Keeping Mosquitoes Out of Rain Barrels

Rain barrels are used to collect rainwater from rooftops, which can be used for watering gardens, washing cars or flushing toilets. This method of harvesting rainwater cuts down the cost of water usage in the household and conserves water. However, rain barrels with standing water can also become rich breeding grounds for mosquitoes. There are ways you can keep mosquitoes out of rain barrels and help reduce mosquito breeding sites.

The things you'll need are minnows or goldfish, mosquito dunks, plastic mesh window screen, cheesecloth and mosquito larvicide.

Empty rain barrels every four to six days. Female mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water. It only takes seven to 14 days for the egg to emerge into an adult mosquito.

Add mosquito-eating fish into the rain barrels. Minnows or goldfish, for example, are known to eat mosquito larvae. Provide adequate ventilation for the fish inside the barrel, or they'll die.

Use small portions of mosquito dunks. Buy the product from most garden supply stores. Mosquito dunks are bacterial larvicide that kill mosquito larvae. These dunks slowly release an active ingredient, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), that kills mosquitoes for 30 days or more. They are safe for your plants and don't harm pets or people.

Cover the rain barrel with fine screening. Screens keep mosquitoes out and prevent them from laying eggs into the water. Secure plastic mesh window screening over your rain barrel's openings. Add cheesecloth on top of the screen as an additional filter.

Have an overflow hole on the rain barrel to keep the water level below the screen. Mosquitoes can breed in the water between the screen and the top of the water surface if the rain barrel is full to the top.

Aside from these, a good insect repellent band is also a good option. The Repeller Bug Band is a natural insect repellent bug bracelet that is DEET-free and safe for kids. Mosquitoes, including ticks, fleas, gnats, etc., will hate you for wearing this band. It has a formula that offers the best balanced proportion of 11 natural, organic essential oils and repels mosquitoes and fleas, gnats, ticks, ants and more! With this product, you get real protection without the use of dangerous sprays or powders!

Treating Mosquito Bites on a Baby

Babies with exposed skin outdoors are at risk for mosquito bites. Mosquitoes frequently bite areas such as the neck, hands and ankles. The bites can cause uncomfortable itching and swelling, which can be difficult for a baby to deal with, especially a young infant who is unable to communicate. Remedies that work for adults may be unsafe to use on babies, so special precautions need to be taken when treating mosquito bites on an infant.

With just soap and water, cold washcloth, ice pack, baking soda paste, calamine lotion and nail clippers, you can protect your bundle of joy from mosquito bites.

Clean the area where the mosquito bit the baby with warm, soapy water. This will soothe the baby and remove any blood left by the biting mosquito.

Apply a cold washcloth to the bite to relieve itching and reduce swelling. An ice pack will also work to reduce discomfort, but wrap a towel or washcloth around the ice pack to prevent the ice from being too cold on the baby's skin.

Apply Calamine lotion to the bite to stop itching. Create a thick paste with baking soda and water if lotion is not available. Apply a small amount to the affected area only.

Cut the baby's fingernails to keep the child from scratching the bite open. Bloody, exposed mosquito bites are at greater risk for becoming infected. Scratching the bite could also cause bacteria from under the baby's nails to get into the mosquito bite. Clipping the baby's nails will also prevent the baby from getting a scar.

Monitor the bites for 24 hours, checking for excessive swelling or drainage. Continue to apply cold washcloths and lotion for as long as the baby appears to be uncomfortable. The bites may take weeks to disappear completely.

Also, a simple tip would be wearing a repellent bracelet such as the Repeller Bug Band.The Repeller Bug Band is a natural insect repellent bug bracelet that is DEET-free and safe for kids. It contains an all-natural,non-spray & deet-free repellent formula. This formula offers the best balanced proportion of 11 natural, organic essential oils and repels mosquitoes and fleas, gnats, ticks, ants and more! With this product, you get real protection without the use of dangerous sprays or powders!

