Mosquitos are dangerous insects that are known carriers of a variety of diseases that, if left untreated, can lead to health complications such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and encephalitis, and even worse, death. This is the reason why, as parents, you should do everything to make your homes a mosquito-free place so that the chances of your children getting mosquito bites will be significantly lessened. Mosquito bites usually manifest through itchy bumps in the skin. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that you can help your place become a safer place for your children to stay in.
Tips to prevent mosquitoes in your home:
- Eliminate breeding ground of mosquitoes
Your home can be a breeding ground of mosquitoes, especially in hollow-like spaces where water can remain stagnant for days. Make sure that you check your house, especially your yard for potential places of mosquitoes to lay eggs to avoid it becoming a breeding ground. These are some of the hotspots for mosquitoes to lay eggs in:
- Tarpaulins – Tarpaulins that are used to cover equipment, furniture, or anything that is draped will wear over time and sag into pockets. These are potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes as when it rains, and water will accumulate in these pockets. Always check that tarpaulins do not sag and tighten them as needed to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs.
- Toys – Toys such as teacups and fire trucks can gather stagnant water, especially when left in the yard for a long period. To instil discipline in your child, make sure that they clean and fix their toys after playing with it outside. Also, tire swing sets are potential breeding grounds for mosquitos. Even if tire swing sets can be a lot of fun, minimise the risk by getting rid of these old tire swing sets entirely. These are tips for mosquito prevention for kids.
- Puddles – While puddle jumping is a fun activity, especially during the rainy season, puddles are hazardous breeding grounds for mosquitos. To eliminate puddles, invest in landscaping activities, or fix your water pipes! Even if these repairs and restorations may be costly, the health of you and your children should be your utmost priority.
- Water fountain for Bird Baths – While fountains or birdbaths add to the aesthetic quality for your front yard, these are hotspots for female mosquitoes to lay their eggs in. Your first option is to eliminate them, but if you prefer to have these, make sure that you clean them regularly to avoid stagnant water.
- Gutters – Gutters can potentially be clogged with debris over time, which can then have stagnant water. Make sure you regularly clean and maintain your rain gutters so mosquitos would not breed in your rain gutters.
- Mosquito traps
Another option to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your homes is to set mosquito traps. It can be through UV mosquito repellent lamps or the more traditional vertical sticky paper. A pro tip is to make sure that mosquito traps are far from crowded places in your house, such as the kitchen, the dining room, or the living room.
- Keep yourself protected!
There are many ways you can protect yourself from mosquito bites. One way is for you to apply mosquito repellent lotion regularly to have mosquito prevention for your kids.
Hopefully, the tips above can help you and your family be safe and protected from mosquito bites. Be sure to spot potential mosquito breeding grounds in your home and either eliminate these risks or regularly clean and maintain them. Another tip is to keep yourself protected by setting mosquito traps in the less-crowded areas of your home and to apply mosquito repellent lotion.