are more likely to travel in an attempt to avoid being mated with again. A single pregnant female can cause an infestation of more than 5,000 bed bugs within a six-month period.

THE BED BUG REPRODUCTION CYCLE

Bed bug eggs take approximately six to 17 days to hatch. Hatched eggs are called nymphs. A nymph is not able to reproduce until it has fully matured. The length of time it takes for a nymph to mature depends on temperature. Eggs can hatch and become mature bed begs in as little as 21 days in warmer temperatures. It can take more than four months for the same process to occur in cooler temperatures. Nymphs can begin blood feeding as soon as they hatch. A single female bed bug can mate with any of her offspring after a nymph has fully matured.

REDUCING THE BED BUG REPRODUCTION CYCLE

A 2010 study conducted by Vincent Harraca from Lund University in Sweden revealed an alarm pheromone released by nymphs, and male bed bugs when approached, to prevent prowling males from attempting to mate. Mature males will attempt to mate with any bed bug that has recently fed. The fact that male mating is non-productive in propagating the bed bug population has inspired scientific research, which resulted in the discovery that immature nymphs and male bed bugs release a fear pheromone to prevent a mating attack. In the future, scientists hope to use this pheromone to reduce mating overall and lessen infestations.

 

Bad news: Bed bugs like the smell of your dirty laundry

Bed bugs are upsetting for a multitude of reasons. For one, they are tiny, flightless creatures that live only in crevices and holes, but that have somehow managed to spread across almost the entire planet. For another, well…we’ll get there. Let’s start with the colonization.

No one really knows how bed bugs travel. Much like the Black Death, they seem to crop up everywhere without any obvious signs of direct transmission. But this is not the Middle Ages. We are living in a post-germ theory world. So a group of intrepid entomologists at the University of Sheffield embarked on a quest to discover where these critters are hiding in an effort to stop them from infiltrating your mattress. They published their findings in Scientific Reports this week.

As is the case with most journeys, their quest began with clean clothes and ended with dirty ones. See, these scientists had a theory: it’s not just humans that bed bugs are attracted to, it’s the smell of a human. Bed bugs, along with mosquitoes and ticks and plenty of other blood-sucking creatures, find animals to feed on by detecting the carbon dioxide they exhale. Researchers who study these bugs can actually collect wild specimens by leaving a chunk of dry ice (which is just frozen carbon dioxide) out in the woods for an hour or two. When they return, it’s surrounded by vampiric critters. The gas indicates that some living, breathing thing is around packing a fresh supply of blood.

 

The Clan of the Common Bedbug

Comparison of DNA from Cimex lectularius varieties demonstrates that even though they are all of the same species, their lineages have diverged substantially. Booth and Balvín found 14 different lineages (haplotypes) of Cimex lectularius among their bat-biting subjects and 7 different lineages among the human-biters. That all ancestral bedbugs in the species started out their parasitic lifestyle on bats is suggested by the marked biodiversity of the bat-bugs, compared to the very limited diversity among the human-biters. Thus, once the varieties diverged, they apparently followed very different paths.

The DNA from human-biting bedbugs suggests a lot of inbreeding. Such a “founder effect” occurs when a population descends from a small group of isolated individuals. Genetic diversity is minimized. This “founder effect” is what we would expect if a few ancestral bat-biters sampled available humans where their paths crossed—perhaps in caves—and then reproduced exclusively in the new niches people provided.

 

MEDICAL IMPACT

After identification of bedbug bites, skin and infectious transmissible diseases are the 2 main medical concerns of human contact with the bedbugs .

Hosts are usually bitten at night. Because bedbug saliva contains anesthetic compounds, bites are painless and usually not felt until several hours later. Other compounds are also injected: anticoagulant factors (eg, factor-X inhibitor), vasodilatory compounds (such as nitric oxide), and proteolytic enzymes (eg, apyrase), which are all substances that participate in the ensuing local hypersensitivity reactions .

