Mosquitoes are a nuisance. Known for their whining buzz and relentless search for blood, they can easily drive even the hardiest outdoors enthusiasts indoors. Their presence can also harm human health since diseases carried by mosquitoes can sometimes be fatal.
Unfortunately, the workplace isn’t exempt from mosquito infestation. Working outside usually involves dealing with insects but mosquitoes can also be present inside office buildings. That’s a part of the job until they become a threat. Because of that, employers have a responsibility to provide a safe work environment for their employees.
Learning how to control mosquitoes is an important step toward safeguarding the welfare of employees, clients, and customers. In business settings, mosquito monitoring and control are essential to keep populations low or eliminated to keep customers and staff safe from bites. Reduce the risk of mosquito infestation in your workplace by following the tips provided in this article:
Prevent Mosquitoes Getting Inside Your Buildings
As mentioned, mosquitoes are not only present outdoors but can also invade office buildings and establishments. With that, here are some useful tips on how to prevent mosquitoes from getting inside the buildings:
- Keep doors and windows closed when not in use and install adequate screening for windows, doors, and other openings, where possible.
- Seal any cracks and building defects that mosquitoes can fly or crawl through.
- Maintain screens by checking for and repairing holes and gaps.
Many mosquito issues indoors can be solved by following the tips above. Patching obvious gaps in your window screens and doors can truly be helpful when preventing mosquitoes in a building. Remember that you don’t need them for every window, only the ones you, your staff, or customers like to have open often.
When it comes to screen maintenance, even a small tear in a screen allows mosquitoes to enter. Inspect your screens for holes, if even small. Be sure to fix your screens with a simple patch kit.
Remove Stagnant Water Sources
There is a high probability of mosquitoes on your property if there is a pond or other body of standing water in your company’s garden or courtyard. Whether it’s a small puddle or a huge pond, mosquitoes like to lay their eggs on the edges of these bodies of water.
If your business struggles with mosquitoes gathering outside your windows and doors, then you should take steps to eliminate standing water. If you have a pond and would like to keep it, water features can help repel mosquitoes by helping to keep the water flowing. In addition, keeping your pond’s edges properly maintained can prevent larvae from laying and hatching. It is also possible to kill mosquito larvae with natural bacteria without harming fish and wildlife.
You can read more about mosquito population reduction and how to protect yourself from mosquitoes in this article – Population Reduction: Best Mosquito Protection
Introduce Plants That Mosquitoes Hate
Did you know that mosquitoes need more than just blood to survive – they also need nectar? However, many plants don’t provide the nectar they need, and which they actively dislike. Therefore, the next step to ensuring that mosquitoes will never bother you again is to introduce plants that mosquitoes detest.
Here are some examples of the plants that can repel mosquitoes:
- Basil
- Lavender
- Lemon Balm
- Citronella
- Lemon Grass
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Marigold
- Sage
- Scented Geraniums
All in all, not only can these plants help you get rid of pesky mosquitoes around the building, but they also add a lot of value to your company’s outdoor space. All of your customers and clients will be attracted to them because they look, smell, and feel great.
Scents that Repel Mosquitoes |
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| Citronella | Citronella oil features a lemon-like citrusy scent that is irritating to mosquitoes, but wonderfully pleasant to people. Also known as lemongrass, citronella grass can be planted outside your building as an attractive, yet effective repellent. This can also be applied directly on your skin or paired with other essential oils to make your own natural deterrent. |
| Peppermint | A peppermint plant’s fragrance is unpleasant to mosquitoes, so peppermint can help ward them off to some degree. You can also turn peppermint into a personal repellent by crushing the leaves and rubbing them on your skin. |
| Garlic | When consumed, garlic’s active ingredient, allicin, interferes with our natural scent and masks us from mosquitoes. Garlic can also be used to deter mosquitoes even without eating it. Cut garlic cloves into slivers and scatter them around your outdoor living areas, or combine with oils and other liquid ingredients to make a repellent spray for your yard. |
| Lavender | Lavender is a purple flower with a pungent scent that can repel mosquitoes. Like most of the plants on this list, lavender can be used by extracting the oils and applying them to the skin directly or making a body spray. |
| Lemon Balm | Lemon balm has a calming, strong lemon scent that many undesirable insects find incredibly unpleasant. Grow this attractive plant in specific areas you want to deter mosquitoes or apply the crushed leaves to your skin for personal repellent. |
Controlling mosquitoes is essential for any type of business. Protect your workplace areas from diseases brought by pesky mosquitoes by getting assistance from Pestguide!
