How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes In An Apartment, House Or Basement - Folk Remedies And Other Ways To Fight

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

You can get rid of mosquitoes in your apartment and house

Probably there is no such person who would not come across mosquitoes in his home. But it is one thing if the insect is one thing and it just flew into the window on a summer evening, and quite another when there are so many mosquitoes that they literally interfere with your life, annoying with squeaks and bites that itch for a long time and just annoy you. But these seemingly harmless komakhs are carriers of various infections, and, you must agree, having such “friends” at your side is at least unpleasant. But how to get rid of mosquitoes in the apartment and not harm yourself and your pets?

Content

• 1 What are mosquitoes?

  • 1.1 Where do mosquitoes come from and what are the reasons for their appearance in living quarters and basements
  • 1.2 What are mosquitoes
  • 1.3 Why mosquitoes are dangerous and why it is worth fighting with them
  • 1.4 How many mosquitoes can live in an apartment after being bitten
  • 1.5 If we treat one apartment, will insects disappear from the entire apartment building?
  • 1.6 Professional pest control - how effective and what is it?
  • 1.7 If we get rid of insects, is it permanent?

• 2 How to remove mosquitoes in a private house or apartment

  • 2.1 How to get rid of mosquitoes in the room with the help of folk methods and improvised means?
  • 2.2 Effective insect control methods that can repel mosquitoes for a long time - video
  • 2.3 How to get rid of mosquitoes using modern means?
  • 2.4 How ultrasonic mosquito repellents work - video
  • 2.5 Top 5 Anti Mosquito Gadgets (Consumer Reviews)
• 3 On the safety of mosquito repellent for children and pets
• 4 How can insects be prevented?
• 5 Mosquitoes - Myths and Threat - video

What are mosquitoes?

Mosquitoes are annoying blood-sucking insects that have a well-developed sense of smell, flying at the smell of human blood (as well as sweat, carbon dioxide). In addition, mosquitoes react to the heat that the human body emits and to its movements; they often feel a “victim” even several meters away. It has been scientifically proven that only female mosquitoes bite human individuals, while males are more humane - they feed on the nectar of flowers, as well as plant juices.

Mosquitoes - carriers of infection

Where do mosquitoes come from and what are the reasons for their appearance in living quarters and basements

Mosquitoes are animals in the evening, even at night. They love warmth and moisture, so they usually choose damp, warm or wetlands for life and breeding. In cities, these are dark, damp basements of multi-storey buildings, bathrooms, balconies, garages, places under stretch ceilings. In the villages and villages - sheds and cellars. During the day, mosquitoes are much less active than in the evening. When it gets cold (for mosquitoes it is 0 degrees), they fall into a kind of hibernation - numbness.

Most often, mosquitoes fly into apartments and houses in spring and autumn, when the street seems to them not warm and comfortable enough. However, sometimes mosquitoes appear in winter, when they should completely freeze, because they simply cannot tolerate temperatures below 0 degrees. Where do they come from in winter? In the cold season, mosquitoes fly out of basements, which often leak water from water pipes or sewer pipes. In the basements, non-drying puddles appear, the insects warm from the heating pipes, so they can calmly survive the winter. They enter the apartments to people through ventilation openings, stairs, in elevators.

Mosquitoes do not start in dry places

What are mosquitoes

In addition to the well-known species of mosquitoes that suck human blood at night and during the day, there are also insects that prefer the blood of horses or birds, frogs or lizards, even fish or dragonflies (although, as a rule, these are dragonflies that feed on mosquitoes). There are even mosquitoes that don't bite anyone at all.

The mosquitoes we are used to belong to the Culicidae family (blood-sucking), they can be of any color depending on the places in which they live. Such insects are most often located closer to people, because it is their "food".

There are mosquitoes with long legs, their family - Tipulidae. They usually "hang" motionless in the air for some time, in houses their favorite place is under a stretch ceiling, they feel warm there. Often such insects, due to their unpleasant appearance, are confused with malaria, but completely in vain, because they are harmless. These large mosquitoes feed on plant roots, nectar, or dew. They do not bite people.

Long-legged mosquito and anopheles mosquito are not the same

There are mosquitoes that carry the largest amount of infection, but these mosquitoes are not ours, they are not found in Russia. Their habitat is tropics or subtropics - Asia, Africa.

Midges that live near running water are also a type of mosquito, they bite painfully.

We also know mosquitoes-bells (in the language of fishermen - bloodworms), they are harmless and safe, do not bite people.

Bell mosquitoes are just a bloodworm

Why mosquitoes are dangerous and why it is worth fighting with them

The main dangers that arise after a mosquito bite is the possibility of catching an infection or discovering an allergic reaction.

