5 Protective Measures to Save Your House from Mosquitoes in the Summer

Summertime is playtime, filled with family gatherings, barbeques and hopefully a lot of swimming! The downside to summer is that along with the amazing weather and fun times, comes pesky bugs and insects. Probably one of the most annoying of all these bugs is mosquitoes. These tiny, blood sucking creatures can cause a lot of havoc on your body, leaving behind welts that itch like crazy. Here we have some tried and true tips on how to save your house from mosquitoes in the summer.1. All-Around Good Check
The first protective measure to take when protecting your home from mosquitoes is to do an all around good check on the parameters for any holes or cracks in the foundation. Since mosquitoes are little they can fit into the tiniest of places. Also do a thorough check of all the windows and screens. Patch any holes with masking tape, window sealer or replace the screens entirely. If you can manage, close all your doors and windows especially between dusk and dawn hours as these are prime time for mosquitoes.

2. The Lighting
Mosquitoes and other bugs are light lovers so keeping your outside decks, porches and patios dim or dark will ward off some of them. This is particularly true of overhead lighting above doors and entryways. If you feel you must have lighted areas invest in some good yellow lights instead of the typical white bulbs as they are not as attracted to those.

3. Watery Areas
Mosquitoes have to have blood and water to survive. Many will notice watery areas as being more populated so keep you pools covered when you can and dump any water being unused within your home like in glasses or bowls. If you have a pond on your property consider adding lilies and fish. Mosquitoes will be attracted to the lilies and fish will feed on them. It won't solve all your mosquito issues but the fish will feed on a large population of them. Additionally, keep pools chlorinated. Mosquitoes do not like it and thereby will not make yours a meeting ground.

Clear your property of old debris where water can gather like tires, toys and old buckets. When the rain falls it will rest in items like this and breeds of mosquitoes will hang out there drinking, and likely make their way into your house in little time. Poke tiny holes in recycling bins and garbage cans so they don't collect water.

4. Outdoor and Indoor Protective Products
There are also tons of products sold in stores that can help with indoor and outdoor mosquito problems at various prices. Citronella is an herbal based product that is popular for mosquito control. Burn some straight oil or light incense. You can also pick up some candles made from it. Not only will it keep the bugs away, they smell really nice. Retailers and even some utility companies sell bug repelling lanterns and lights which work wonders at keeping mosquitoes at bay. Any product you buy should be incandescent lighting for the best results.

Mosquito traps are also sold in stores. These handy gadgets will attract the mosquitoes and draw them into the net which you attach to a receptacle can. The chemicals in the scent will kill them, leaving no mess to clean. Other products include mosquito tape that can be hung around the edges of doors and windows. When the mosquitoes fly they are attracted to the scented tape and once they land, they get stuck and die from lack of blood and water. These aren't the most attractive things to have on the outside of your house but they will keep some from getting inside.

5. Shady Areas
Mosquitoes will search high and low for shady areas and wet areas. Keep curtains up so there isn't much shady space for them to linger and remove your trash daily as they will also scout cans looking for food and water sources. Of course even using all of these methods won't ensure that none get in but they will help a great deal. Always wear bug repellant even when indoors or going in and out of the house. This will keep them from landing on you and you bringing them indoors on your skin and clothes.