A wet June followed by a crispy hot July has hatched a voracious cloud of mosquitoes. If you want to enjoy our glorious summer you need to find a way to avoid mosquitoes bites.
The most common way to stop mosquito bites is wearing insect repellent. You will have to apply it regularly, especially if you are swimming or sweating.
Wearing long sleeves and pants helps to reduce the area where mosquitoes can bite you. I also wear light gloves to an evening campfire to avoid painful bites on the back of my hand.
During the day, wearing light-coloured clothing may help in the war against mosquito bites.
Don’t go where the mosquitoes are. Avoid areas such as long grass where ticks and mosquitoes are waiting for you. Mosquitoes also seems to be more annoying in early evening.
Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water, so search your yard and empty the water from empty flower pots or blocked eaves troughs. Even a bird bath can hatch mosquitoes.
My friend doesn’t eat bananas during the mosquito season because bananas causes her to attract mosquitoes, she says. It’s well known that mosquitoes find us because of the carbon dioxide that we expel; perhaps there are other chemicals that also attract mosquitoes to us. It seems like some people get bitten more than others under similar circumstances.
Citronella oil is a well known mosquito repellent. Some people have pots of citronella on their patio and swear that it keeps them mosquito free. Basil, rosemary, catnip, lavender and marigolds are also said to repel insets.
As a child I carried a smudge in a lard pail when we went out to get the cows in the evening. Green grass smouldered in the bucket producing a cloud of smoke that repelled insects.
No matter how many precautions you take, you will still have a mosquito bite or two. What can you do to take the itch out of the bite?
I have found ordinary white vinegar to be a good counterirritant. When I come in from the garden I dab some vinegar on a paper towel and rub my legs and arms where the mosquitoes bit me. You have to do it as soon as possible for it to be effective. Another kitchen remedy is dabbing a paste of baking soda on the bite. (This also works for wasp and bee stings.) A drop of rubbing alcohol can also take away the itch of a mosquito bite. Or take the pain out of a bite with an ice cube or cool compress.
Aloe vera gel can soothe skin irritation or you might try one percent hydrocortisone cream.
Some people have quite severe reactions to mosquito bites, especially in the spring. They might need to take an antihistamine medication. For the most part mosquito bites are just an irritating part of an otherwise wonderful season. Have a great summer!
