“There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded mosquito.” – Roy, Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Just like hot weather, mosquitoes are a fact of life in Dallas. They proliferate in spring moisture and, thankfully, by the end of summer are mostly gone. Until then, here are a few tips to keep the bites at bay.
1) Wear Light, Loose-Fitting Clothes – Mosquitos love warm bodies, and can sense them from a distance. Wearing light, loose-fitting clothes that stay away from the skin not only block their sight of you, but lessen the chance of their proboscis (pointy snout) from going into your skin.
2) Use Repellants – Off! and Cutter do a great job, but mosquitoes despise catnip, society garlic, and lavender as well. Keeping any of these plants in abundance around your outdoor living space will deter them.
3) Certain Foods Can Help (or Hinder!) – What we eat affects the scents that we put off that animals can detect. Any form of raw garlic and onions, apple cider vinegar, lemongrass, chili peppers, beans, lemons and tomatoes all cause your natural scent to drive them off. Also, it’s been shown that vitamin B-1 may do the job as well. Things to avoid? Alcohol, salty or sugary foods all make you smell more delicious to mosquitos.
4) Eliminate Standing Water – Mosquito larvae require stagnant water to grow, and a young mosquito is a voracious mosquito. Dump any vessel with standing water in it you can find, whether it be a wheelbarrow, flower pot, whatever.
5) Don’t Breathe – Mosquitos are able to see carbon dioxide as it is exhaled by mammals, and are naturally attracted to it. Next time you see mosquitos buzzing on the other side of a screen door, exhale through the screen and watch them go crazy. Obviously you can’t opt to not breathe, but exhaling as infrequently as possible when in areas rife with mosquitos.