How Can We Annoy Mosquitoes?

Mosquitoes annoy us! They fly around us with their irritating buzz and their itchy bites. They transmit diseases and generally cause misery for us all. But what if there was a way we could annoy them too? What if there was something that we enjoy, that could repel these pesky pests?

How about playing a little music?

For those of you that enjoy a little electronic music, there’s an added bonus. A study has shown that the high and low frequencies in reduced mosquito biting activity and breeding. Here’s an article with some interesting information on how this type of music can interfere with how a mosquito communicates.

Electronic Music to Repel Mosquitoes?

Recognizing mosquitoes use sound to communicate, and that communication is crucial for survival and population maintenance, researchers from the University of Malaysia decided to investigate whether mosquito behavior could be disrupted by playing a track from dubstep artists Shrillex.3.  The experiment was designed to compare feeding and mating behavior in the presence of a specific track, “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” as compared to mosquitoes not exposed to music.

You can listen to the track here…

Okay, so this type of music may not be for everyone, and perhaps not practical to have on a constant loop to scare mosquitoes away.

What about growing a few plants and herbs?

Plants and herbs can be something many of us enjoy and even better some of them can also repel mosquitoes. Lavender, citronella plants, catnip, rosemary, basil and many more are known to drive away mosquitoes.

Are there any foods that mosquitoes don’t like?

We all love food, don’t we? So this is one that many of us can get on board with when it comes to our own enjoyment, causing annoyance to mosquitoes. What we eat has an impact on what we breathe out and as mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide, if there’s an element in our breath of something they don’t like (like garlic), they tend to stay away.

What to Eat to Avoid Mosquito Bites

Eating garlic offer mild protection from mosquitoes, both from the odor on your breath as well as sulfur compounds that you emit through your skin. The smell of garlic is known to repel mosquitoes. For example, you can buy garlic sprays to put on your garden if you don’t mind the yard smelling like an Italian restaurant. Smearing your body with garlic-scented lotion is apparently effective as well, although it will probably repel more than just mosquitoes.

How about a nice cup of coffee?

Okay, so it’s more the ground coffee beans themselves than a steaming cup of coffee that will keep mosquitoes away. You could scatter them around areas that are prone to the collection of standing water (which you must regularly ensure you get rid of), to stop them from breeding.

There are lots of things you can continue to enjoy that could assist in mosquito protection. We would also recommend in addition to any of the above, professional mosquito control. Even though the above methods have been studied, they are not 100% proven to be effective. So do all you can. Stay safe. Stay protected from mosquitoes.