You don’t need high-priced, bulky mosquito vacuums and traps to keep those pesky insects from ruining your time outdoors this summer. Clever and cheap mosquito control products can repel and kill mosquitos effectively without sucking the money out of your wallet or soaking your family in chemicals.
All of the following mosquito control products are available from online sources.
Natural Mosquito Barrier
Dracula isn’t the only one who hates garlic, so do mosquitos, according to the folks at MosquitoBarrier.com. The company sells a liquid made of 99.3 percent garlic juice, pictured below, that kills all adults and larvae that come in contact with an initial spraying and masks the smell of carbon dioxide that humans exhale. Mix the solution with water (or with water, oil and soap for areas with standing water) and spray all grass, shrubs, and tree trunks, as well as beneath decks and in other dark places mosquitos congregate. Three sprayings each summer should keep mosquitos in check. Price: $84.95 a gallon, which includes shipping and handling and will suffice for an average lawn.
Mosquito Annoyer
Turn the tables and start bugging the mosquito with the Mosquito Annoyer (see photo below) form Cabelas.com. The device emits a sound reportedly repellant to female mosquitos, which are the ones that bite. Cabela’s claims 95 percent effectiveness, and many of the reviews on the site rave over the device. Four out of ten reviewers, however, claim great annoyance with the inability of the Mosquito Annoyer to keep the biting bugs off of them. At a price of $9.99, an including a solar powered battery, the device merits a try. Shipping is $5.95.
Mosquito Repellant Lantern
Get groovy and stay bite free with the ThermaCELL Mood Lantern, pictured below and available at Mosquitorepellant.com. ThermaCELL products use mats embedded with Allethrin, a synthetic form of natural insecticide found in chrysanthemum flowers, to repel mosquitos. The Mood Lantern also uses battery power to put on a rainbow light show while creating a 15-foot-square barrier against the buzzing, biting insects. The lantern comes with enough repellent for 12 hours of protection. Four AA batteries are also included. Price: $31.99. Shipping varies with UPS Ground.
Bugband Mosquito Repelling Wristband
The BugBand mosquito repelling wristband uses geraniol, the naturally occurring ingredient in geranium flowers, to keep skeeters away. Users wear a cute, plastic band around their wrist, as a hatband, or dangling from a belt loop to ward off mosquitos. Buy a family pack of four BugBand wristbands for $14.95 at the company’s website. Shipping varies.
Skeeter Bag Mosquito Catcher
Totally chemical free and rather ingenious is the Skeeterbag Mosquito Trap Kit. Just attach the mesh bag to a 20-inch box fan and place the contraption near the area you want to keep mosquito free. The pesky biters get sucked into the net and die. Check out the folksy and informative Skeeterbag website for more information. Price: $19.95. Shipping varies.
A variety of mosquito repelling and control products can keep these pesky bugs off of you and your family. To choose the product that’s right for you, consider the chemicals used, how large an area the product covers and how long the mosquito repellent or killer remains effective.
Judith Zwolak - Judy is a mother of two and a freelance writer living in South Dakota. Raised by notoriously frugal parents, she comes by her family ...