Keeping Hornets & Wasps Away

Wasps and hornets are bothersome, yet necessary, insects. But even if they are an important part of our ecosystem, nothing is quite as annoying as hornets and wasps flying around your yard while you’re trying to enjoy a day outside. In addition, these insects may pose a health risk—hornet and wasp stings can hurt quite badly, and some people are allergic to these stings. If you need to rid your garden of hornets and wasps, choose an eco-friendly method rather than using a commercial toxic insecticide.

Materials

• Empty spray bottle
• Duct tape
• ½ oz. citronella oil
• 1/8 oz. pennyroyal oil
• ¼ oz. lavender oil
• 1/8 oz. tea tree oil
• 1/8 oz. jojoba oil
• Empty 2-liter soda bottle
• Sharp knife
• Bait (beer, fruit juice or wine, for example)

Repellent Spray
Fill a clean, empty spray bottle with ½ oz. citronella oil, 1/8 oz. pennyroyal oil, ¼ oz. lavender oil, 1/8 oz. tea tree oil and 1/8 oz. jojoba oil. These essential oils can be purchased at most health food stores or pharmacies.

Shake the bottle well to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

Spray the mixture around the yard, on outdoor furniture, and even on clothing to deter hornets and wasps.


Hornet and Wasp Trap
Thoroughly rinse out an empty 2-liter soda bottle with plain water.

Cut the top off of the bottle. Use a sharp knife and make the cut carefully at the point where the sides of the bottle begin to even out with the width of the bottle. On most 2-liter soda bottles, this point is just above the label.

Place bait in the bottom of the bottle. Beer, sugary soda, fruit juice, and wine are some examples of good wasp and hornet bait. Place about 2 inches of bait into the bottom of the bottle.

Situate the top part of the bottle that you cut off upside down into the bottom part of the bottle (without the cap). Make sure the two pieces fit snugly with one another. Apply a few pieces of duct tape along the edges if the pieces are not snug.

Place the trap in places you’ve seen wasps. The idea is for the wasps and hornets to fly down into the funnel of the trap to get to the bait and drown before they can get out.

To prevent hornets and wasps, a good natural repellent product to use is the Repeller Bug Band. The Repeller Bug Band is a natural insect repellent bug bracelet that is DEET-free and safe for kids. It contains an all-natural,non-spray & deet-free repellent formula. This formula offers the best balanced proportion of 11 natural, organic essential oils and repels mosquitoes and fleas, gnats, ticks, ants and more! With this product, you get real protection without the use of dangerous sprays or powders!

Marigolds are Mosquito Repellents

Mosquitoes. The name itself brings an itch to the skin and a frown to the face. Not only do they bite, and suck your blood, they leave an itchy welt and can even carry diseases like the Nile virus. Festive outdoor parties can be ruined by the presence of these pesky insects, but spraying chemicals on your friends and family isn’t the most pleasant thing to do either.Using plants like the marigold can not only help repel mosquitoes but provide bursts of colors throughout your yard or patio. It’s unpleasant smell helps deter those tiny skin-nibblers and is an easy and inexpensive alternative to poisonous chemicals. Many insect repellents use a compound called Pyrethrum, which is found in marigold. This is what makes the marigold plant so effective in naturally repelling these pests. Here’s how to go naturally mosquito-free with marigolds.


Using Marigolds to Keep Mosquitoes Away

Pot them up. Marigolds come in lots of big bright colors like orange and yellow, and come in a variety of bloom sizes, so mix them up by potting up five large pots for an average patio or large and medium sized pots for a vaster space. You can intersperse them amongst your other patio flowers to add variety.

Create a boundary-border. Use the smaller variety of marigolds like the French marigold and Queen Sophia to edge your flower or vegetable gardens. This will provide a boundary that will help discourage mosquitoes from coming around while you are weeding or simply walking to and from your home.