The typical skin lesion is a pruritic erythematous maculopapule, 5 mm to 2 cm in diameter, with a central hemorrhagic crust or vesicle at the bite site, similar to arthropod bites. Atypical forms vary from asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic to purpuric, vesicular, and bullous lesions. The bedbug-bite distribution frequently follows a line or curve Lesion numbers range from several to many, depending on habitat-infestation intensity, and are preferentially located in unclothed zones. Sometimes, the eruption mimics urticaria Exceptional anemia  or anaphylactic reactions have been reported. Lesions resolve spontaneously within 2–6 weeks, but permanent postinflammatory hyperpigmentation may ensue .

 

A GOOD GUESS.

At normal room temperatures (72°F) and with ample feeding opportunity, bed bug nymphs require about a week for development of each instar between molts. Each molt leaves behind exuviae, the “shed skin.” In small infestations, these exuviae can be used to estimate a timeline. This method is limited, but can be useful under the right circumstances. For example, if a fourth instar bug is found alone in a mattress tuft along with some fecal spotting and three graduated exuviae, a reasonable guess would be that it has been using that harborage for at least two to three weeks.

Eggs take about 10 days to hatch at 72°F, so if you find hatched eggs attached to furniture, they’ve been there for at least that long. Newer eggs can be collected, and upon hatching provide an estimation of when they were laid.

Often a great indicator of how long an infestation has been around is the number of adult bed bugs present. Generally it takes at least seven weeks for a bed bug to grow from an egg to an adult, so there should be no new adults from eggs during that period. Therefore, if many adult bugs are present one can reasonably assume that the infestation has been there for more than seven weeks. The assumption here is that the infestation started from only a few bugs and there have not been additional introductions during that time.

Easy Tips For Preventing Mouse & Rat Infestation

Remove current rodent occupants

There are two methods for getting rid of mice and rats: trapping and baiting. For trapping, use snap-style traps, which are designed to kills rodents quickly. For baiting, be sure to use tamper-resistant bait stations that hold the baits in place and keep children and pets out. Place both traps or bait along common pathways where you find droppings and gnaw marks. Ledges, fence rails, and foundations are typical paths.

Seal up your home

Close up all holes along your exterior using recommended rodent-proofing materials. Pay particular attention to doors, windows, and vents.

Eliminate outdoor access

Trim back overhanging trees that enable rodents to hop onto your roof. Also, keeping your trees properly pruned gives rodents one less place to hide from predators.

Clean up that yard

Remove piles of debris, clutter, and garbage from around your yard. Plant shrubs and bushes at least 3 feet from buildings. These spaces provide safe habitats for rodents

Remove outdoor food sources

Gardens and fruit trees can be a real draw for rodents. If you have fruit trees, regularly remove dropped fruit from the ground. Keep the tree pruned to prevent hiding spots for rodents. Apply a rat guard to your trees by securing a piece of sheet metal 2 feet high around your tree’s trunk. In the garden, keep it free of rotting food and hiding places. Plant members of the mint family in and around your garden to deter. You can also spray predator urine (such as fox) around the perimeter of your garden as a deterrent. Typically, you can find this at your local garden store in both powder and liquid form

 

How to Get Rid of Mice

Find Their Patterns

Mice are active mostly between dusk and dawn, but you can spot evidence of their activity anytime. That lovely sight of mouse poop is often your first sign—each mouse drops up to 75 of the little black pellets a day!

Choose the Best Mouse Traps

The classic snap traps and modern electronic traps capture mice and make sure they’re gone for good. Snap traps are the least expensive, and they’re reusable or disposable, your choice. With an electronic mouse trap, you don’t have to see any mice or continuously check traps—an indicator light lets you know when one has been caught. If you’d prefer to get them out of your house unharmed, you can use live mouse traps that let you release them far from your home. After the pests are gone, set up PestChaser® rodent repellers that emit ultrasound waves you and your non-rodent pets can’t hear, but that drive mice away.

Pick Bait Wisely

Mice are strongly attracted to high-calorie foods, such as peanut butter, hazelnut spread, and chocolate. In winter, mice build nests with materials like cotton balls, dental floss, yarn, and twine, so they work as bait too. The food that mice have been feeding on in your house, whether that’s pet kibble, birdseed, or candy, may be the best mouse trap bait.

