What Keeps The Mosquitoes Away? 6 Things You Need to Know

Wherever we go,

it is almost inevitable to find mosquitoes hanging around and trying to make our life just a terrible nightmare; And it is not only annoying the sound that these pests produce when flying,

but also leave an uncomfortable and painful sting that, sometimes, can be as dangerous as deadly.

Now,

although you’ve probably dealt with them all your life, you probably still do not know the reasons why these little bugs appear in your house and much less know what keeps the mosquitoes away, rather than with the use of the popular one’s methods insecticides which is also not safe for you and the environment.

Therefore,

today we will tell you some things about these unpleasant insects and we will give you our best advice to let you know what keeps the mosquitoes away.

i) What are Mosquitoes?

These are small flying insects that are found all over the world, especially in temperate regions.

They have two very long and thin wings, with small scales on their veins, a characteristic that serves to differentiate them from other similar insects such as flies.

Its body is narrow and has long antennae with coils of short hair in the case of females, and long hair in the case of males.

Many believe that all mosquitoes sting the same but the truth is not so.

In fact,

it is the females who are responsible for those annoying bites that cause us to itch and redden the skin since they have a kind of oral apparatus that facilitates its sucking and piercing on its victims,

which are always warm-blooded animals.

In the case of males,

they have a common oral apparatus and feed on the sap of plants and water.

As we have already said, mosquitoes are insects, but they are quite clever and specialized in detecting hundreds of chemical body factors that allow them to choose their next prey, that is why it is so easy to find us to feed on our blood;

And if that were not enough, these bugs are often carriers of different parasites and viruses that live inside them, waiting to be transmitted to the body of another animal or, to our bad luck, that of a human being.

ii) Why do Mosquitoes Appear?

In general,

mosquitoes need to be in humid places in order to survive and proliferate;

and is that females only leave their eggs in the water, either current or in stagnant water, so they will appear whenever there is a source, pond, swamp, estuary or container with water ready for them.

For this reason,

places where there are many plants, such as the gardens and forests, are perfect for these pesky pests to reproduce easily, because in them tends to accumulate rainwater, forming small pockets serving of cradle for the eggs of these small insects.

Also,

it is said that the places in which a lot of garbage accumulates and there are remains of rotten food are usually the perfect target for the proliferation of mosquitoes since their sense of smell is very developed and they easily perceive the smell of fruits and other rotting foods.

So,

whether you have a garden, live near a lake or have fountains or containers with garbage and stagnant water at home, it is very likely that you share your space with mosquitoes, so that, before deciding on a fumigation, you need to empty the liquid from those containers, get rid of the garbage bags, remove the water from the vases and the weeds around your home, as this can help to greatly diminish the presence of these annoying little animals, you need to do these if you are thinking about what keeps the mosquitoes away.

iii) Types or Species of Mosquitoes

Although there are many species of mosquitoes in all parts of the world, we will only mention some of the most common and problematic for humans.

Common Mosquito – ‘What Keeps The Mosquitoes Away’

This is the classic mosquito that we find in urban areas and is the one that bothers us the most because of the buzz that it emits and its bites on our skin, mostly on summer nights.

Actually,

it is the female mosquito that sucks our blood and can do so without interruption since its saliva prevents the blood from clotting.

The same thing causes us a tremendous inflammation and redness of the area, especially when we scratch, and it is even possible that we catch encephalitis if our defenses are low, and we get many bites from infected mosquitoes.

Tiger Mosquito – ‘What Keeps The Mosquitoes Away’

It is one of the most widespread species throughout the world, causing great concern. It has been given that name since it has some white spots on its body and is of much larger size compared to the common mosquito.

The tiger mosquito is native to the Asian jungles, it likes to lay its eggs in stagnant waters and its bite tends to prevail longer than other mosquitoes,

in addition to inflammation and infection are also usually greater, to the point of occurrence very high fevers.

Ochlerotatus Mosquito – ‘What Keeps The Mosquitoes Away’

This species is quite common in South America and tends to feed on the blood of people and pets.

They also usually cause serious infections in cattle.

This type of mosquito usually goes out in the hottest times and rarely tolerates low temperatures. He is seen most often in flood situations, so he is also known as the flood mosquito.

Anopheles Mosquito – ‘What Keeps The Mosquitoes Away’

It is a species present on all continents, which indicates that it can easily adapt to any climate, although it tends to prefer those that are more tropical.

Of the 400 Anopheles mosquito species that have been registered, only 40 of them carry the parasitic protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, which can be quite dangerous for humans and animals too due to malaria.

iv) Mosquito Bite

As we have said,

female mosquitoes are the only ones that feed on blood, so the bites that remain on the skin are borne by these small.

They feed just before laying their eggs since they need the blood to be fertile and to continue with the reproductive cycle. As for the males, they feed on the nectar of the fruits and the sap of the plants, so that they do not usually attack humans or other animals.

Some mosquito species have a preference for certain hosts, so they only bite them, while others are less demanding and go in search of everything that has blood.

These annoying pests are attracted by the movement and are very capable to detect it , and also have a very particular system for the detection of different properties in their prey, among which are some corporal substances and residues that we expel through our skin and our mouth, which make these little animals bite some more than others.

About Mosquito Bite

When mosquitoes bite us, they secrete a protein that prevents the blood from clotting, allowing them to suck the blood without it solidifying and without the wound closing.

This protein, in addition to the wound, make sure our defenses are activated and the body secretes a certain amount of histamine, which is nothing more than a substance involved in allergic reactions.

In short,

what is produced is a slight allergic reaction that can be of greater or lesser degree, depending on the protein and other types of substances that have been transferred via the bite action of mosquitoes.

v) Are Mosquitoes Dangerous?

If we ask ourselves how dangerous these insects are, we should think about the different diseases that can be transmitted to us and that some of them can be deadly.

As an example,

we have malaria, which is still one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide today.

There are also other delicate diseases such as chikungunya, yellow fever, and Nile fever, all transmitted by mosquito bites.

In a few words, we can say that these are some dangerous bugs and that we should take care of unless we want to expose ourselves to catch some of these diseases.

vii) How to Eliminate Mosquitoes – ‘What Keeps The Mosquitoes Away’

When we talk about eliminating and controlling mosquito pests,

we can find a large number of available products that have been developed for professional or general use.

For example,

there are the so-called larvicides, which are effective chemicals to eliminate mosquito larvae that remain in the water.

There are also insecticides, which are used mainly in spraying to eliminate the adult mosquitoes, there are electric traps and electric zappers perform a great job.

Electric Traps – ‘What Keeps The Mosquitoes Away’

This is an electrical device that has an identical working pattern with electric zappers,

in this case, the insect is attracted by some features like UV light, CO2 emission, heat.

When these insects get close to this device, it is being sucked in by the action of its rotating fan.

After they’re sucked in, they die from starvation, dehydration or any other natural method. This is a very effective way to get rid of mosquitoes from your environment.

Electric Lamps – ‘What Keeps The Mosquitoes Away’

This device has a fluorescent light that is striking for flying insects when they approach the light they come across a grid, and when they make contact with it they are electrocuted.

Fumigation

Now,

although you have these products at your disposal, in some communities the public fumigation service for the control of mosquitoes is offered, through pesticides that can be applied from trucks or airplanes, so you can contact the health department your local or some of the community agencies responsible for public health, to get help and solve the problem safely.

However,

if you decide to use the spray products to kill these bugs, you should make sure that no one in your home is allergic to its components, including your pet.

If there is someone sensitive to the product, you will have to remove it from the place before proceeding with the fumigation.

It is best to use protective glasses, gloves and face masks to protect against contact with the insecticide.