How to protect yourself from mosquitoes?

Mosquitoes bring a lot of trouble not only to the inhabitants of private houses and lovers of walks in nature, but also to residents of urban high-rise buildings. The problem of how to protect yourself from mosquitoes and protect yourself from their bites, which can cause allergic reactions in many of us, is familiar to almost everyone. You will learn about different ways to combat flying insects from this article.

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Are mosquitoes dangerous?

Concerning whether small mosquitoes are a threat to human health and whether special methods are used to protect themselves from mosquitoes, there are two completely opposite opinions:

1. Supporters of one of them believe that these insects are spreading a variety of diseases and often refer to them as "bearers"contagion ".
2. Others believe that such a statement is wrong, and mosquitoes can not cause serious harm to humans, and painful bites and even a possible allergy are just minor troubles.

Important! We urge you to reassure: unlike insects that live in the tropics and are carriers of malaria, in our latitudes mosquitoes are relatively safe and are not capable of infecting you with any unpleasant diseases. Even frightening large mosquitoes with long legs, at the sight of which people prone to panic, shout "malarial" and run away, are practically harmless.

However, in any case, the presence of mosquitoes is not worth it. So that you can choose the best way to protect yourself from mosquitoes, check out some interesting facts about them:

1. Only females of these insects bite - a protein that is contained in human or animal blood is necessary for "mosquitoes" to lay eggs and reproduce. Males eat nectar plants and are absolutely harmless.
2. The number of mosquitoes is not constant, their number directly depends on humidity: in the dry season there are fewer of them and from the altitude - as a rule, above 1500 m above sea level mosquitoes are not found.
3. Favorite places of dwelling of bloodsuckers are valleys and lowlands, especially a lot of them around reservoirs. They love dampness and warmth. In dry weather or heat, when the air temperature exceeds + 28 ° C, and the humidity is below 80%, mosquitoes disappear.
4. Especially annoying mosquitoes in the evening and at night, besides these twilight insects in search of prey can fly to the light. At other times of the day, their activity is weakened, especially under the influence of direct sunlight and wind.
5. The skin of each person has its own, unique smell and, oddly enough, not all of us are "attractive" for mosquitoes. Most often they attract strongly sweating people, because the sweat contains lactic acid, which mosquitoes like, and small children, because they have thin and delicate skin.

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What are the means of fighting mosquitoes?

The easiest way to protect yourself from mosquitoes in the apartment is to install mosquito nets on windows, you can attach gauze to the old frames. These measures are aimed at preventing access by insects to living quarters. In the event that mosquitoes still appeared or annoy you in nature, use other methods.

Currently, there are many special tools available that will help you in solving the problem of how to protect yourself from mosquitoes. They are conventionally divided into 2 types:

• synthetic - currently more popular due to availability and ease of use;
• natural - absolutely safe for humans, since they do not contain chemicals.

The main synthetic agents that are used most often are:

1. Fumigators.
2. Repellents.

Fumigators

These are special devices, inside which are bottles with liquid or removable plates, impregnated with an insecticide - a poison, deadly for mosquitoes. When the fumigator is turned on, the plate is heated, and the insecticide, evaporating, fills the air with substances that destroy insects.

To protect against mosquitoes, a liquid filled bottle is more convenient to use - it is designed for 30-45 nights, but you will have to change the plates daily.

Important! However, like any synthetic substances, fumigators are not harmless at all - because the harmful vapors that they excrete, people breathe, 12% of whom it can cause allergies. Therefore, never place the appliance near the bed, and with the fumigator on, be sure to leave the window open. If the house has a small child, buy special fumigators for kids with a minimum of toxic substances or choose another remedy to protect themselves from mosquitoes.

Spirals

Spirals are a specific remedy for mosquitoes. The edges need to be set on fire, the spiral will begin to smolder, and the smoke, which stands out, deters insects for 5-8 hours.

Important! Use spirals to protect yourself from mosquitoes in nature, otherwise - you can poison yourself with acrid smoke.

Repellents This group of synthetic agents includes various ointments, gels, lotions, as well as aerosols containing diethyltoluamide( DETA) and designed to repel insects. They are applied to the exposed areas of the skin and provide an opportunity to protect themselves from mosquitoes for 2-4 hours.