Place Traps in the Best Places

As the rodents primarily travel along walls, you want to set your mouse traps at right angles to walls, with the bait and trigger side closest to the wall. Set a trap every 2 to 3 feet along the walls where you’ve noticed evidence of mice activity. Wear protective gloves when handling mouse traps and bait to keep mice off your scent. (If they sniff out your presence, they may avoid the trap.)

Check and Reset

Look in on your mouse traps the first morning after you set them, and every morning after. Studies show you are likely to catch more mice on the first night you set out traps than on any subsequent night. Be sure to set a lot of mouse traps from the start, so you can capture as many as possible quickly.

 

Rat-Trapping Tips

Rats are one of the most unwelcome yet pervasive creatures that coexist with humanity. Even though no one wants rats around, they gravitate naturally to human dwellings

Considering the toll rats have taken on human populations for centuries, rat traps have long been a necessity, whether in an urban, suburban or rural setting. If the battle between man and rat is being fought on your property, it is crucial to learn the most effective trapping tools — as well as the best bait for a rat trap — in order to win this war. With the following 15 tips, you will have all the facts you need to catch a rat in any situation.

Place Rat Traps in the Right Places

Rats instinctively use walls and fences as guides. Therefore, they are unlikely to roam into the center of a room or yard. As such, traps are usually most effective when placed along a wall and in a low-light setting. Traps are most effective when hidden along paths where rats are most likely to travel.

Bait Traps According to a Rat’s Diet

The best bait for a rat trap could all depend on the species of rat you’re trying to catch. Different species eat different types of food. For instance, black rats are herbivorous creatures, but brown rats are omnivorous by nature. Black rats, which scale trees and enter homes through coin-sized holes in attics, find peanut butter irresistible. Brown rats, which typically rummage through garbage and snake their way inside homes via tiny cracks, can be tempted with a smelly cheese.

Teach Rats to Trust Traps

Even though rats have tiny heads, they are not as naive as people often assume. A rat will be suspicious of new objects in its environment. This applies to rat traps, which could fail to lure prey if placed cold turkey out in the open.

 

TOP TIPS FOR KEEPING RATS AND MICE OUT OF YOUR PROPERTY

HAVE YOU HEARD AN UNEXPLAINED SCRABBLING IN YOUR LOFT, SEEN NIBBLED BITS OF PACKAGING AROUND THE HOUSE, OR FOUND DROPPINGS IN YOUR LARDER?

The long nights are upon us, Christmas is just around the corner, and we are all turning the heating up a little bit higher. This is the time of year you will find you are sharing your home with rodents.

Avid readers of my blog will remember a couple of years ago I received a call from my partner telling me a mouse was in our Christmas tree. Nobody’s house is immune to these pesky little rodents but there are some things you can do to deter a mouse or rat infestation.

Keep food in sealed containers. Rodents love a free and easy meal. This will often be the thing that first encourages them into your property. If you keep your food sealed and hidden, they won’t be encouraged.

Look after your rubbish. Good rubbish management is vital. What we think its inedible, a rodent will think is a banquet. Make sure you employ good bin management, with all foodstuffs being placed in bags in durable bins with lids.

 

How to Get Rid of Mice with Natural Ingredients

Don’t be deceived by Ratatouille, house mice aren’t as friendly (or as clean and sanitary) as Remy. They live in dirty places such as sewers, and that’s how they carry germs and disease into the house

Use coffee powder to match the strong smell of mice

This one material is almost in every house. But why does it have to be coffee powder?  It turns out that mice have a sharp sense of smell, to trace the tracks it leaves behind. Similarly, black coffee powder has a sharp aroma disliked by mice. Hence, it will avoid areas that smell like coffee powder.

Repel mice with Noni Fruit

Another way to repel mice is to use noni fruit, also known as Indian mulberry, among other English names. Apart from its health benefits, this fruit can also repel mice.

