Outdoor Living: How to Keep Mosquitoes at Bay

Despite their small size, mosquitoes pack a big punch, which can be felt when these tiny blood suckers pierce your skin with their needle-like stylets. While mosquitoes are an annoying side effect of the great outdoors, there are things you can do to keep mosquitoes out of your yard.

Grab the Garlic
An effective and natural mosquito treatment for yard requires nothing more than spraying the area with garlic oil. This can help repel the mosquito larvae out of the area without introducing unnecessary chemicals to your environment. To make the garlic oil, place 3 garlic bulbs into a builder or food process and blend for several minutes. Use a cheesecloth to strain the liquid into a bucket. Add a gallon of cool water and stir the garlic oil and water are well combined. Transfer the mixture into a garden sprayer and lightly spray over your yard.

Add Mosquito-Repelling Plants
There are several species of plants that can keep mosquitoes at bay by simply planting them in your yard. These plants include marigolds, citronella – which is common found in insect-repelling products like candles – mint, lavender, basil and lemon basil. Most of these plants are more than just a mosquito repellent. Mint, basil and lemon basil are common herbs that you can use in various recipes, while lavender and its pleasant fragrance can help keep spiders away. Furthermore more, the herbs and flowers that keep mosquitoes at bay can also attract beneficial predatory insects that can be an asset to your garden. Basil, for example, entices predatory wasps that feed on garden-destroying insects and pollinators like bees and butterflies.

Prevention
The best defense against mosquitoes is prevention, and the way to do that is to make sure mosquito larvae don’t have a place to live. This will require seeking out any standing water that may be in your yard and immediately dumping it out. Look for water in buckets, pots, bottles, cans, old tires, clogged gutters and any other area that can trap water in. You will have to empty these receptacles regularly, such as after a rain, to keep standing water out of your yard and mosquitoes at bay. Another option is to install a bat house somewhere on your property. Mosquitoes are a food source for bats and can greatly reduce their numbers naturally.