The problem of insects in the house will never lose its relevance. Unfortunately, mosquitoes that appear in the basement become frequent guests of our home. And if the methods of getting rid of cockroaches and ants are widely known, then only mosquito nets and chemical sprays are widely used to control mosquitoes. From the article you will learn about all the effective methods of controlling these pests.
Features of basement insects
Cellar mosquitoes are very different from their wild counterparts, unlike which, they can appear in your home at any time of the year. In addition to disrupting natural sleep processes, mosquitoes are carriers of dangerous diseases. Of course, you don't have to worry about malaria - it is common only in Asian countries. But mosquitoes can bite wild animals, including rats. After this, they become carriers of various bacteria and viruses.
The penetration of mosquitoes into living spaces during the cold season occurs due to the fact that they breed in a damp basement. If there is standing water in it, then mosquitoes successfully breed and fly into rooms at night.
For this reason, using sprays and nets will not get rid of basement mosquitoes. The main step to their successful removal should be the reconstruction of the basement. There are various ways to eliminate dampness.
The need to drain the basement
Before removing insects, inspect the basement itself and the area around the house. If the room is isolated from precipitation and also equipped with a good drainage system that protects from groundwater, the reasons for dampness lie in insufficient heat and vapor barrier.
Moisture condenses on the surface of walls and ceilings due to the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. This leads to mold formation and attracts the attention of insects.
Mosquitoes breed in damp areas.
To get rid of unwanted guests once and for all, the basement must be thoroughly drained.
Ways to control mosquitoes
Once you understand the root cause of mosquitoes, you can use methods to actively remove them. Direct destruction of insects involves the use of natural and chemical means, as well as various devices.
Folk recipes
Mosquitoes are known to have an excellent sense of smell. They are able to sense human sweat through the intricate ventilation system and confidently move towards the goal. It is this knowledge that underlies all the means that are used to combat them.
Like many other insects, mosquitoes cannot tolerate the following odors:
You can use both the plants themselves and their powders. Make a paste and go to the pharmacy to buy the powder. Add powder to the paste and blot paper napkins with it. Place them in every corner of the room.
Mosquitoes have a good sense of smell and cannot tolerate the smells of cloves, pyrethrum and some essential oils.
Using pyrethrum powder, you can prepare a natural analogue of a fumigator. You will need 75 ml of ethyl alcohol (vodka will also work) and 10 g of powder. Combine them, shake well and leave for 5-7 days in a dark and dry place. When this time has passed, strain the resulting solution and add 25 ml of glycerin and 15 g of finely ground laundry soap. This mixture can be used to wet fumigator plates or sprayed indoors. For the second method, do not forget to dilute it with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.
Mosquitoes also don't like the smell of essential oils. Cedar, eucalyptus, valerian and clove oils have a particularly pronounced effect. They are extremely simple to use: roll a small ball of cotton wool and moisten it with 2-3 drops of oil. Place these balls in the corners of the room and next to your sleeping place. Valerian oil is especially good to use at night. It will not only repel mosquitoes, but will also have a positive effect on your sleep.
If there are a lot of mosquitoes on the ceiling, try to repel them with camphor smoke. Place the frying pan on the fire and pour camphor on it. There will be a lot of smoke, but don't worry about your lungs. The smoke emitted is absolutely safe for humans, but harmful to mosquitoes. You will see that within a few minutes they will fly out of the room.
Mechanical methods
The products described above do not kill mosquitoes, but only repel them. If there are a lot of insects in the house, they will not work. In this case, speed up the process manually. Mechanical removal of mosquitoes is a rather long process, so be patient.
Do not crush mosquitoes sitting on the ceiling or wallpaper. Most likely, they have already drunk blood. Killing them will give you a brown spot. Better use a vacuum cleaner. The mosquitoes will not have time to dodge the device and will die.
Manual methods of controlling insects also include the use of nets and special canopies. This is especially true for those who have small children. These simple remedies will help protect their sleeping place from insect attacks.
Special devices
The main disadvantage of electrical insect control devices is their high price. But if you live in a swampy area where you are often attacked by mosquitoes, you may consider them a good investment. The most popular devices are an anti-mosquito lamp and an ultrasonic repeller.
The lamp attracts insects due to ultraviolet radiation. A live grid is installed in front of the lamp. Getting too close to it guarantees the death of the mosquito.
An ultrasonic repeller emits special waves that make the presence of insects in the room extremely uncomfortable. They can come in different sizes, ranging from a small pocket keychain to a full-size device. After turning them on, you are guaranteed to get rid of mosquitoes in an area from 2 to 20 m.
Ultrasonic repellers
Electronic repellers operating on the basis of ultrasound are used not only in enclosed spaces - basements and rooms, but also in open spaces. Ultrasonic devices do not harm humans or the environment, and only affect insects. Ultrasonic signals tuned to a specific frequency repel females. They do not approach humans and do not lay eggs. Depending on the power of the device, you can protect yourself from mosquito invasion within a radius of 2 to 10 m.
Mosquitoes in the basement - what to do?
