How to keep mosquitoes away on a patio?

How to keep mosquitoes away on a patio? All the tips that work

Sunny days and warm nights mean it’s patio barbecue season! However, spending a few minutes outdoors, especially after dark, is enough to develop a deep disdain for mosquitoes. And as if the incessant buzzing near your ear and the feasting on your exposed arms and legs weren’t enough, these insects can transmit several infectious diseases, turning the critters from being a nuisance to being a health risk. Don’t let pests ruin your summer: here’s how to keep mosquitoes away from your patio.

Be smart! The right ways to keep mosquitoes away once and for all

Mosquitoes have an extreme sense of smell. In fact, this is the main reason they are attracted to humans and other animals as blood sources. Carbon dioxide and many of the scents we emit are irresistible to these pests. Likewise, mosquitoes find a variety of smells and certain elements of the environment unattractive. You can use this to scare them away without resorting to chemicals or other harsh detergents. Here are the ways to get rid of insects!

Plant repellent plants 

The plant’s repellent is a natural insect repellent in your garden. With its lush green foliage and occasional pink-purple flowers, lemongrass geranium has a natural scent that critters hate. Flowers like marigolds and calendula, along with herbs like rosemary, basil, lavender, mint, and lemongrass, can also keep biting mosquitoes away from your yard. Plant them near your patio to get the most out of them.

Change your lighting

Some lights attract insects, so opt for yellow lights instead of the traditional white bulbs. The golden glow also makes the experience outdoors more enjoyable. Likewise, turn off the lamps before going to bed.

Citronella candles

Repel mosquitoes while creating the perfect ambiance for summer evenings with citronella candles. For longer nights, you need a wax that contains cedarwood oil and lemongrass. Pro tip: It’s best to use lemongrass after everyone has finished eating.

How to protect yourself from mosquitoes with garlic?

Just peel and crush a few garlic cloves, then boil them for about 20 minutes to get tangy garlic water that mosquitoes will hate. Pour it into a spray bottle and sprinkle it wherever they like to hang out and bother you.

Spray cedar oil

A mixture of cedarwood oil diluted with water can be sprayed on your lawn and shrubs around the patio to repel insects like fleas and mosquitoes. Not only does it deter pests, but it can also eliminate their eggs. Use it in the evening and the morning.

Don’t leave standing water in your yard.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in any non-chlorinated standing water, whether it’s an inflatable pool, flowerpot, or a wheelbarrow that has held up rainwater. Keep your gutters and drains free of debris – leaves and branches can cause water to accumulate. In short, drain out any standing water you find to reduce the risk of your family getting stung while grilling kebabs.

Spray on hydrogen peroxide

To make a DIY mosquito repellant, mix one-third of hydrogen peroxide and two-thirds of water and spray the preparation on your patio and its perimeter, especially where guests will sit and eat. Opt for 3% hydrogen peroxide to preserve the plants.

Prune your plants and maintain the lawn

Use a lawnmower, edger, or even a chainsaw to cut tall grass, brush, and tree branches. Indeed, mosquitoes prefer these cooler places, in the shade. By reducing them to a minimum, you make the habitat surrounding your home much less attractive to intruders. Letting in more sun will also help dry out wet areas.

If your lawn has irregularities or pits, fill them with topsoil and plant grass seeds. The troughs will collect water with each rain and provide a potential breeding ground if you do nothing.

Use fans outdoors

It’s not for nothing that we see porch fans in areas rich in mosquitoes like the tropics. In fact, a fan has been shown to reduce insect landings by 45-65% for people sitting nearby. A fan not only makes it harder for critters to fly against the regular breeze, but it also helps disperse carbon dioxide emitted by humans. This secondary benefit is interesting because mosquitoes detect the compound in the air we breathe out, guiding them when they seek to feed.

Avoid scented body products.

Although some smells repel mosquitoes, other body lotions or perfumes can attract them. The best thing to do is not to use perfumes, colognes, shower gels, or flavored products if you plan to spend time outdoors during the hours of high insect activity. These times are generally from dusk to dawn between April and October.

