Can there be anything more annoying than the ‘zzzzzz’ sound of a mosquito in your ear just as you have nodded off? Can there be anything as distressing as finding those telltale, red bites all over your toddler’s legs first thing in the morning? It’s a sure sign that these insects have been feasting on your beloved child’s blood. Can there be anything as exasperating as the severe itch of a fresh mosquito bite? Your nails will scratch away until they eventually draw blood, causing swelling or infection.

As the heat rises during the summer months, the mosquito season reaches its peak. The warm temperature is ideal to hasten their life cycle, which means more mosquitoes are laying eggs and more eggs are hatching.

Apart from the annoyance and itch, mosquitoes bring with them the threat of serious diseases like malaria and dengue fever. As female mosquitoes hop from one host to another, sinking their needle-like stinger to suck blood which they need to get protein to nourish their eggs, they transmit germs and viruses of diseases any host might be carrying. Mosquito bites can also cause severe reactions which may have to be treated with anti-allergy medicine.

They are a nuisance and can cause disease, but it’s not difficult to keep mosquitoes at bay

One of the responsibilities of an efficient homemaker is to take measures to keep her family safe from such threats. Here are some things you can do to make sure your home and vicinity are safe from the menace of mosquitoes:

Eliminate standing water: The foremost thing is to show zero tolerance for standing water — something which is a prevalent and perpetual problem on the streets and alleys of Pakistan.

May it be salty or fresh; in your gardens, driveways, roads, gutters and ditches — make sure these pools of water are cleaned up because that’s where mosquitoes will lay their eggs and hatch. Mosquitoes will sniff out standing water even if it is a small puddle under plant pots, tanks, birdbaths, inside tyres and under dripping air conditioners. Keeping yourself safe may even mean being vigilant enough to fill up any holes in the ground near your home where water might collect.

Cover yourself: It may be sweltering hot but make sure you and your family wear long-sleeved, loose cotton and lawn clothes especially if it involves an outing after dark in an open-air space like parks, beaches or roadsides.

Screen them out: This will involve putting up screens for windows and doors so that the breeze can provide respite from the heat but will keep out the pests. Removable nets over beds, especially for infants, are also extremely effective to get a peaceful sleep safe from buzzing mosquitoes.

Apply safe mosquito repellents: There is a range of mosquito coils, power guards and creams which can help ward off mosquitoes, which should be kept handy.

The number of hours a repellent remains effective depends from product to product, on the amount of active ingredient, air temperature, activity, sweating and water exposure, to mention a few.

In case of repellent creams, care must be taken that it is applied as per directions, only over exposed skin areas and not over cut and bruises or underclothes. Such creams and lotions should not be used on infants under two months of age and should not be applied on the hands of older children.

If your skin is sensitive to creams then you can try natural elements like citronella plant oil, tea tree oil and vitamin B which have also been seen to repel mosquitoes.

Keep cool: Mosquitoes are considered to be attracted to warm bodies which emit sweat and carbon dioxide; so turning the fan on high or keeping cool with the air conditioner on, especially during the night, can help prevent mosquito bites. This affinity for heat is the reason why mosquitoes swarm around dark colours like black because such hues absorb heat.

Killing the ‘buzzers’: Harsh but true — use a swatter, a spray or electronic zapper — but ruthlessly killing mosquitoes is the answer to keeping your loved ones safe. Spray inside your rooms after dark and keep doors closed. Use coils and zappers at the entrance to your home and in gardens and porches.

A proactive approach to keeping yourself safe from these pests might just be the step which needs to be taken to keep you and your family mosquito-free.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 19th, 2015

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