Place near windows and doorways. This is an important step. Fill your window boxes with Golden Gate marigolds and pot up a few larger varieties like the African marigold near the doorways to help keep the blood suckers from coming into your home and buzzing around you at night. Pot up a couple to put on the bedside tables at your cabin to keep your vacation itch-free.

Another good way to prevent mosquitoes is by wearing a natural repellent bracelet, such as the Repeller Bug Band. It is a DEET free repellent & safe for kids (wrists / ankles) and babies (attach to ankle or baby stroller). Wear it on your wrist, ankle or attach it to your backpack. It is easy to use and you won’t even notice it’s there. It holds 1 Repeller Band Refill (15 Days Of Protection Per Refill). It contains an all-natural,non-spray & deet-free repellent formula. This formula offers the best balanced proportion of 11 natural, organic essential oils and repels mosquitoes and fleas, gnats, ticks, ants and more! With this product, you get real protection without the use of dangerous sprays or powders!.

Make Your Own Mosquito Trap

Mosquitoes carry diseases and illnesses to humans and animals. Humans can contract West Nile Virus, malaria and encephalitis from a mosquito bite. A mosquito bite can cause heartworms in dogs. Mosquitoes breed in areas where water is standing, so you should make sure there aren’t any areas of standing water around your home. Another way to reduce the mosquito population around your home is to make several mosquito traps, and place them in areas where you have seen mosquitoes.

Materials

• Duct tape
• 1 cup sugar
• 2-liter plastic bottle
• Knife
• Black paper
• Microwave-safe bowl
• 3 cups water
• 1 packet yeast
• Cooking thermometer
• Microwave
• Cooking spoon

Procedures

1. Place the bowl on a flat surface, and add 1 cup of water. Place the bowl in the microwave, and cook on high for two minutes. Remove from microwave.
2. Add 1 cup of sugar to the bowl, and stir with the cooking spoon to dissolve the sugar. Put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 60 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave.
3. Add the remaining 2 cups of water to the bowl, and stir the mixture until completely blended. This will make light-colored syrup.
4. Measure 6 inches down from the top of the 2-liter drink bottle, draw a line around the bottle at the 6-inch mark, and cut the bottle apart at the line. The top part that you cut off will resemble a funnel.
5. Pour the syrup into the bottom half of the drink bottle. Check the temperature of the syrup with the cooking thermometer. It needs to be between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If it isn’t, wait until it cools before moving to the next step.
6. Open the packet of yeast and sprinkle it across the top of the syrup. Stir the yeast into the syrup.
7. Flip the top part of the bottle upside down, and put it into the bottom half of the bottle. It will fit snugly into the bottle. Duct tape the sides, so it won’t come apart.
8. Put a piece of black paper around the bottle, and tape it in place.
9. Set the bottle in a place with mosquitoes, and let it stand. Mosquitoes will go in, but can’t escape. Change the liquid in the bottle about once a month.

Aside from this simple DIY, a simple tip would be wearing a repellent bracelet such as the Repeller Bug Band.The Repeller Bug Band is a natural insect repellent bug bracelet that is DEET-free and safe for kids. It contains an all-natural,non-spray & deet-free repellent formula. This formula offers the best balanced proportion of 11 natural, organic essential oils and repels mosquitoes and fleas, gnats, ticks, ants and more! With this product, you get real protection without the use of dangerous sprays or powders!

Bergamot Benefits

Even If the plant had nothing but its beauty to recommend it, wild bergamot would still be worth growing. The narrow tubular flowers, which bloom from July through September, range from maroon to magenta to lilac In color and resemble a somewhat disheveled chrysanthemum atop a two-foot high, erect stalk.

Since the herb is a member of the mint family, it has its relatives' square, hollow stem, shallow, dense root system and paired leaves, which are tinged with reddish-purple on their "under" surfaces.

The pretty plant — though not choosy as to where it grows — does prefer "wet feet" and partial shade. You should know, also, that growing bergamot from seed is a slow process, so it's best to start your crop with root cuttings. Simply divide the roots — at any time from early spring until late fall — remove any woody or blackened portions, and set the runners out 18 Inches apart.

