Best tips and tricks for avoiding mosquitoes
A few weeks ago I polled my internet stranger friends how they dealt with mosquitoes. I promised I would share the results with everyone, but then I forgot. Sorry. However, recently I was weeding my garden at dusk and got absolutely mauled my mosquitoes. This reminded me that I had tons of great suggestions on how to avoid this problem and that I never shared with everyone!
So here we are! Better late than never, right?!
Dunks were THE most common suggestion. They recently went viral on Tiktok. You can watch a pretty good explanation here. Basically, Dunks work by creating an ideal breading ground for mosquitoes and then the chemicals released by the dunks kill the larva before the can reach maturity. Just know this is more of a long term solution. Don’t plan to set one up an hour before a gathering and enjoy a bite free night. They’re also one of the cheapest options so there’s a little less sting if they don’t work perfectly.
Plants mosquitoes have beef with:
citronella, lavender, basil, lemon grass, marigold, and peppermint. Grow these fragrant options and you’ll mosquitoes away because they’re into blood but apperently funny about smells.
This is clearly the most fun option. There weren’t a ton of people suggesting this but those who did were very enthusiastic about it. I trust their passion.
Bats. Yes. Frickin’ bats.
How does one obtain bats or lure them to your area? Well you can do a few things.
Have a water source. A simple bird bath can do the trick. This is also great for attracting pollinators. On the downside this does seem like a mosquitto lure. I’m confused, too.
Fragrant gardens attract bugs and bugs attract bats.
Hang a bat house on the side of a pole or building. Don’t hang it on a tree because your new little bat buddies won’t be safe from predators while they rest.
I like the idea of these because they’re rechargeable and they don’t have any type of spray involved.
Also available for good price at Costco according to a few suggestions.
Fans
I’m a little more skeptical of this one because it seems too easy, but it wouldn’t hurt to try if you have a fan laying around in your house.
The number one recommendation for kids? Stickers. I had never heard of these, but there are thousands of reviews that swear by them. However, I tested them and wasn’t impressed. At all. Maybe I got a bad batch but this would be my last resort.
I also ordered this bite zapper to try out after seeing a tweet about how well it works.