Lemon eucalyptus oil and light-colored clothes

One or two of these aerial parasites will inevitably end up on your skin at some point in the summer. It turns out that they are drawn to darker-colored fabrics. Regarding the length of clothes, if you can cover yourself up, you should. Wearing long sleeves and pants will drastically reduce the number of mosquito bites you accumulate at the end of the night.

If intruders are still tempted on their own after donning your lightest, lightest clothing, there is another line of defense you can trust – insect repellant essential oils. It might sound like a myth, but experts actually recommend lemon eucalyptus oil as a natural remedy to keep mosquitoes away.

Burn coffee grounds to repel mosquitoes

Do you have any leftover coffee grounds? Pour them into a small bowl, let them dry, place the bowl where pests usually bother you and burn some of the grounds with a lighter. The smell of caffeine will keep them at bay.

Put a dryer sheet in your pocket.

It turns out that this solution is based on scientific grounds. Dryer sheets contain two chemicals that have the ability to repel mosquitoes and midges: linalool, which is toxic to certain types of insects, and beta-citronellol, found in citronella, the ultimate mosquito repellant. So, yes, keep one in your pocket, or rub it on your arms and other exposed skin.

How to scare away mosquitoes with apple cider vinegar?

Mosquitoes don’t like apple cider vinegar at all. You can make your own repellant with this product by adding witch hazel and lemongrass essential oil.

Measure out 1/3 cup of witch hazel flowers and pour them into a clean spray bottle. Use a funnel if it is difficult to pour without spilling. Then measure a third of a cup of apple cider vinegar and add it to the witch hazel in the spray bottle. Pour in five or six drops of lemongrass oil. Put the lid back on the bottle, closing it tightly. Shake well.

Spray the solution on exposed skin, such as arms or legs, immediately before going out. To apply to areas such as the back of the neck, spray some in your hand and rub on the affected area.

Reapply the homemade repellent every three hours if necessary.

Set mosquito traps

To keep mosquitoes away from your front door and patio, you can install DIY mosquito traps outside your home. However, We should note that it is essential to change the hatches regularly.

What exactly are mosquito traps?

Mosquito traps are devices that attract mosquitoes and trap them until they die. Traps do not repel insects. Rather, they invite them to come closer and kill them. So here are some of the best, easy, and effective hunting tools that you can make yourself.

Tricking the critters into drowning

To make the simplest mosquito trap, take a bucket or other container, fill it with water and add detergent. Since mosquitoes need standing water to lay their eggs, the water you provided will attract them. However, the detergent will remove the surface tension, and the bugs will drown.

Also, you can increase the effectiveness of this trap by directing a light source towards the water, as mosquitoes are also attracted to it.

A mosquito trap in a plastic bottle

This DIY trap is one of the best known. You will need a large plastic bottle (1.5 or 2 liters), water, sugar, and yeast. Cut the bottle in half, leaving you with the top half (a funnel) and the bottom half (a container).

Mix the water with the sugar, seduce mosquitoes, and pour the liquid into the bottom half of the bottle. Add the yeast. It will create carbon dioxide, which is also attractive to pests. Wrap the funnel-shaped opening with masking tape and place the inverted funnel in the bottom half of the bottle.

The sugar water and the yeast will invite the mosquitoes to taste the mixture. Therefore, they will find their way into the funnel, but they will not be able to find the exit and win because of the small opening.

Photo credit: prweb.com

Spider Web Mosquito Trap

Finally, if you enjoy making things and are willing to invest a little more money in their DIY projects, here is a homemade mosquito trap that will take some effort but be extremely effective.

You will need a fan, fine mesh, and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). It would help if you made sure that the holes in the screen are small enough that mosquitoes cannot pass through. A regular mosquito net can also do the trick.

Attach the screen to the fan and treat it with isopropyl alcohol. It will work like a spider web. When you turn on the fan, the screen will trap mosquitoes, which will dehydrate and die. Rubbing alcohol will speed up the process and kill the critters immediately.