Mosquitoes transmit malaria (fever, chills, liver enlargement, anemia), lymphatic filariasis (vascular occlusion, swelling of the limbs), tularemia (severe intoxication, fever, affected lymph nodes), West Nile fever, and yellow fever into stomach, -intestinal tract, kidney and liver damage).

Mosquito bites can cause allergies

How many mosquitoes can live in an apartment after being bitten

As soon as the female mosquito has sensed a person, she begins to hunt for him in order to bite. Directly at the very bite, a kind of exchange occurs - a person gives blood to the mosquito, and the insect simultaneously injects its saliva into the victim's body, which contains a substance that prevents blood from coagulating (it remains liquid and "flows" into the mosquito). It is this that causes in a person unpleasant pain at the site of the lesion, redness, itching, and other symptoms that accompany a mosquito bite. In some cases, this substance can also cause allergic reactions of varying severity in people.

How long does a mosquito live after it bites a person? Basically, there is no link between mosquito bites and their lifespan. These are not bees that die, leaving a sting in a person. Female mosquitoes live from 42 to 115 days (depending on the ambient temperature), while males live in half.

The life span of a female mosquito is almost twice that of a male

If we cultivate one apartment, will insects disappear from the entire apartment building?

If mosquitoes start in an apartment building, the treatment of one apartment will not solve anything, the insects will disappear only for a while, and then they may come from neighbors. To get rid of mosquitoes and not hear more of this disgusting sound, you need to treat the basements of the house - this is much more effective than treating a separate apartment. It is necessary to process the place where mosquitoes breed and live.

Professional pest control - how effective and what is it?

The question of conducting a professional pest control arises at a time when mosquitoes are already multiplying too quickly, and conventional mosquito repellents stop helping.

Mosquito larvae are adapted to living in the aquatic environment

How does pest control work? Specialists treat possible areas of accumulation of annoying insects (plumbing communications and walls, ceilings and basements) with special compounds. Thanks to this procedure, mosquitoes that have already appeared die, and the appearance of new ones is prevented, since chemicals that are intolerable by insects are also applied to places with high humidity, thereby almost completely eliminating the possibility of the emergence of new individuals, that is, affecting the centers of spread of harmful creatures.

So, the advantages of pest control: mosquitoes disappear for a long time

Professional pest control is effective, but has some drawbacks. For example, chemicals used by experts in pest control can cause an allergic reaction in hypersensitive people. It should also be borne in mind that the room to be treated will have to be left for a while, and then aired for a long time and carry out general cleaning. These disadvantages are the main reason why people refuse professional pest control.

Mosquitoes disappear from professional pest control for a long time

If we get rid of insects, is it forever?

You can get rid of mosquitoes for a long time, or until the next "mosquito season", but you cannot permanently dry out a basement or cellar or carry out a professional pest control so that mosquitoes do not start there at all. On their own - without drainage and without disinfestation - it will not work to fight basement mosquitoes. All methods are efficient and effective, but mosquitoes are living creatures, and they can disappear, and then "out of nowhere" fly again, and basements and cellars are their "permanent place of action."

How to remove mosquitoes in a private house or apartment

There are both folk ways to get rid of mosquitoes (mainly using smells) and more modern ones. We'll go over them all in order.

One of the easiest, frequently used and most effective ways is to use mosquito nets. They need to tighten the openings of the vents, windows of loggias or balconies, the ventilation openings should also be closed - gauze will do. For added effect, you can hang the balcony door with blackout curtains. Be careful: when tightening the openings, try to keep the mosquitoes outside, not inside. Otherwise, you will have to get rid of them after installing mosquito nets.

The next method will help remove mosquitoes and cheer up. To do this, hang New Year's rain or tinsel around the house, they cast bright reflections on the walls and floor, which scare away insects.

Use mosquito nets to keep mosquitoes away

How to get rid of mosquitoes in the room with the help of folk methods and improvised means?

Popular ways to control mosquitoes are based on the use of odors that are nasty to insects. As observations show, they are disgusting aromas of elderberry or geranium, clove or eucalyptus, bird cherry or chamomile, as well as basil. You can spread bunches of dried herbs around the bedroom and other rooms, above the door and windows. This method works for several days, then you need to remove the old bundles of herbs, and put new ones in their place.

You can also use aromatic oils from mosquitoes - both in pure form (citronella, rosemary and thyme, litzea, eucalyptus, basil), and in a mixture with each other (mint + cloves + lavender, basil + juniper + geranium + tea tree or lavender + tea tree + carnation). How to use them? A few drops of the selected aromatic oil or a mixture of them must be diluted in 1 tbsp. a spoonful of base oil (usually jojoba, grape seed oil, almond or ordinary sunflower), soak 5-8 dry napkins with this composition and spread it around the apartment or around the house. You can use the same mixture in an aroma lamp. If this device is not available, then it is recommended to use improvised means, namely, to drip oil into a bowl of salt. Such methods based on aromas work effectively and, with the correct use of aromatic oils (important! For 5 sq.meters 1 drop of oil), they are safe for people.