Fighting basement mosquitoes in an apartment
Mosquitoes in the basement of an apartment building are a serious problem, requiring an integrated approach and the interaction of several services. It will not be possible to destroy all mosquitoes, but the problem can be partially solved, and first of all, it is necessary to destroy the environment where they live and breed, and this is a damp or flooded basement.
This kind of basement is an ideal habitat for mosquitoes.
A basement can be flooded for various reasons - groundwater, rainwater, leaking water or sewer pipes. In order to leave offspring for mosquitoes, a puddle 2-10 centimeters deep is enough. How do insects from the basement get into the apartment if mosquito nets are installed on the windows? There are many ways, but the most common are the following.
- Air shaft. Mosquitoes easily penetrate it and rise higher. Make it a rule to install a grille or mesh with very small holes on the ventilation.
- Entrance. During the day, mosquitoes escape the heat on the landing, and in the evening they fly out of their shelters and rush into apartments.
- Don't forget about vents and windows. Mosquito nets are a mandatory attribute of windows on lower floors. But mosquitoes practically do not fly to the ninth floor and above.
So, the first stage in the fight against basement mosquitoes is prevention and elimination of their habitat. The condition of the basements is monitored by the management company. If there is water standing there, there are leaks, and so on, you need to write a complaint or claim to the housing department. If there is no response, contact Rospotrebnadzor, the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, the more applications, the faster the problem will be resolved. The basement should ideally be dry and clean. While the room is flooded, chemical treatment is practically impossible. In general, control over the condition of basements is carried out by the sanitary and epidemiological service. They draw up an act, and the conclusion is sent to the housing department, which, in turn, carries out disinfestation with the help of specialized services in accordance with the concluded agreement.
The next stage is the disinfestation of mosquitoes and their larvae using chemicals. For this purpose, various drugs are used - development regulators, entomopathogenic bacteria, pyrethroids, organophosphorus substances and others. The full list is extensive, we will give the names of only some of them - Larviol, Teknar, Dimilin; checkers and thermosublimating tablets are often used.
In the apartment area, chemicals are also used to combat basement mosquitoes and folk methods are used.
Chemical preparations are divided into insecticides and repellents:
- Pyrethroid-based insecticides kill mosquitoes by affecting their nervous system. This may be an aerosol or a mixture used in a fumigator. The aerosol is easy to use, just spray a little and mosquitoes won’t bother you for a while. But the concentration of toxic substances can be dangerous to human health.
- Fumigators. A fumigator is a device that fumigates a room with poison that kills insects. The element heats up, at which time pyrethroids evaporate into the air. The insecticide in this case can be in the form of a tablet or liquid. A tablet will last for 12 hours, and a bottle of liquid will last for a month.
- Repellents are usually used to repel insects outdoors, but if there is no other choice, you can use them at home, but with caution, an overdose can cause serious poisoning.
Don’t forget about folk remedies against basement mosquitoes:
- Dried pyrethrum flowers (Caucasian chamomile) laid out around the apartment;
- Eucalyptus, anise and cedar oils;
- Tomato seedlings;
- Camphor, evaporated over a burner in an amount of 100 grams. This method will rid your entire apartment of mosquitoes. The smoke is absolutely safe for humans.
Currently, there are many ways to protect yourself from mosquitoes - ultrasonic devices, coils, anti-mosquito lamps, you can even download a program to your computer or phone that will repel insects.
Fighting basement mosquitoes in a private home
If you are a resident of a private house, and mosquitoes bother you not only in summer, but also in winter, then the problem lies in a damp basement, they actively breed there, and then fly into your rooms. One spray will not help the matter; more serious measures will need to be taken.
Folk remedies
Traditional methods are based on repelling mosquitoes with unpleasant aromas. Blood-sucking insects find their victims by smell: mosquito antennas contain 72 types of olfactory receptors. A third of them are sensitive to chemicals released by human or animal sweat. Applying aromatic oils to the skin or spraying aromatic oils in the air disorients the “blood hunters” and saves them from being bitten.
Some of the most unloved odors for bloodsuckers include:
- geranium scent;
- the smell of pyrethrum - a flower of the aster family;
- fumes emanating from tomato seedlings;
- essential oils of eucalyptus, valerian, cloves;
- camphor.
More often, at home, it is not the plants themselves that are used, but extracts in the form of powders or essential oils. So, for example, powder from dried pyrethrum flowers is mixed with ethyl alcohol, infused, glycerin and laundry soap are added, diluted with water and sprayed on the room.
Fighting winged aggressors in this way is quite tedious. It is much easier to use essential oils by soaking cotton balls in them and placing them in secluded places. They do not like mosquitoes and camphor smoke. Just pour a little camphor powder into a frying pan and put it on the fire. The thick, aromatic smoke is safe for humans, but insects cannot tolerate it and immediately leave the room.
Folk remedies are good only as additional measures. Effective prevention and the integrated use of chemical and mechanical methods will help you completely get rid of mosquitoes.
Causes of mosquitoes in residential areas and basements
The reason for the appearance of blood-sucking insects in basements and cellars is excess water and humidity. Due to humidity, which also comes from damp places under suspended ceilings, insufficiently ventilated bathrooms and toilets, insects appear even in the living quarters of apartment buildings.
