Mosquito Free Entertaining: Keeping Out the Uninvited Guests

Why must mosquitos ruin all the fun? If only we could enjoy our July barbeques without getting bitten.

But with the spread of the Zika virus to certain parts of the United States, mosquitos are no longer a nuisance but a very serious health concern. Depending on where you live, you may need to avoid time spent outdoors and to use chemical repellants in your yard and on your skin to be as safe as possible.

In most regions, however, these natural methods are all that’s needed to feel safe and enjoy summer evenings outdoors.

 

Remove stagnant water

Mosquitos breed in fresh stagnant water, and once they’ve hatched they don’t fly very far. This means that anything you do to clear away stagnant water around your home (and the frequency in which you do it) will have a big impact on the amount of mosquitos living in close proximity.

Check for stagnant water in:

• Buckets
• Watering cans
• Kiddy pools & toys
• Uneven/sunken parts of the patio
• Planter saucers
• Fountains
• Bird Baths

 

After summer rain or garden watering, check again. Removing stagnant water is a continual process that you should do all year long. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation recommends that planter saucers and other accidental backyard water reservoirs be emptied at least once a week.

Mosquitos only breed in fresh water, so you don’t need to worry about either a chlorinated or salt water pool.

 

Clear your gutters

It’s all too easy to walk around the yard searching for places where stagnant water might be hiding and forget all about the water that could be overhead. You’ll need to hop up on a ladder and clear out any debris and plant matter that could be clogging your gutters and leading to the formation of small puddles of water.

If lots of deciduous trees and lots of mosquitos make gutter-cleaning a constant problem for you, consider installing gutter guards, which won’t allow leaves to build up—meaning no stagnant water in warm months and fewer mosquitos.

 

Make use of mosquito-repelling plants

When using natural methods to keep mosquitos away, we have to be realistic about our expectations.

Note that this tip doesn’t say “grow mosquito-repelling plants.” That’s because simply growing the plants is not enough.

Many people believe that adding lemongrass to their landscapes will help deter mosquitos. But the scents emitted by these plants (designed to deter pests both small and large) are only released when the plants are munched on, torn or crushed.

Just as you need to muddle mint for a mojito, you need to smash the plants that smell bad to mosquitos. Otherwise the plants will be sitting pretty, but not really doing their job. Here are the best plants to try:

• Lemon balm
• Catnip
• Basil
• Lavender
• Lemongrass

To use them effectively, you can crush them and spread them on the lawn beneath the table where guests will be eating. You can also rub them directly against the skin. Allergic reactions to these species are rare, but you never know, so encourage guests to do a “test patch!”

 

Throw pungent plants on the barbeque

Smoking out uninvited pests is an easy, immediate fix. But it could deter your invited, human guests as well.

As long as the wind is blowing the right way and everyone is cleared from the barbeque area, a quick singe of pungent herbs is an excellent trick to ward off mosquitos for an hour or more.

 

Plants whose fumes are safe for humans but obnoxious to mosquitoes are rosemary and sage. Pull some from your garden and throw them on the barbeque for a few minutes, or find another safe way to burn—such as burning a dried bundle of sage.

 

Cover your feet and wear loose, light clothes

Mosquitos find feet particularly tasty! Wearing closed toed shoes can help deter them. Also, it’s much harder to notice mosquitos around our lower legs and feet than it is around our faces, so bites in those areas are more likely to occur.

Mosquitos also are attracted to dark colored clothing, so it’s a good thing that whites and creams are on trend for summer. Because mosquitos struggle to bite the skin through loose clothing, it’s wise to steer clear of tight fitting clothing.

You can encourage guests to wear loose, light clothes and consider keeping a few simple blouses on hand. 

 

Try a DIY natural mosquito repellant

The CDC has identified that repellents with picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus can be just as effective as DEET without the severe side effects. In fact, the CDC includes these as equals to DEET in their recommended active ingredients for insect repellant. Picaridin is a synthetic chemical that is much less harsh than DEET, but it has not undergone as extensive testing as DEET because it is relatively new.

If you prefer to not use any sort of chemical repellant, then you’ll need strong scents in the form of essential oils to ward off mosquitos. While lemon eucalyptus oil is said to the most effective, other essential oils also work wonders as mosquito repellants. These include:

• Cinnamon leaf oil
• Citronella oil
• Catnip oil

You can create your own mosquito repellant by mixing 10-20% essential oil with a carrier oil like olive or almond.

Keep in mind that insect repellants need to be reapplied to the skin regularly and while they can be worn at the same time as sunscreen, repellent and sunscreen should not be combined in the same product.

 

Use a mosquito repelling noise device

Do you hear something?

People under twenty (or with really good hearing) can hear the obnoxious sound emitted by devices used to repel mosquitos…and loitering teenagers.

If you have children at home, or if any of your neighbors have children, this won’t be an option. But if you and your guests have all lost the ability to hear anything higher than 20 kHz, then you have a surefire way to rid your yard of mosquitos. Test your ability here. Warning: turn the volume down before hitting play just in case!

 

Mosquito-free entertaining is not out of reach. All that’s required is a little persistence and creativity. Together, these natural methods for keeping mosquitos out of your yard will help you make the most of outdoor summer evenings.