Don’t get dumped! Sprinkle your eggshells in rat-infested corners

When making scrambled eggs or omelets in the morning, eggshells are immediately thrown away. But now, you can use it as a rodent repellent at home. When you have an ample amount of eggshells

Rodents hate garlic, just like vampires

Vampires aren’t the only creatures that can not stand garlic. Mice run from it, too. Besides preparing garlic, you will also need to prepare gauze to make a garlic wrapper

How to Find and Kill That Single Mosquito Buzzing Around Your Room

The flashlight hunting method

If you’re interested in trying this strategy, do the following:

• Grab a flashlight and turn off all the lights if they’re not already off.
• Turn on a single, small light source—a lamp, phone, tablet. Keep your flashlight off for now.
• Roam the room slowly and listen for the buzzing. After a few minutes, the mosquito will likely make its way toward the light source and land on the wall nearby.
• Turn on your flashlight and hold it flat against the wall, then move the beam along the wall.
• Eventually, the light will hit the mosquito and create a large shadow so you can find it and smash it.

 

Best Ways to Get Rid of Mosquitoes in Your House and Yard

Tried and True Ways to Get Rid of Mosquitoes, Proven by the Scientists

To sum up, let’s summarize our investigation and list all 7 methods which will surely help you get rid of mosquitoes. We’ll start with the simplest mosquitos repellents and finish with the most hardcore ones, used by the professionals.

• Mosquito nettings are usually simple to use and cheap. Use them as a permanent preventive measure on your windows and doorways and, if necessary, cover beds (including child cradles) and prams with them when outside. Choose the most suitable netting.
• Homemade & natural repellents are your choice if you’re want everything natural and organic. Some plants and oil can drive mosquitoes away.
• Ready-to-use repellents not only repel the mosquitoes with the sharp smell, just like plants do but also disguise the exhaled carbon dioxide and other human odors attractive for mosquitoes. There are also concentrated liquid repellents which need to be sprayed on larger territories. Repellents based on DEET, Picaridin, and oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), PMD, IR3535, and Permethrin are considered the most effective ones.
• Larvicides are crucial when it comes to getting rid of mosquitoes. Use these larvae control products to break the mosquito development cycle at the larval stage in standing water, such as the larvicides containing live bacteria, see 20-Pack Mosquito Dunk.
• Adulticides are concentrated liquid insecticides aimed at killing adult mosquitoes. Dissolve the product in accordance with the manual and spray it all over!! The best adulticides are Black Flag Liquid.
• Mosquito traps are powerful devices which draw an insect with an attractive smell, CO2, heat or moisture. Once in the trap, mosquitoes find themselves in a closed space where they die of dehydration. The traps are harmless for humans. Indoor traps will protect you from a couple dozen mosquitoes at home, while outdoor propane traps will exterminate thousands of mosquitoes. Choose the best mosquito trap.
• Foggers are devices which create a poisonous fog around. The fogging liquid is toxic to humans, and, that’s why you must work with foggers wearing a special suit and a protective mask. The main advantage of these devices is that you can work on large areas as fast as possible.

 

WAYS TO GET RID OF MOSQUITOES INDOORS

Ultrasonic Bug/Pest Repeller

Ultrasonic repellers have been around in some form for a while, but manufacturers are making them smaller, more attractive, and more affordable today.  While it is difficult to prove, the ultrasonic devices are said to emote a radio frequency that will be very unpleasant for pests like mosquitos, bugs, and mice.  The frequency is not picked up by humans or most pets, so you should not be affected by it.  Anecdotes suggest that these repellers work well in many cases, and given that they also might keep mice and ticks away, could be worth a try.  Best of all, there is no chemical be released, only radio waves.

Camphor Oil

Camphor has been found to have long-lasting effects as a repellant. All you have to do is light camphor in a room with all the doors and windows closed and leave it like this for 15 to 20 minutes (carefully supervised, of course). Your room will be mosquito free in absolutely no time, but it will have a scent that might be foul for you too.  You can also just set camphor tablets in a room and let them evaporate over time — it won’t take long.  Camphor has many other benefits too, such as being an herbal solution for muscle pain, better breathing, and sedation.