| Pro Tip :
“Maintaining your lawn by mowing and caring for the grass is not just a matter of keeping it looking tidy and healthy. It can also help you prevent the build-up of mosquitos on your property.” |
Use Effective Mosquito Repellents
Using mosquito repellents with tested and approved active ingredients, your customers, visitors, and staff are getting the safest protection from nuisance-biting mosquitoes and from the dangers of mosquito-borne diseases.
Here are some of the well-known approved active ingredients that can effectively get rid of mosquitoes.
DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide)
Deet has a chemical name N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide. It is the common name for an insect and acarid repellent used to repel, but not kill, mosquitoes, mites, and ticks.
According to a study by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Deet-based repellents are relatively safe when used as recommended. A higher concentration of Deet in a product means it is effective for a long period of time. Products with lower concentrations of Deet may need to be reapplied, depending on the length of time you spend outdoors.
Picaridin (KBR 3023)
Picaridin can both repel and deter insects. It does not kill them. It forms a vapour barrier at the skin surface that deters mosquitoes from landing on the skin.
Picaridin can be sprayed or applied as liquids, sprays, wipes, or aerosols to repel mosquitoes, biting flies, ticks, fleas, and chiggers. Picaridin’s effectiveness in repelling mosquitoes depends on the concentration of the active ingredient present in it. It depends on how often you apply the repellant and how long you need its protection.
IR-3535
IR-3535, also known as Insect Repellent 3535, is a synthetic insect repellent initially developed in the 1980s by Merck. Many brands use IR-3535 in their products since it is an odourless molecule. With this benefit, most of the products that use this repellent have a pleasant smell.
If you are looking for a highly effective, DEET-free product to combat mosquitoes, ticks, and lice, then IR-3535 is the perfect choice for you. Using IR-3535 can provide long-term protection from mosquito-borne diseases. It can also let you have a quiet night after a busy day by swaying away insects that keep buzzing around you at night.
Get Help From Mosquito-Control Experts
Mosquitoes can affect your environment, health, and quality of life in the workplace. If you want to protect your business against mosquitoes, you’ll need to seek help from the experts. Trusting the professionals to keep mosquitoes away from your workplace will definitely improve the time your employees spend on their work. This will also make the business quality better since customers and clients are no longer at risk of mosquito bites.
In a nutshell, hiring professionals to treat your office place and outdoor exterior may seem like an unnecessary expense. However, it can actually be a smart investment, especially when compared to the ongoing costs of ineffective Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solutions.
Want to Learn More About Preventing Mosquitoes? Visit Pestguide Today.
If mosquitoes keep coming back in your business area even if you’ve already used sprays, foggers, and zappers, maybe it is time for you to contact professionals that specialize in dealing with pest infestations.
You can contact PestGuide.org if you need guidance in looking for the perfect pest exterminator in your area or if you’re just looking for articles that give information on different types of pests and how to deal with them.
FAQs on How to Prevent Mosquitoes for Businesses |
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1. What attracts mosquitoes? |
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| Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide humans and other animals emit. They also use their receptors and vision to pick up on other cues like body heat, perspiration and skin odour to find a potential host. | |
2. What do professionals use to keep mosquitoes away? |
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| Most mosquito-control professionals use sprays and fogs containing pyrethrum or a combination of pyrethrum and synthetic pyrethrum (called pyrethroids). This is a toxic and popular combination. These products kill adult mosquitoes on contact and also work to repel others. | |
3. What is a natural mosquito killer? |
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| Lemon eucalyptus oil has been used against mosquitoes since the 1940s. This oil is one of the more well-known natural repellents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have approved eucalyptus oil as an effective ingredient in mosquito repellent. |