In order to maintain a healthy stand of flowers, this resetting should be done every three years. if, however, you feed your plants with compost In the fall, your "patch" can be left in the same spot (and will produce abundantly) for a good bit longer. Also, If you cut the plant back after the first bloom, It will produce an additional "harvest" during the same growing season.

Apart from Its beauty, bergamot functions as one of many flowers that attract hummingbirds and is a good companion plant for tomatoes. What's more, a leaf or two — tucked in a hat or pocket — will help repel pesky mosquitoes and gnats.

When harvested, bergamot is excellent for potpourri and dried flower arrangements, it makes a great garnish in wine cups and fruit punch, adds zing to lemonade and apple jelly and can also be used to flavor salads.

Also, a simple tip would be wearing a repellent bracelet such as the Repeller Bug Band.The Repeller Bug Band is a natural insect repellent bug bracelet that is DEET-free and safe for kids. It contains an all-natural,non-spray & deet-free repellent formula. This formula offers the best balanced proportion of 11 natural, organic essential oils and repels mosquitoes and fleas, gnats, ticks, ants and more! With this product, you get real protection without the use of dangerous sprays or powders!

Repelling Mosquitoes with these Plants

Various herbs have been used for centuries to help keep mosquitoes from landing on skin and biting. However, over the last century with the emergence of new products containing synthetic chemicals such as DEET, many common herbs with insect repelling qualities are no longer being used. However, plants can be used to repel biting insects.

To keep away mosquitoes during picnics outdoors burn Citronella candles. Lemon grass, Cymbopogan nardus, a course grass-like plant, contain Citronella oils. As well as its essential oil repelling insects it also may help to deter unwanted cats in the garden. Burning candles with wicks saturated with the herb, myrrh is also quite effective at keeping many insects away. Egyptians used myrrh as a fumigant.

Indoors try placing the scented geranium, Pelargonium citrosum Vanieenii at strategic locations such as near doors and windows. "Vanieenii" has a good reputation for warding off bugs. Many other scented geraniums besides "Vanieenii" also contain Citronella oils which help repel insects.
If insects such as mosquitoes have already become a problem many herbs can be used directly on the skin as repellents. Infusions of 50% Chomomile and 50% Elder leaves dubbed on skin are effective for up to 20 minutes. Infusions are much like making tea, boiling water is poured over the herb and the herb/water mixture is then left to steep for 10 to 15 minutes. The remaining liquid is strained and used as the repellant.

As well as infusion, other properties of herbs such as their essential oils can be used as repellents. Essential oils such as Lavender, Tea tree oil and Citronella from the stone root, Collinsonia canadensis an be worn on the skin and in hair to effectively keep mosquitoes away. It is best to dilute these powerful essential oils in a little olive oil and test this new mixture on a patch of skin before applying to ones entire body. Pennyroyal has also been used throughout history to repel insects. However, the oil of Pennyroyal is extremely toxic and should only be used by certified herbalist.
In the event mosquitoes were not repelled effectively, many herbs can be used to relieve the itching from bites. Wash insect bites with a Tea tree oil based soap and rinse with witch hazel. Next, dab freshly washed bites and lemon juice or cider vinegar. Before bedtime, apply lavender oil or cinnamon oil by rubbing on the affected area. As well as helping repel mosquitoes these oils also take away itching from bites.

Another quick and simple tip to prevent mosquito bites would be wearing a natural insect repellent bracelet such as the Repeller Bug Band.The Repeller Bug Band is a natural insect repellent bug bracelet that is DEET-free and safe for kids. It contains an all-natural,non-spray & deet-free repellent formula. This formula offers the best balanced proportion of 11 natural, organic essential oils and repels mosquitoes and fleas, gnats, ticks, ants and more! With this product, you get real protection without the use of dangerous sprays or powders!