To reduce the risk of basement flooding, you should regularly check the cottage's water supply and sewer system for faults. Even in the event of an emergency rupture of a hot water pipe, mosquitoes remain in the basement.
Mosquitoes lay larvae in damp conditions in the basement. To do this, they only need a layer of water, the depth of which is 6-11 cm. There are cases when insects leave offspring in small puddles up to 2 cm deep.
Adults that have already laid larvae often fly into rooms and corridors. The reason why mosquitoes get into a person’s house is a dirty and damp staircase. From there they spread throughout the house: basements, passages, corridors, rooms.
The reasons for the appearance of mosquitoes include open access to the ventilation shaft of the house. Insects fly freely into the ventilation system. To prevent their penetration into the house, a grill with holes is installed.
Preventive actions
Killing mosquitoes in the basement will give temporary results if preventive work is not carried out. To prevent the reappearance of insects, the following actions must be taken:
- Constantly ventilate the basement or organize a ventilation system that prevents the formation of condensation.
- Place fine mesh mesh over ventilation vents.
- Immediately eliminate any leaks and their consequences.
- Take measures to repel insects from the treated basement.
The danger of urban mosquitoes should not be underestimated. Even if the basement is perfectly clean and there is no reason to worry about the spread of infections, falling asleep to the musical accompaniment of squeakers is not easy, and quality rest is the key to good health.
Why mosquitoes are dangerous and why you should fight them
The question of whether you can get sick from a mosquito bite worries many. There is no danger in the mosquito bite itself. The bites of these insects are more unpleasant (causing itching, redness of the skin, burning) than dangerous. The exception is people who are allergic to substances contained in insect saliva. In this case, discomfort and itching turn into a problem requiring immediate medical attention.
The saliva of a blood-sucking insect contains complex protein structures containing substances similar in principle to anticoagulants and painkillers. The human body reacts to this as a foreign inclusion. An immune system response occurs.
Immune bodies accumulate near the site of the mosquito bite. This is how the foreign protein is neutralized. At this moment, allergy sufferers and healthy people susceptible to the substance experience itching, possibly increased body temperature, chills, and disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system. If emergency assistance is not provided to a person with an allergic reaction in time, anaphylactic shock may occur, which without emergency assistance leads to death.
A mosquito bite becomes a threat to health and life in a situation where the insect is a carrier of an infection or disease that can affect a person. Let's look at the 3 most dangerous of them.
Malaria is a disease spread by blood-sucking insects. The disease leads to severe neurological problems and other signs of irreversible damage, kidney failure, which without treatment is fatal.
In Russia, malaria mosquitoes (genus Anopheles maculipennis) live in Western Siberia and the European part of the country, and are also found in the Far East. But, according to infectious disease doctors, there is no danger in their bites, because the Russian climate is not suitable for the development of malarial plasmodium in the body of a mosquito.
Another disease transmitted by mosquitoes is West Nile fever. Mosquitoes of the Culex genus receive the virus when they bite a sick bird, and humans become infected from the mosquito. In severe cases, the virus leads to coma and death. West Nile virus is a serious disease. Even a recovered patient often develops a complication such as chronic neurological deficit. The disease is not widespread in Russia.
Dengue fever occurs in the subtropics and tropics - this is a suitable climate for the spread of the virus. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aëdes in the same way as the West Nile virus: from birds to insects, and then to humans. The fever is severe, with bleeding and loss of consciousness. Dengue fever epidemics occur in Southeast Asia.
Mosquito control methods
Despite the fact that cellar mosquitoes do not pose such a threat as the blood-sucking insects of tropical countries, they must be combated for the sake of cleanliness, hygiene and safety.
To combat these insects, it is first of all important to eliminate the habitat that is comfortable for them. It is necessary to eliminate all leaks in the basement of a private house, remove dirt and moisture from there. Then the room is dried and ventilated, and treated with special means to prevent the reappearance of mosquitoes.
Where do basement mosquitoes come from?
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The natural habitat of these blood-sucking insects is natural bodies of water. Huge numbers of larvae breed in streams and swamps, large puddles and roadside canals. Adults scatter throughout the area in search of food. The larvae are carried by birds and animals; they can be brought on clothing or on the seat of a car after a walk in the forest. Once settled in the basement, mosquitoes multiply exponentially and infest the homes of city residents.
Countless mosquitoes in the basement of an apartment building feel comfortable, like tourists at a Mediterranean resort, stinging pets, rats and, of course, humans. Through ventilation shafts, insects can climb from the basement into the apartment, entering it through open entrance doors and windows open in the evening. With complete confidence in their rightness, they master the free space: during the day they become quiet on the ceiling and in secluded crevices, and at night they pounce on their victims.
Residents of private houses suffer no less than city residents. The reasons for the appearance of mosquitoes in the cellar or basement of a private house are also a humid environment and the proximity of potential food sources - people and animals. Heated basements are a real incubator for little vampires. Existing leaks and water entering the cellar during rains and melting snow provoke the appearance of mold and contribute to the development of a colony.
