Tips For Avoiding Mosquito Bites

Now that spring is here and summer is nigh, the mosquitoes have decided to come out and play.

Aah, my old nemesis, the mosquito. I completely forget about mosquitoes until the weather turns warmer and suddenly there is a buzzing around my face as I am trying to get to sleep. This happened last night. I swatted blindly in the air a few times, trying to deter the insect from biting my face. Then I covered my face with the blankets, hoping this single pesky mosquito won't smell the carbon dioxide from my breath and come after me any more. Finally, having enough of the annoying buzzing, my husband got out of bed, turned on the lights, hunted and killed the mosquito. Thank you, thank you my brave mosquito killing husband!

The mosquitoes seem to be out in full force now and swarming our family with pleasure. My legs have so many red, swollen bites that it looks like I have chicken pox. My kids are complaining of being itchy and have annoying bites on their faces, arms, and legs. Poor kids. I have a "family friendly" mosquito repellent, but I'm not sure if it works too well. And especially with new generations of mosquitoes being DEET resistant, what can we use to avoid mosquito bites?

Generally you should avoid using insect repellent with DEET for children, as DEET is absorbed into the skin. If you feel you should use DEET, find a repellent with 10% DEET or less and make sure you wash it off your child when they come inside. Other repellents that are generally safe for children are citronella and soybean oil. Here are a few other tips from this article about repellents for children:

• Make sure to keep as much of her skin covered with clothing as possible, including long sleeve shirt, long pants, socks, and a hat.
• Wear light colored clothing, so as not to attract bugs.
• Avoid using any scented soaps or other products on your baby, since the fragrances can also attract insects.
• Apply insect repellents to clothing instead of to skin so that it won't be absorbed.
• Wash off insect repellents as soon as possible.
• Avoid areas with insects nest.
• Follow the instructions, including age restrictions on any insect repellent you are considering using.

You can also make your own repellent, or use these helpful natural tips for repelling mosquitoes outlined it this article.

You could also use insect repellent candles, lanterns, zappers, catchers, etc. But I find the best way for me to avoid those pesky bites is to keep covered.

For more information on mosquitoes and how to get rid of them, visit the American Mosquito Control Association website for some really useful information.