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Last Updated on June 22, 2018 by Diane Hoffmaster
Last week, my family and I headed to Florida for spring break. The first half of our trip was spent exploring Everglades National Park which was an absolutely amazing trip. Except for the mosquitos. They were absolutely everywhere! With the threat of West Nile virus, Zika virus and so many other nasty illnesses, I read up on a TON of mosquito protection tips before we left. Of course, your backyard won't have anywhere near as many mosquitos as the Everglades does but it's still smart to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Mosquito Protection Tips
Are you planning a backyard BBQ or an after dinner walk? Want to go camping in the backyard with your kids or plant a garden? Don't let mosquitos chase you back inside! Here are a few tips as well as some affiliate links for products that you might find helpful.
A breeze is your best friend
The best days out in the Everglades were the ones with a light breeze. Even the smallest of breezes can help keep mosquitos away from you. Invest in a large outdoor fan for your patio and keep your guests cool while protecting them from mosquito bites. Keep the air flow directed at the lower half of your body. Mosquitoes tend to fly close to the ground so keeping the air flowing downwards will block their approach.
Avoid peak mosquito hours
Mosquitos are most active at sunrise and sunset. Schedule your outdoor activities for times other than those to avoid as many mosquitos as you can.
Plant mosquito repelling plants
Many garden plants naturally repel mosquitoes. Plant these around your patio and keep the mosquitos at bay naturally. Check out the wide selection of mosquito repelling plants on Amazon. Try growing eucalyptus and making eucalyptus oil to repel mosquitoes. I have marigolds and lemongrass in my yard which are also great for keeping snakes out of your yard.
Buy the right clothes
One of the best mosquito protection tips I can give you is to cover up all that bare skin. It stinks, but mosquitos LOVE humans. Protecting your skin with long pants and long sleeves is one of the most effective ways to prevent mosquito bites. Make sure you buy a tightly woven fabric. Cotton and linen aren't great choices and they will bite right through it. Choose synthetic fabrics like workout clothes for the best mosquito prevention. Mosquito protection clothing can range from long pants and long sleeves to hats with netting and insect proof socks.
Try natural mosquito repellents first
I always try to choose natural mosquito repellents before heading to the harsher chemical products. Buy citronella candles and make DIY mosquito repellent with essential oils. Tea tree oil and vitamin B have reportedly helped some people repel mosquitoes.If you find that those aren't working, then you can move on to the stronger sprays containing DEET and other stronger mosquito repelling chemicals.
Get rid of standing water in your yard
If you want to avoid mosquitos, the best way to do it is to prevent the mosquitos from being in your yard in the first place. Remove all standing water from your yard so that they have fewer places to lay their eggs. As your yard dries out, you will find fewer of them bothering you. Work on attracting insect loving birds to your backyard to eat the ones that are still hanging out. Be careful when adding water features to your yard to ensure that they don't become mosquito breeding grounds.
Wear light-colored clothing
For some reason, mosquitos tend to be more attracted to dark colors than light ones. This may be because dark colors attract and hold in the heat of the sun better (thus making you warmer) or that they can see them better. Either way, a white shirt will attract fewer mosquitos than a black one.
Hopefully, these mosquito protection tips will help you take back your yard from those blood sucking little demons so that you can learn to enjoy your backyard space!
Any other mosquito prevention tips you want to share?
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She has two college aged kids, one husband and more pets than she will admit to. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire but left her career in science to become a stay at home mom. Years of playing with LEGO and coloring with crayons had her craving a more grown up purpose to her life and she began blogging and freelance writing full time. You can learn more about her HERE.
Love You Wedding
These are all great tips to keep mosquitos at bay. I didn't know about the color of the clothing. That was something new I learned today. We always check around the yard for stagnant water (in the bird bath, a tin can, etc.) because these are breeding grounds of mosquitos.
Diane
we change out the bird bath water regularly to avoid mosquitos. The birds love the water but it is definitely a breeding ground!