Aerosols can handle clothes, protective nets, tents, if you are in nature. In this case, they can operate for a month, but the main thing at the same time is not to wash the processed things.

Important! The main drawback of these drugs is toxicity. When choosing a drug, note that for an adult human suitable repellents containing 30-35% diethyltoluamide, for children - 6-10%.When buying, carefully read the instructions. If the repellent is intended for the child, it should contain more oils and plant extracts, rather than chemical additives. Only with this approach, the use of these tools to solve the problem, how to protect themselves from mosquitoes, is advisable.

Precautions:

1. Strictly control the amount of the substance used.
2. Distribute it on the skin evenly, do not exceed the norms specified in the instructions.
3. Do not use repellents more than 3 times a day.
4. Do not apply them to damaged skin if there are wounds, abrasions or scratches on it.
5. On return home, always rinse with hot water and soap. Children should not be treated with a means of hand, because any attempt to rub their eyes or taste a specific substance to taste can lead to irritation of the mucous eyes, respiratory tracts or the ingestion of the substance into the body and poisoning.

Important! According to the research, 17% of DETA from the composition of the repellent enters the human blood, the consequences of its use can be delayed in time and absolutely unpredictable. Therefore, the substance is contraindicated in pregnant women, young children under 1 year and people suffering from allergic reactions.

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What else will help protect yourself from mosquitoes?

Modern manufacturers of insect control products in order to protect themselves from mosquitoes in nature, offer consumers the following product groups:

1. Bracelets and plasters. Their main function is the repelling of insects. Convenient to use - dress on the arm( bracelets), glued to the skin or attached to clothing( plasters), recommended primarily for children. As part of these funds can be both chemicals and natural aromatic oils - lavender, mint, citronella, geranium.
2. Ultrasonic scarers. There are several types: appliances for home - inserted into the outlet, portable - in the form of key fobs, universal - designed to protect people and animals from mosquitoes, ticks and other insects.
3. Mosquito traps. Principle of action: produce carbon dioxide from propane. Mosquitoes are attracted, imitating human breathing, the smell of sweat and heat. Getting into such a trap, mosquitoes disappear from dehydration during the day. Calculated for installation in the country, in the garden, but there are also models for the house.

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What folk remedies can I use?

At a time when special chemicals were not produced, our ancestors successfully fought mosquitoes with their own recipes based on the use of plants that emit unpleasant smells for insects.

Although they are less reliable than modern synthetic products, they are absolutely safe for health. Especially relevant is their use in the event that chemicals cause you an allergy and the problem of how to protect yourself from mosquitoes seems insoluble.

We offer the following tips for dealing with bothersome insects:

1. Specific smell that repels mosquitoes, have branches and flowers of elderberry, bird cherry, stems of tomatoes with leaves. Place them in a room or place in a small vase or a jar of water and leave in the room.
2. Protect from mosquitoes the aromas of such herbs as lavender, mint, chamomile, tansy, rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, calendula. You can land them on your site or chop it, add it to a water bottle equipped with a spray, and use it as a spray.
3. Collect stems, leaves and inflorescences of Caucasian chamomile( pyrethrum).Dry them, chop and fill the grass with aromatic bags. Spread them in the apartment in different places. In this simple way, you can scare off not only mosquitoes, but also moths, if you place the bags in the wardrobe.
4. To reliably protect yourself from mosquitoes, buy a ready-made pyrethrum powder in the pharmacy. Take the strips of paper, grease them with a paste and sprinkle with this powder. Allow to dry and hang around the windows, above the front door - in all places where insects can penetrate from the outside into the house.
5. Decorate the windowsills with flowerpots with geranium flowers - beautiful plants with a very sharp smell, capable of driving away not only mosquitoes, but also flies.
6. An excellent way to protect yourself from mosquitoes is the decoction of wheatgrass and wormwood. A handful of roots of wheatgrass or wormwood chop, pour 2 liters of water and boil several times, so that the liquid has a light yellow color. Let it brew, then you can wash the decoction obtained and wipe the body before going out. Note that these plants are highly toxic at a high concentration.

