How To

Get Rid of Mosquitoes

Naturally

1. Remove standing water.

Limit the insects’ ability to breed by clearing your gutters of clogs, filling in sunken parts of your lawn, removing tarps or debris where water might collect.

2. Make a garlic tonic.

Mix one part garlic juice with five parts water, put the solution in a spray bottle, and spritz yourself as needed.

3. Spray on some  catnip oil.

The essential oil in catnip, nepetalactone, repels mosquitoes more effectively than DEET.

5. Throw herbs on  the grill.

Because the essential oils in many herbs are natural insecticides, consider throwing a bundle of rosemary or sage on the coals while you’re barbecuing.

7. Turn on a fan.

Mosquitoes are tiny, and a fan blowing at a speed of 2 miles per hour will blow them away.

9. Change the light bulbs.

Instead of standard outdoor light bulbs, opt for LEDs, yellow bug lights, or sodium lamps.

11. Spread cedar mulch in your garden beds.

Besides its unappealing odor to the insects, cedar mulch soaks up moisture to help keep them away.

12. Stay on top of  yard work.

Be sure to clip tall grass, remove weeds, mow the lawn as needed, rake, clear debris, and unclog gutters.

14. Attract natural predators to your property.

Several types of birds enjoy snacking on mosquitoes, including purple martins, waterfowl, eastern phoebes, and swallows.

15. Spray yourself with apple cider vinegar.

Scare mosquitoes away by mixing the vinegar plus an essential oil, and spray it on yourself and in areas where mosquitoes hang out.

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