How To Avoid Mosquito Bites: Helpful Tips!
We all know the unpleasant feeling and irritating buzz when we lie down and a mosquito spins around our head. However, these insects pose a far greater risk than a bad night’s sleep. Mosquito bites can transmit numerous diseases. Therefore, it is important to take preventive measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes at any time of day.
Why do mosquito bites occur more at night?
Although mosquitoes can bite us at any time of day, it is true that they have predominantly nocturnal habits. When the sunlight dims, we see these insects start to appear. But that’s not just why mosquitoes try to bite us while we sleep.
The fact that mosquitoes are “attracted” to us also has to do with our breathing process. When we breathe, we take advantage of the oxygen available in the air to nourish our body tissues. In addition, we also eliminate a lot of carbon dioxide.
When we go to bed, we stop moving and this component is concentrated in our environment. Of course, we exhale carbon dioxide throughout the day because we can’t stop breathing. However, when we spend hours in the same place, this compound concentrates and attracts mosquitoes with greater intensity.
Mosquitoes sense this high concentration of carbon dioxide and are “guided” by it to find food. Finally, as we exhale the dioxide through our mouth and nose, these insects are concentrated around our head.
In addition, our body heat also helps to identify that there is a living being that can supply fresh blood. Therefore, when someone has a higher body temperature, they are more likely to attract these insects.
On warmer days, the lactic acid we release in perspiration also attracts mosquitoes. Therefore, good ventilation on summer nights helps to prevent them from biting you.
Why do they make such an annoying noise?
Now we know why mosquitoes try to bite us intensely at night and impair our sleep. However, we still haven’t explained why they produce such a loud and irritating hum when they fly around us.
In fact, it’s easy to explain the noise we hear when there’s a mosquito in the room. To fly and stay aloft, these insects must flap their wings several times a second. The constant “impact” of its tiny wings quivering and “beating” in the air produces this annoying hum.
How to prevent mosquito bites?
Unfortunately, mosquitoes are far from being considered harmless insects. Despite their small size, these animals can pose a risk to our health.
These insects serve as intermediate hosts for numerous pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, worms, protozoa, etc. Therefore, they act as vectors of various diseases, both for us and for our pets.
Mosquito bites are much more frequent in summer, as these insects reproduce intensely on the hottest days. Therefore, it is important to prepare for this season and adopt preventive habits to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
5 tricks to keep mosquitoes out of your home
- Screens/Mosquito Nets: Mosquito nets and insect fabrics are essential to keep mosquitoes out of our home. Ideally, install them on all windows and doors.
- Do not accumulate water: many species of mosquitoes that bite humans need water for the development of their larvae. In order to combat the overpopulation of mosquitoes in the summer, we must not accumulate water in our house.
- Avoid accumulating vegetation around the house: this does not mean that we cannot have a beautiful garden. Simply, we must be careful not to accumulate dense vegetation in the vicinity of our house. With this, we avoid creating an environment of high humidity, which attracts mosquitoes and favors their reproduction.
- Repellents: Before going outdoors in the summer, remember to apply insect repellent. There are also special veterinary products that we must use to protect our pets.
- Citronella: citronella is an excellent ally in the fight against mosquitoes. Today, we can find candles, natural repellents and citronella aromatic oils.
The good news is that it is possible to avoid mosquito bites at night, especially in summer. Just follow these practical tips and get a peaceful night’s sleep and take care of your family’s health.
