At best, they're annoying, but at worst, they're one of the most dangerous animals. Mosquitoes and the diseases they carry cause more human deaths than any other animal. So what are some of the best ways to keep yourself and your home safe from mosquitoes? 

Personal precautions against mosquitoes

First, limit the time you spend outside when mosquitoes are looking for a blood meal. This usually means you want to avoid being outside at dusk and dawn. If you have to be outside, try to avoid having a mosquito land on your skin (and bite you). You can do this by wearing certain types of clothing and using insect repellents.

The best clothing to wear is something that covers the most amount of skin, without being too tight. Mosquitoes will bite through thin clothing that rests close to your skin. Loose-fitting long pants and long sleeves work well. Also, wearing clothing that is treated with an insecticide. This should help to kill any mosquito that lands on you - hopefully before it bites you. Insect repellent can be sprayed on your body and on your clothes. They contain chemicals that mosquitoes don’t like. This will reduce the chances that a mosquito lands on you.

Protect yourself while you sleep

When sleeping you are most at risk of getting bitten. If you are in an area with lots of mosquitoes, you  should sleep under a bed net. This will stop a mosquito from landing on you and biting you when you are sleeping. Bed nets are only useful when you are under them, are tucked in, and when they don’t have holes. Mosquitoes are very good at finding even the smallest hole in your bednet! Bed nets are used by many children in areas with malaria and this has helped to reduce the spread of malaria. Bednets that are treated with an insecticide can be extra helpful to keep mosquitoes away.

Keep mosquitoes out of your home

Now, protecting your home can be much more involved. You want to reduce mosquito breeding areas and stop them from entering your home. Reducing mosquito breeding areas is not an easy task. To do this, you need to inspect all bodies of water around your home. This includes pools, bird baths, ponds, and more.

These areas should be treated with chemicals, such as chlorine. Other methods such as adding mosquito fish that eat the larvae can also be used. Other places that should be checked are containers, gutters, toys, pots, and trash. Whether a body of water is small or large, clean or dirty, mosquitoes can likely breed in them. 

Stopping mosquitoes from entering your home is a great way to protect yourself and your home. Keeping your windows and doors closed or covered with a net or screen can help with this. If you have access to mosquito traps, setting them up around your house can help keep them out as well. If you have air conditioning in your house, this may also help to reduce mosquito numbers. Mosquitoes don’t like cold temperatures and dry air. Lastly, mosquitoes can also sometimes be found in potted plants. Be sure to check the soil of the plants for mosquito eggs, larvae, or pupae.

As you can see there are many ways to protect you and your home from mosquitoes. There is no one right way of protecting yourself or your home, so choose what works best for you. 

Protection from mosquitoes is very important. It helps to lower the amount of disease spread by these insects. If you live in an area with mosquitoes or are traveling to an area with them, be sure to practice protection. The more mosquito bites that are prevented, the safer you are from the diseases they spread.

Additional images via Wikimedia Commons. Image of children under bed net by USDHHS.