With most parts of the country experiencing heavier rainfall than usual, health authorities are concerned about the risk of an upsurge in dengue cases.
People who get infected with this viral infection usually exhibit mild symptoms, which can be easily confused with flu or cold. The most common symptoms of dengue include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, eye pain (usually behind the eyes), rashes, muscle aches, and bone pain. In severe cases, patients may also experience bleeding from the nose or gums. Although recovery mostly occurs within a week, please note that this disease can even be fatal. Therefore, it’s imperative to keep a close watch on the symptoms and seek professional medical assistance as needed.
However, the good news is that you can reduce the chances of dengue infection by keeping your home free of mosquitoes. In this blog, you’ll learn all about protecting yourself and your family from this potentially deadly disease.
How To Make Your Home Dengue-free
Did you know that a female mosquito is capable of laying 100 eggs at a time? Also, no one knows when a mosquito will bite. Thus, it is best to be prepared and take appropriate preventive measures to keep your home mosquito-free at all times. Here are a few tips to make your home dengue-free.
Tis the season for mosquitoes
One of the major breeding grounds for mosquitoes is stagnant water. During the rainy season, this issue exacerbates. Dengue-carrying mosquitoes lay its eggs on water, which includes any stored rainwater in containers lying outside the house. Any kind of stagnant water is a perfect place for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.
The eggs can survive dry weather conditions and hatch when they come in contact with water. A female dengue-carrying mosquito lays dozens of eggs up to five times during its lifetime.
Adult mosquitoes rest indoors in dark spots. Under the bed, behind the closet where it can easily hide away from fumigation and insecticide sprays.
Tips to keep dengue-carrying mosquitoes at bay
As mentioned above, there are quite a few tips to control the spread of dengue mosquitoes. Let’s check them out.
Remove stagnant water
Discard empty bottles, containers, or used tires lying outside your house that can hold rainwater. Keep your sewerage lines clean so that it doesn’t clog which can have a multiplier effect on the growth of mosquitoes.
Moreover, check for damp areas in your house. Make sure you take a good look at the common areas where water can stagnate. The area beneath the refrigerator, standing dishes on the kitchen sink, air cooler, flower vase
We must make sure to keep the toilet seats covered, especially during the season when mosquitoes thrive the most.
Seal all entry points
It is important to close all entry and exit points in the house so that mosquitoes and flies can’t find any place to enter the house. You can use
If you already have a net placed on your windows, make sure there are no holes in them. If you find any holes, repair them. Remember, only one dengue-carrying mosquito is enough to cause life-threatening dengue fever.
Keep a herb garden
Having even a small herb patch can act as a natural mosquito repellent. Mosquitoes dislike garlic, spring onion, basil and peppermint. Why not grow a kitchen garden on your window sill? This will deter mosquitoes and keep them at bay. You can also place these herb plants at strategic points – on each window or sill near doors – to keep these disease-carrying pests away.
Remember to check the soil first before watering plants so that there are no damp areas in the house that can facilitate the breeding of mosquitoes. Burning off dried neem leaves also wards off mosquitoes. If you have a neem tree in the backyard of your house, then get hold of a bunch of leaves and dry them out in the sun. Fill them in a clay container and burn them. The fumes emitting from neem leaves will ward off mosquitoes. Make sure the fumes enter every corner of the house.
Use citronella candles
Citronella is a plant that repels dengue mosquitoes. An essential oil named after the plant is also extracted from it. There are citronella candles that can be bought from any organic product store. All you have to do is to light these candles in the house. This is a natural mosquito repellent.
According to World Health Organisation, dengue-carrying mosquitoes, aedes aegypti, usually bite during the early hours of the day or in the evening. So, in order to specifically keep dengue mosquitoes away, light these candles during the day. You can also rub a small amount of citronella essential oil on doors and windows which is the best way to keep mosquitoes away.
Maintain a fish pond
To fight off mosquitoes, you should befriend animals that can kill these pests. For instance, lizards and frogs prey on insects. Take full advantage of these animals who are only supporting you in your fight against mosquitoes.
An aquarium or a small fish pond is a perfect way to repel mosquitoes. How? Well, fish eat up the mosquito larvae. Having a fish pond that will not only look beautiful but the fish present in the pond will feed on mosquito larvae before they hatch and spread deadly diseases.
Make your own mosquito repellent
Do you know mosquitoes hate oranges and the smell of citrus? Well, you can make your own mosquito repellent by burning orange peels. The oil present in the citrus is flammable and releases a smell that mosquitoes don’t like. You can also use orange peels and pour boiling water over them. Let it cool. Store the water in a spray bottle and use it as a natural mosquito repellent spray in corners and under the bed.
You can also use essential oils, like neem oil, peppermint oil and lemongrass oil to keep mosquitoes away. Use ten drops of neem oil in a quarter cup of coconut oil and burn it on an aromatherapy burner. The fumes act as a natural mosquito repellent for your home.
These were a few handy tips to make your home dengue-free. Apply these household tips and keep your surroundings and environment clean and garbage-free so that there are no mosquitoes, flies or cockroaches.
If you have a roach problem in your house, then do read our detailed piece on how to kill cockroaches at home. For more informative posts, stay tuned to Zameen Blog – the best lifestyle blog in Pakistan. If you like to share any handy tips to keep your homes mosquito-free send us your feedback at blog@zameen.com
