Guarding Against These Pesky Outdoor Pests
Summertime is outdoor time and that means quality time for some of nature’s little insects who love to get to know you, close up and personal. There’s ways to keep these annoying, and sometimes dangerous, pests at bay that don’t involve such home remedies as smelling like a freshly minced garlic clove or stuffing your pockets with dryer sheets.
~ Cover Up
Mosquitos go directly to bare skin so wearing a hat, long-sleeved shirt, and pants act as a deterrent. Go a step further and buy clothing treated with permethrin, an insect repellent, or stop by a store that caters to outdoor enthusiasts and pick up a bottle to spray on your clothing. Permethrin is made to treat clothing, so don’t apply to your skin.
~ Spray Yourself
When used as directed, insect repellent is the best way to protect yourself. When you’re choosing your repellent, look for the active ingredient DEET or picaridin. The higher the concentration of DEET, the longer it will provide protection. With formulas that range from 5% to 100% of DEET, you should get about 90 minutes to 10 hours of protection, so if you’re going to be out for a while, opt for the higher number. Be sure to spray on any skin not covered by clothing, but apply to your face by spraying your hands and rubbing it onto your face, avoiding your eyes and mouth. If you’re wearing sunscreen, apply the sunscreen before applying insect repellent.
Looking for something more natural? Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE – an extract from the leaves of the lemon eucalyptus tree) works well repelling mosquitoes, ticks and other biting bugs. Similar but different, lemon eucalyptus is an essential oil that is found in other essential oils like citronella.
~ Spray Your Yard
DYI or hire a pest control service in Kansas City, spraying your yard can help control not just the mosquito population, but helps reduce the flea and tick populations too. Concentrate on bushes, shrubs and heavy vegetation, spraying about once a month. Using a spray made from essential oils will knock out the mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and more while not harming bees and butterflies.
~ Toss the Water
Standing water is the perfect breeding ground for mosquito larvae making tossing and tipping the way to combat these biting bugs. Tip over your birdbath to empty the water, rinse out any remaining water and refill with fresh water, DAILY. Wading pools, rain barrels and fountains should have their water changed weekly and keep swimming pools water treated and circulating.
~ Dim the Lights
Yellow-hued lightbulbs attract far less mosquitos than bright whites. It is the color temperature of the light that affects these flying bugs and with the cooler yellow light they come to check it out and then fly off. Change out those string lights for amber bulbs so the mosquitoes won’t hang around and crash your party.
Protect Yourself With These Pest Control Goods
The blending of Palo Santa essential oil with citronella oil will have your outdoor gatherings smelling great while keeping biting bugs at bay.
Palo Santo Citronella Outdoor Incense: $29 / Palo Santo Citronella Incense Burner: $24
Citronella and citrus 4 oz candle tin provides 20 hours of burn time, perfect for your nights of your camping weekends or evenings on the deck.
$10 / maliciouswomenco.com
Thermacell Patio Shield creates a 15-foot zone of protection against mosquitoes making it ideal for patios, decks, pools, camping and more.
$24.79 / homedepot.com
Worn around the wrist or ankle, this cool and comfy neoprene mosquito repellent wristband comes with two refills of a proprietary essential-oil formula. A wide range of colors and patterns allow you to blend safety with style.
$19.50 / us.parakito.com
This proven-to-work natural essential oils pest protection kills, repels and prevents mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and more while being safe for bees & butterflies.
$39.99 / wondercide.com
Just in time for summer, enjoy the outdoors without relentless bug attention with this Lemon Citronella spray. Fresh lemon fruit smell combines with tart citrus polished off with notes of citronella.
$26 / brokentopcandleco.com