Tulsi

Tulsi has been found helpful in killing mosquito larvae and keeping mosquitoes away. In fact, the more people research Tulsi, the more we find that it is really a pretty incredible and widely-applicable herb. Simply plant a Tulsi shrub near your window, as the shrub has properties which prevent mosquitoes from entering your house.  Tulsi is an Indian herb which sometimes goes by the name “holy basil”, used for cooking in many Indian dishes.  It is also known to be useful in treating mosquito bites when applied directly to the bite area.

Dry Ice

Because the carbon dioxide we exhale attracts mosquitoes, we are quite vulnerable to them. Dry ice emits carbon dioxide, and all you have to do is place some dry ice in a container and keep that container some distance away. When you see mosquitoes attracted to the container, close the lid. Although it is a time-consuming method, it is quite effective.  Dry ice is not terribly easy to have shipped to you, so we recommend looking for it locally.

Garlic

With a strong pungent smell and mosquito larvicidal properties, garlic is one of the most efficient mosquito repellants on this list. All you have to do is crush a few garlic cloves and boil them in water for some time. Pour the water in a spray bottle and spray it around the room to prevent any mosquitoes from coming near you.  Or, if you like cooking with garlic, heat up your favorite garlic-laden dish when you notice the mosquitoes are starting to get bad.  Minced garlic is also an option to consider, which can be boiled in water as well.  You can get garlic at the grocery store, or find it here and have it shipped to your home.

 

Best Ways to Get Rid of Mosquitoes

Garlic Water

Citronella candles are great for repelling insects, but they can be pricey. Get the same effect for much cheaper by mixing garlic with water and spraying it near all your outdoor light bulbs. As the bulbs heat up, they’re spread a faint garlicky scent across your yard, which will keep mosquitoes and other bugs away.

Egg Cartons and Coffee Trays

Mosquitoes are a pain each summer, but you don’t have to buy citronella candles, mosquito coils, or the latest gadget—you can just use cardboard egg cartons and coffee trays (the kind you get when you order more than a couple of coffees to-go). Light them on fire, then blow them out and let them smolder in a fire-safe location. The burning smell they produce is pleasant, but keeps mosquitoes away.

Rosemary and Sage

Do mosquitoes hover over the grill when you barbecue? Next time, place a few springs of rosemary or sage on top of the coals. They’ll repel mosquitoes, leaving your meat in peace.

Peppermint

Looking for an effective, yet natural way to combat mosquitoes? Try peppermint! Combine a few drops of peppermint essential oil with one cup of water in a spray bottle, shake well, and spray onto skin. Not only will the chemical compounds in peppermint help repel the blood-sucking beasts, but you’ll also smell minty fresh!

Lemon Eucalyptus

When shopping for a natural mosquito repellent, look for one that contains oil of lemon eucalyptus. It’s extremely effective and provides long-lasting protection.

 

How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes

Keeping Mosquitoes Away from Your Skin

Slap them with a swatter. A mosquito swatter, usually made of a thicker metal or plastic than a regular fly swatter, is mounted on the end of a springy wire. This dramatically increases your chances of hitting a stationary mosquito by increasing the momentum of the swat.

Wear chemical mosquito repellent. Keeping mosquitoes away from your body is the best way to avoid getting bitten. Use insect repellent on uncovered skin surfaces and on your clothing when you’re outdoors, especially during the day. When using sunscreen, apply it before insect repellent.

Use an oil-based repellent. The safety of using chemical deterrents manufactured by combining synthetic chemicals in the laboratory has been questioned, and there are many natural solutions you can use instead. Citronella oil, cinnamon oil and castor oil are reputed to keep mosquitoes away. Most natural repellents require more frequent application or use than the chemical versions.

Wear loose, full coverage clothing. Long-sleeved shirts and long pants will help to protect you from mosquitoes when you’re outdoors. Covering your skin is a key approach to repelling mosquitoes.

Use mosquito nets to protect yourself at night. If you’re sleeping in a mosquito-infested area, get a mosquito net to drape around the bed or mat so that it touches the floor on all sides. This is the only really effective way to prevent them from getting inside to bite you, especially if there are open windows or doors in the vicinity.