Mosquitoes feed off blood.
The flying bloodsuckers known as mosquitoes will bring misery and painful bites wherever they go. Not only can they ruin various activates both inside and outside the home, but they can transmit diseases from one person to another. Mosquitoes are notoriously difficult to kill without pesticides, but you can make your own trap using household products. However, the best defense against these pests is prevention. Does this Spark an idea?
Mosquito Trap
Mosquito traps work by attracting the insects to the desired mechanism, which prevents them from escaping. Once inside the trap, the mosquitoes cannot escape, become confused and eventually die. Rinse an empty 2-L pop bottle clean with cool water. Remove the label, and carefully cut the top 1/3 inch of the plastic bottle off. Pour water into the bottom of the bottle until one-third of the bottle is full. Add 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp. of yeast into the bottom of the pop bottle. Flip the top of the pop bottle that you just cut upside-down, and place it inside the bottom of the pop bottle. The mouth and neck of the bottle will now be facing downward. Staple the top part of the bottle to the bottom to give the trap more stability. Cut a brown paper bag into strips big enough to cover the outside of the pop bottle. Tape the brown paper bag to the pop bottle. Place the trap near areas where mosquitoes are a problem. The yeast will produce carbon dioxide, which will attract the insects to the trap.
Mosquito Repellant
Fill a small spray bottle with 5 parts cool water and 1 part garlic juice. Swirl the bottle gently to mix the water and garlic juice together. Use this spray to repel mosquitoes. Pour the mixture into a garden sprayer, and mist outdoor plants to keep the annoying pests away from your home. Alternatively, soak pieces of cloth in the mixture, and hang them from patios to keep mosquitoes at bay.
You can also plant marigolds around your lawn. These flowers have a natural aroma that insects such as mosquitoes do not like. Keep mosquitoes away from your cookout by tossing sage or rosemary on barbecue coals.
Kill Mosquito Larva
Living in standing water, mosquito larva will swim to the surface to breathe. Suffocate the larva by pouring vegetable oil into the water, which will create a layer of film on the surface of the water and prevent the larva from breathing.
Pour apple cider vinegar into standing water to kill mosquito larva. A ratio of 15 percent vinegar and 85 percent water will reduce the amount of larva in the stagnant water.
Considerations
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing, stagnant water. By removing all standing water from your home, you can greatly reduce the mosquito population in your environment. Remove water from buckets, flowerpots, garbage cans, tires, bottles, clogged gutters and other receptacles that can fill with water at least once a week or after a rainfall. Furthermore, change birdbath water once a week to help prevent mosquito larva from hatching.
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