Natural Mosquito Repellant for Your Home

As tiny as they are, mosquitoes can bring huge trouble. Apart from the annoying stinging bites, mosquitoes also cause a myriad of serious deadly illnesses like malaria, filaria, dengue, brain fever, and yellow fever, among many others. Every year, mosquito borne diseases affect 300 to 500 million people worldwide, causing about one million deaths. Natural mosquito repellant is your best defense against these diseases. 

Seal the point of entry 
Keep this in mind: mosquitoes are very active in the early morning and early evening and they love areas with still air. Be sure to keep windows and doors on the side of your house opposite the breeze closed during these times.

  

Eliminate still water areas

Any stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Bird baths, pet’s water bowls, wading pools, and even water inside the flower vases should be replaced daily. Remove items around the house that collect water. 

Use natural mosquito repellants

Add a dash of herbs like rosemary and sage to burning coals. The scent is known to repel mosquitoes. Another effective repellant is a solution of one part garlic juice mixed with five parts water. Put this in a spray bottle and spray on the body. This can protect for up to six hours. You can also dip cotton cloth into the solution and hang in areas known to have mosquitoes like in the patio. 

It’s also a good idea to use neem oil, a natural vegetable oil that comes from the Neem tree in India. The Neem tree’s oil, leaves and seeds contain a potent mosquito repelling compound called sallanin. 

It would also help to cultivate mosquito repelling plants around like citronella, horsemint, marigold, ageratum and catnip. Citronella contains a natural mosquito repellant ingredient that comes in the form of a strong aroma that wards off pesky mosquitoes. Horsemint, also known as beebalm, also gives off a strong scent like citronella. 

Marigolds contain Pyrethrum, a compound that’s usually used as ingredient in many insect repellants. Ageratum emits a smell offensive to mosquitoes. It secretes a compound called coumarin that’s also used in commercial insect repellants. Catnip, another natural mosquito repellent, has been found to be ten times more effective than DEET, a chemical used in most commercially available insect repellants.