You may have heard conflicting statements or read multiple articles that tell you what hours are best to avoid mosquitoes. The problem is, they all say something different.
How do you avoid mosquito bites if you can’t figure out when they’re the most active? The short answer is you can’t. Arming yourself with the most information and the best products are the surest ways to keep yourself from scratching until you go crazy. Worse than this, our kiddos love the great outdoors, and we hate to see them uncomfortable.
So today, we are going to go over all the details you need to know about mosquitoes, what hours you need to be extra vigilant, and the best ways to repel mosquitoes safely.
The Life of a Mosquito
You have to get into the mind of a mosquito to know precisely what you’re dealing with. With mosquitoes, it’s important to know that you’re not just safeguarding yourself and your kids from getting bitten so that you don’t itch; it’s also for safety.
Mosquitoes are the number one killer in the world. They are known as vectors, an animal or insect that carries dangerous illnesses and diseases and passes them on to other creatures.
For mosquitoes, this includes diseases like Zika Virus, Malaria, and Dengue Fever. These dangerous and deadly diseases are the most critical reason to keep you and your kiddos bite-free while enjoying the fresh air.
How Do Mosquitoes Bite?
Mosquitoes are built of the basics: antennas, wings, legs, and an abdomen. They also feature organs like the proboscis, palps, and thorax. The thorax is the area of the body that connects the head to the wings and legs.
The proboscis is the mouthpiece that pierces our skin and helps mosquitoes drink our blood.
Their antennae are feather-like organs that allow mosquitoes to scan the air and find us when we exhale. Aiding in this effort are the palps organs — these organs are located between the antennae and sense odor.
Do All Mosquitoes Bite?
Unfun fact: there are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes. Of this alarming amount, only about 6% bite humans.
And of this percentage, only female mosquitoes drink blood. Females only do this when they are in need of laying eggs. The protein from our blood or animal blood contains enough protein that aids in reproduction.
While yes, females will bite us when they’re about to lay eggs, they do usually prefer to bite animals. We are a last-ditch effort to get the protein they need.
Why Do Mosquito Bites Itch?
When a mosquito feeds, they inject saliva into the skin to numb the area. This allows them enough time to snack until they’re full.
When they’re done, the saliva stops being injected into your skin as they remove the proboscis. It’s not the actual bite that bothers; it’s the protein in mosquitoes’ saliva that causes a slight allergic reaction.
This allergic reaction causes a bump at the bite site and an intense itching sensation. This sensation can last up to four days before starting to fade away.
It’s important to know that never, under any circumstances, give in and satisfy the itch. Scratching can pierce the skin further and cause issues like skin infections. If you scratch hard enough, you could also cause scabs that lead to scars.
Why Are Some People More Sensitive to Mosquito Bites?
We try to avoid them, but it does happen from time to time that we get bit by mosquitoes. The itching sensation and bump aren’t great, but we can handle them.
For kids, who aren’t as used to getting bitten, the itching can be more intense and lead to further reactions. Swelling and pain are very common for children to experience when suffering from mosquito bites, so being hyper-vigilant to keep kids safe is crucial.
It is also quite common for adults to be more chronically allergic to mosquito bites, basically meaning they never grew out of the intense reaction that they might have seen as children.
Common signs and symptoms include heat at the bite and heavy swelling of the extremities around the area, and you can also expect the symptoms of a mosquito bite to last twice as long.
When Are Mosquitoes Most Active?
It is a common misconception that mosquitoes are only active at night. We are here today to debunk this argument.
Mosquitoes are active and awake during the day as well as the evening. As a safety precaution, they generally try to hide during the day when animals and people are more likely to recognize them and swat them away. However, that doesn’t mean daytime is totally safe — mosquitoes aren’t vampires, and they will come out in the bright sun.
They fare better by biting at dusk or night when the night sky can hide them from your clear view. This fact has led to a lot of people not even realizing that they are at risk of being bitten at high noon, just the same as at twilight.
To keep yourself and your kiddos bite-free, you need to take steps to keep your home safe and other measures to keep you safe when you leave the house.
Taking Precautions
While you can’t guarantee mosquitoes won’t be around, you can take a few steps to ensure that your home is safe and your extremities, no matter where you go.
Keeping Your Home Safe
Mosquitoes can live up to two weeks and can hang out in your home the entire time. Keeping them out is the best way to prevent bites, but you’ll need to take steps to keep these unwelcome guests away from your home and out of it.
This means keeping your lawn and yard area tidy and trimmed. High, unkempt grass is the perfect place for mosquitoes to hang out and hide during the day. An undisturbed lawn is like an invitation for these bugs to set up shop.
If you like to keep doors open during the day to let in a light breeze, make sure that you keep screen doors closed, and the screen itself is free from rips and tears. Even the smallest hole is enough space for a mosquito to squeeze through and find dinner and a new place to live.
Keeping Yourself Safe
Wearing clothing made from the right material is a great way to keep yourself safe from bites. Materials like Spandex are stretchy and comfortable but thin enough for mosquitoes to bite through.
Instead, wear denim or shirts made from windbreaker jackets to keep your skin safe and bite-free. Mosquitoes are tough, but they’re not tough enough to bite through these fabrics.
Essential Oils Can Help
Essential oils have been used for thousands of years to repel mosquitoes as well as treat a variety of other ailments. They have proven their strength and reliability, and thankfully for us, they’re still in use today.
When we breathe in and out, mosquitoes find you by the carbon you emit. Essential oils, like a citronella blend, mask your carbon dioxide and keep you safe from mosquitoes.
The best part about using essential oils, aside from the fact that they are proven to help, is how incredibly safe and natural they are. Chemical pesticides and insect repellents are full of ingredients that carry safety risks. These chemicals carry potential side effects for both people and the environment and just aren’t worth the safety risk.
The trickiest part about using essential oils is how you use them and where. While diluted oils are safe for skin, they wear off quickly and require continuous application. Kids are notorious for hating the texture of oils and lotions on their skin as well, so they’re likely to rub it off immediately.
Using Them the Right Way
There is a better way. Our BuzzPatch is full of the ultimate blend of citronella essential oils that will mask your breath from mosquitoes, and the patches are full of enough oils to last up to eight hours.
This means you can play tennis or catch up with the kiddos all day and not have to worry about reapplying. The kids will love the cute designs, and you’ll love that they’re safe.
The best part? Our patches go on clothes, not on skin, so you’ll be able to stick the patches and forget about them while they work all day to keep you safe.
Help After Bites
We know that try as we might, things happen in life. If this is the case, and you find yourself a victim of a mosquito, don’t worry; we’re here for you.
Our scientifically created MagicPatch employs a unique grid technology that helps pull mosquito saliva up to the top of the skin to relieve the itching faster and keep it away longer.
Each patch lasts up to three days and is completely waterproof. It will last through play, bathtime, and everything in between to keep you safe from needing to itch.
Have Fun in the Sun
The bottom line is essential oils can keep you and your family safe, and thanks to our patches, you’ll be safe no matter where the day takes you.
Even though mosquitoes thrive all day and party all night, our patches are full of up to eight hours of the perfect essential oil blend to keep you camouflaged from their radar for a full day of hiking or outdoor sporting events!
Sources:
DUSK TO DAWN ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF ANOPHELINE MOSQUITOES IN WEST TIMOR AND JAVA, INDONESIA | TM
Essential Oils as Green Pesticides: Potential and Constraints | NRI