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How to protect yourself from mosquitoes in nature?

If you are going to have a good time in the bosom of nature, there is a chance that the impression of a holiday will be spoiled by the invasion of harmful insects.

To protect yourself from mosquitoes in nature, use the following simple tips:

1. Choose places to relax away from the swampy terrain and standing water, since there are always a lot of mosquitoes. Then bloodsuckers will be much less and fighting mosquitoes does not take away all your free time.
2. The best way to protect yourself from flying insects is dense, closed clothing, hood or shawl. But for hot weather, such a suit will not work, because you risk getting a heat stroke. It is believed that mosquitoes attract all bright colors, especially blue. At the same time, insects do not like yellow color and are absolutely indifferent to white. So the outfit must necessarily be thought in advance. Then it will be much easier for you to protect yourself from mosquitoes.
3. Preparing for an exit on the nature, refuse from use of perfumery and, moreover, any means for hair styling. Mosquitoes are attracted to substances that have sharp odors - perfumes, toilet waters, deodorants and hair varnishes.
4. Try a few days before the proposed event to eat 2-3 feathers or a clove of garlic daily. Insects do not like this smell, but keep in mind that such a strong flavor may not please your friends, unless, of course, you are not going to rest alone.
5. To protect yourself from mosquitoes, vitamin B1 supplementation, 100 mg per day, will help even at least a few days before going out into the wild. Due to vitamin intake, the skin begins to release a specific odor that repels insects, but is absolutely imperceptible to other people.
6. Mosquitoes can not stand the smell of vanillin. Take the sachet, dissolve it in 100 g of warm water, pour a portion of the product into a bottle with an atomizer and spray the clothes abundantly. Spread the remaining solution on exposed skin. To make it better absorbed, you can mix the product with baby cream and apply to the body before use. This method is great for protecting small children from mosquitoes.
7. Squeeze out the liquid from the peel of lemon or orange and spread it over it - the smell of citrus must for some time scare off the insects.
8. A modern tool that will help solve the problem of how to protect yourself from mosquitoes in nature is a portable, self-dispersing repeller designed specifically for outdoor enthusiasts. It can be attached to clothing, the substance emits an unpleasant odor for the insects and, thus, creates a kind of "protective cloud" around the person. It is not recommended to use it continuously for more than 4 hours.
9. If you are molested by mosquitoes, look for a rowan or bird cherry near the resting place. Tear off the leaves, chop them and rub the skin - this will help protect themselves from mosquitoes.
10. Repelling insects with smoke is sometimes effective, but only as long as it goes in your direction. To increase the impact on mosquitoes, throw into the fire twigs of juniper, pine cones, grass wormwood, nettles or drip into the fire aromatic oils.
11. To protect yourself from mosquitoes in nature, the following recipe will help: in 1 glass of water pour 5-10 drops of essential oil of lavender, cloves, tea tree, geraniums and spread open areas of the body. Ethereal substances are highly concentrated, so you need to dilute them with water, otherwise you risk getting allergies and even skin burns under the influence of sunlight.
12. 2 tbsp.buds of cloves pour 50 ml of hot water. Let it brew and lubricate the exposed areas of the body.
13. You can pour cloves or anise seeds with alcohol - this will enhance its flavor and act such a mixture will be a longer time.

Important! Before using essential oils on the skin to protect yourself from mosquitoes, make sure that they do not cause an allergy. Make a sensitivity test: Apply a drop of oil to a small area of ​​the skin - on the inside of the elbow or on the wrist. If after a while the irritation does not appear - you can safely apply the selected drugs.

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What to do if mosquitoes still bite?

If you deliberately did not use methods that can be protected from mosquitoes or, for whatever reason, they did not help you and could not bite the bites, proceed as follows:

1. Wipe the place of bite with an aqueous solution of salt or soda.
2. Treat with antiallergic ointment.
3. Take an antihistamine.
4. Apply ice or cold compress.

Important! If the swelling does not decrease within a few days, the itching does not go away, pustules appear on the skin, or an increase in body temperature occurs - always consult a doctor.

Now you know almost all ways of how to protect yourself from mosquitoes, not only in the house, but also in nature. We wish you a pleasant stay!