Essential oils repel mosquitoes

Effective insect control methods that can repel mosquitoes for a long time - video

For the next method, you need camphor. It is a white (sometimes transparent) vegetable powder sold in pharmacies. For humans, camphor is harmless, and mosquitoes first lose their ability to bite, and then - death. There is also camphor oil, which will also help us in the fight against unpleasant insects. How to use? The easiest way is to moisten a cotton swab with it and leave it on the windowsill, or dilute a few drops in a glass of water and heat it up in a small saucepan.

You can buy camphor powder over the counter

The next method is suitable for smokers. Insects are well scared away by the smell of tobacco smoke; you can put an ashtray with the remaining cigarette butts near the vents or on the balcony.

Mosquitoes do not like the smell of tomatoes very much, and if tomatoes grow on your windowsill, mosquitoes are unlikely to want to fly to you. The smell of growing tomatoes does not harm a person.

Tomato bushes on the window can protect you from mosquito infestations

Garlic is also an excellent mosquito repellent. The only condition is to use it correctly. You can use the following method:

1. Peel 12 cloves of garlic.
2. Cut them in half.
3. Pour in 2 glasses of water and boil.
4. Spray around your apartment, room or house.

How to get rid of mosquitoes using modern remedies?

The most modern mosquito repellents that are constantly being improved are fumigators (with a dry plate or with a liquid - aquafumigators). The plates of fumigators (and liquids in aquafumigators) are saturated with chemically active substances that are not tolerated by mosquitoes, and they are constantly heated in the device. They should be used according to the instructions. As a rule, 1 plate is designed for 20 sq. meters of area. Therefore, if you have a small room, then it is recommended to cut the plate in half. It is important not to exceed the maximum permissible operating time of the fumigator specified by the manufacturer.

Aquafumigator - a modern remedy for mosquitoes

You can also use mosquito coils - they are set on fire, and the smoke with chemicals harmful to mosquitoes, spread by them, scares away vampire insects. This tool is quite effective in the fight against bloodsuckers, but such spirals are not entirely safe for humans. When used in closed, unventilated rooms, the chemicals released from the coils can cause poisoning. Therefore, according to the instructions, it is forbidden to use them in a house or apartment. However, they can be a great help if you need to get rid of mosquitoes in your basement.

The spiral repels mosquitoes

There are ultrasonic mosquito repellents, they emit sound waves, at the frequency of which the male mosquitoes squeak in case of danger, so the females turn on "trust", and they are afraid to approach the place from where the ultra-squeak comes from.

Ultrasonic mosquito repeller Tornado

How do ultrasonic mosquito repellents work - video

There are also candles for mosquitoes, their principle of action is based on the spread of a smell that mosquitoes do not like, for example, citronella scent. However, according to the instructions, they, like the spirals, cannot be used indoors, but for a romantic evening under the moon they are perfect. Such candles burn and scare away mosquitoes from 4 to 30 hours.

Special candle repels mosquitoes

Top 5 anti-mosquito gadgets (consumer reviews)

1. Fumigators.
2. Aromatic oils.
3. Camphor.
4. Ultrasonic repeller.
5. Geranium and tomato seedlings.

On the safety of mosquito repellent for children and pets

The safest mosquito repellents that do not affect pets and children are ultrasonic repellents.

When it comes to essential oils, many are confident that they are safe to use, but they are not. For example, essential oils can stimulate pets - remember how cats behave when exposed to valerian oil.

Geranium on the window will scare away insects

Geranium or clove essential oils can have a negative effect on the child's body. With a long stay in a room with a strong smell of such oils, children may experience weakness and dizziness, sometimes nausea. In addition, allergic reactions are possible.

How can insects be prevented?

The best way is to keep mosquitoes from breeding. To do this, before the start of the "mosquito season", it is recommended to treat the cellars and basements with special means. If you live in a private house, or mosquitoes bother you in the country, you can plant in the yard those plants and shrubs that mosquitoes are not happy with. If mosquitoes torment you in your apartment, let geranium bloom on the windows (you can also grow garlic or rosemary).

Mosquitoes - myths and threat - video

Mosquitoes and their invasion are, of course, a nuisance, but not a big problem, because you can get rid of them. Follow the instructions in our article, choose the tools and methods that are right for you, and the nasty mosquito squeak will never again interfere with a good rest.