“Some people produce more of certain chemicals intheir skin,” he explains. “And a few of thosechemicals, like lactic acid, attract mosquitoes.”There's also evidence that one blood type (O) attractsmosquitoes more than others (A or B). Mosquitoes useCO2 as their primary means of identifying bite targets, Daysays.
Citrus: Mosquitoes hate the smell oflemon and orange peels. Rubbing citrus peels on yourskin or grating peels around your porch, patio, or campsite canhelp repel mosquitoes. Ants also avoid citrus peels,in case you want to repel two insects withone…peel.
The odor that mosquitoes most hate thoughis one you might not have heard of: Lantana. Their bitter citrusysmell is one that mosquitoes tend to avoid unless they'rereally hungry. BEER: Unfortunately, we aren't about to tell youthat drinking alcoholic spirits will repelmosquitoes.
Urine. Yep, urine attractsmosquitoes.
Spiders don't like the smell of citrusfruits like lemon, nor eucalyptus, tea tree and peppermint oils.Try rubbing lemon peel around windows and doors, or spray the otherscents around them. Another smell they don't like is vinegar– although you might not like that scenteither!
Rather than spending all your time indoors and feelingangry at the pesky critters or spraying harsh chemicals on yourskin every time you venture outside, whip up a batch ofmosquito repellent with apple cider vinegar.Mosquitoes do not care for the fragrance and will landelsewhere instead.
Mosquitoes' activity level largely depends ontheir species. Some are more active during the day, and others comeout more at night. Some mosquito species in the genus Aedesare active during the day, and they tend to bite humansaggressively during these hours, particularly in the morning andlate afternoon.
To find a mosquito:
- Switch off the lights, wait until you can hear the mosquitoclose by.
- Switch on the small lamp.
- Switch on the torch, and hold the torch so that the light beamis parallel to the wall.
- Systematically check the walls in the room.
- Kill using your favored method.
Bug Tip Tuesday | Vicks VapoRub Repellent. Thesmell of the menthol in it will repel the insectsaway. You can also rub it on any mosquito bites youmay already have and it will relieve the itching.
IR3535 belongs to drug maker Merck, and it hasbeen used as a mosquito repellent in Europe for 20 years.Avon's products are the only ones with IR3535available in the U.S.
One home product that many people claim repelsmosquitoes is dryer sheets. According to some, tuckingdryer sheets into your pockets or placing them in areaswhere mosquitoes cluster can keep them from flying around.Bounce dryer sheets are known to repel fungusgnats.
Rubbing alcohol or 70% isopropyl alcoholis common in almost all households. As a repellent, rubbingalcohol is quite effective. When rubbing alcohol isapplied on the skin, it deters mosquitoes from biting youbut may leave your skin too dry since it is hygroscopic innature.
The team of researchers found that coconut oilcompounds can repel biting flies and bed bugs for two weeks,while against ticks their repellence was effective for at least oneweek. Topical application of high concentration of coconutoil can also repel mosquitoes and prevent potentiallyfatal mosquito bites.
