Mosquito health risks

For every person out there who's sleep is suffering due to mosquitoes, there is another person who can sleep like a baby every night. That doesn't mean there aren't any mosquitoes to be seen in that person's room. But he or she might just have a higher tolerance for that annoying bzzzing sound. Some people also don't get bitten by a mosquito ever, which I'm sure is a point of jealousy for some.

But still, just because you don't have any problems with mosquitoes doesn't mean you don't have to take measures to get rid of mosquitoes. The reason being that mosquitoes can be harmful to your health. It's not a hidden fact that mosquitoes can carry over diseases and spread them like wildfire. Eventhough the chance might be extremely low in our society, the chance is still there. So why risk it?

Mosquito protection and prevention becomes increasingly important during warmer periods such as summer. During colder periods, such as the winter, mosquitoes will go into a state of hibernation. That's why you're not getting mosquito bites when it's cold. Some mosquitoes will actually lay their eggs right before the winter and end up dying. But the eggs will hatch when the temperature of the environment, and subsequently the water they are in, rises.

Mosquito health risks

So, we've mentioned the most hazardous health risk already. Mosquitoes can be the carrier of human diseases and spread them around. In fact, according to the World Health Organization about 2.5 million people die every year due to disease and illness from mosquitoes. Unfortunately, a large part of these deaths are younger children. So if there are any children in your home, don't underestimate the potential risks of mosquitoes.

One of the more known viruses is the West Nile virus. Just recently has there been a warning in parts of Wisconsin about the presence of this virus. While it's mostly present in birds, mosquito bites are the way that this virus can infect humans. This virus can cause encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain. However, many people also contract the virus and end up perfectly fine with no symptoms whatsoever.

Prevention is the best option

You should always try aim to prevent mosquitoes from biting you or atleast lower the chance that they can. Some tips on preventing mosquitoes can be found here, but there are more ways to prevent mosquitoes from biting you.

• Try to avoid spending time in the outdoors during dusk and dawn. These are the times when mosquitoes are usually more active.
• Shut off entrance points (eg.windows, doors) with mesh flywire screens. This will allow you to open windows for air but won't allow mosquitoes and flies inside.
• Hang mosquito nets over beds and other places where you or others might rest. If some mosquitoes do enter your home, they won't be able to get to you because of these mosquito nets.
• Mosquitoes can bite through clothing but can and will usually only try to do if the clothing is tight. So cover yourself with loose fitting clothes.
• The color of your clothing can also help to repel mosquitoes as they are more drawn to darker colors. So dress yourself with light colored clothes when going outside, to parks,...
• Remove any object in which standing water can occur. This means objects such as used tires, wheelbarrows, etc. Standing water is the breeding ground for mosquitoes and thus attracts mosquitoes.
• You can grow certain plants that release scents which repel mosquitoes. It's also possible to use these leafs or herbs to repel mosquitoes while doing other activities by burning some to release the scent. Or you can rub them over your skin. These mosquito repelling plants include rosemary, peppermint, citronella grass and catnip. A more extensive article will be posted in the future.
• Eating garlic can also repel many mosquitoes. The reason why this and the point above work is not because those scents will scare mosquitoes away. It's because those scents will cover up the scent of your body which attracts mosquitoes in the first place.
• This one might be a bit more extreme and I wouldn't consider doing it myself, but bats are very effective at hunting mosquitoes. Which is why you could potentially attract bats near your home to get rid of mosquitoes. It's usually a safe practice but for me personally it sounds a bit "overkill".

I'm sure there are some more ways to repel mosquitoes without relying on specialized mosquito repeller equipment but these are surely some of more popular ones (except perhaps the bat attracting heh).

Why not use a mosquito killer?

We're not saying you shouldn't use one. If the problem is huge, by all means use some of those. But the point here was to provide you with ways so you don't have to rely on certain chemicals. This way you'll save money and you won't unnecessarily allow toxins into the environment.

But again, if the problem is substantial and the prevention techniques just don't work, of course you can consider using specialized mosquito repellers and killers.