Mosquitoes are tiny insects, but they can be extremely dangerous – they spread a variety of diseases, some of them deadly – so you really want these pests as far away from you and your family as possible! But what if you are living in a small space like an apartment? Is it possible to keep mosquitoes out? Yes, it is, and here are some simple tips to keep mosquitoes out of your apartment.
1. Close all possible entrances
There are a lot of ways to make your apartment unattractive to these pests, so they don’t stay and nest in your property. But your efforts will be wasted if your apartment is too accessible. You can have the most mosquito-proof apartment in the world, but you can still have mosquitoes if you have your doors and windows open all the time.
It’s understandable if you have these mosquito passageways open, especially when it is too hot or when you need more ventilation. But you should consider closing them particularly during the afternoon and evening when mosquitoes are more active.
For an extra layer of protection, consider installing weather strips and window screens. After all, mosquitoes are tiny. They may still be able to get through the small gaps on the edges of your doors and windows.
2. Make sure you don’t have stagnant water
Do you know that mosquitoes prefer to breed on stagnant water? No, they don’t just breed on huge bodies of water like ponds. They really only need a minimal amount of water. So, the stagnant water inside flowerpots or old tires is usually enough for them. If you have stagnant water somewhere outside of your apartment, get rid of it now. You are basically attracting mosquitoes to nest near your property.
In a house, you can typically find stagnant water on birdbaths, gutters, rain barrels, unattended pet bowls, and any other basin or container in the garden, lawn, or yard. But in an apartment, you can typically find it somewhere in your balcony, patio, or any kind of extra space that is exposed to the elements.
If you have holes or anything that makes your piping system accessible, get them fixed immediately. Sure, you won’t usually find mosquitoes in pipes because the water there doesn’t stagnate. But pipes are dark and often undisturbed, which are perfect conditions for mosquitoes.
3. Keep your apartment clean
If you don’t want mosquitoes in your apartment, keep it clean. Actually, you can prevent a lot of pests if you maintain the cleanliness of your home. Remember that pests invade human properties because of 3 reasons: food, water, and shelter. If they can find these easily in your apartment, they are likely to stay.
In the case of mosquitoes, give particular attention to the shelter part. But stagnant water is not the only thing you need to remove from your property. You should be wary of places that are both dark and often undisturbed, such as the awkward sides of your furniture, the cabinets that you don’t really clean, and the humid parts of your sink.
Also, keep your apartment cool. Remember that mosquitoes thrive in warm areas, and this is the reason why they are more prevalent during the warmer months. Air conditioners are great, but even fans will do the trick. Fans are actually great against mosquitoes because these pests are weak fliers. They can easily be blown away by fans. You can even use the fans to have a mosquito-free bedtime.
4. Cover yourself and your sleeping area
Whether you have a mosquito breeding ground in your apartment or not, you have been bitten by mosquitoes before. But do you know that mosquitoes can actually remember specific human odors? There is a reason why some people are more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes. These bloodsuckers are capable of learning.
And here’s the problem – they may nest on other parts of your apartment building and still get to you. The best thing to do is to protect yourself. You can do this by covering yourself and your sleeping area.
Cover as much skin as possible, especially during bedtime where these bloodsuckers are more active. You can also apply repellents, such as lotions with DEET. If you like a more traditional but fancier approach, cover your sleeping area with a mosquito net.
5. Avoid the things that attract mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are attracted to a lot of things like the blood circulating inside you and the carbon dioxide you are breathing out. Unfortunately, you can’t really remove these things. They will always attract mosquitoes for you.
But there are other mosquito attractors you can minimize or completely avoid. For example, do you know that mosquitoes are attracted to your sweat? You can take a bath before going to bed to increase your chances of avoiding mosquitoes. Even though you didn’t actively “sweat” throughout the day, you still have sweat all over your body.
Mosquitoes are also attracted to dark clothing and floral scents. They are attracted to dark clothing because of the way they hunt. They are visual hunters, and your dark clothing makes you a more prominent target. There is no scientific proof that they are really attracted to floral scents, but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence. Just to avoid attracting mosquitoes in your apartment, it doesn’t hurt to wear light clothing and use unscented shampoos and soaps, even just in the warmer months where these pests are more active.
6. Use insecticides, repellents, or traps
There are natural repellents you can add inside your apartment or on your balcony. For example, you can plant a garden with some greens that repel mosquitoes, like citronella and lavender. But not everyone has enough room for a garden, even if it’s composed of only potted plants. You may need to rely on insecticides and traps to avoid or get rid of the mosquitoes in your apartment.
Insecticides are very accessible. You will be able to buy them from grocery stores and even online. Just make sure to follow the instructions on the label. Traps are a little trickier. There are traps you can buy too. But there are also some DIY mosquito traps that are just as effective.
Mosquito-proof your apartment now
Mosquitoes are the same, whether they are found in apartments or in houses. You can say that mosquitoes in apartments are a little harder to deal with. This is because you have a limited space to work with and there are some things outside of your control because your property is part of a building.
But you can also say that mosquitoes in apartments are actually easier to deal with. You have a smaller space to maintain after all.