If you are walking about your house and you see mosquitoes, you will almost certainly have this thought: Let’s kill these invaders. At that point, you will want to know how to kill mosquitoes in your house. We’ll show you how.
How to Kill Mosquitoes in Your House
Indoor Insect Fogger
- Follow the instructions: You want to do this all the time, but with a fogger it is critical.
- Vacate the premises: Usually for 2-4 hours (but read and follow the label). Some 41 percent of health problems tied to the use of foggers were found to be caused by returning too soon.
- Cover up: Not only should you remove children and pets, but you should cover their toys, cribs, and playthings. You should never leave out uncovered food.
- Don’t overdo it: A 6-ounce fogger (the standard size) is large enough to treat up to 25 by 25 feet of space.
- Avoid open flames: You shouldn’t use it near one, including pilot lights.
- Ventilate: You should open windows when you return, so be sure you have proper screens in them. (If there is a tear, mosquitoes might enter as soon as the fog lifts.)
- A point to remember: A fogger shouldn’t be the first thing you do, or the only thing.
Indoor Insect Spray (Chemical)
- How they work: Sprays are put down on places where mosquitoes land. When they do, they die.
- They work immediately and usually need to be reapplied regularly.
- People often have a pest control service do this. Pest Gnome can connect you with one.
- A caution: When using insecticides, always follow label directions.
- A pro’s tip: Using an insecticide in your house does not guarantee all the mosquitoes have been killed. If a female laid her eggs in your pretty vase of cut flowers, expect a new generation of mosquitoes in a week to 10 days.
Indoor Insect Spray (Chemical-Free)
Yes, there are non-chemical indoor (or indoor/outdoor) sprays on the market if you prefer the natural route. As with chemical products, it is important to follow all label directions when spraying in your home.
Note: Make sure anything you spray in your home is also safe for your pets.
Non-Chemical Ways of Killing Mosquitoes Inside
- Flyswatter. The flyswatter was patented in 1900 (as the “Fly Killer,” but the name was considered too grisly, so it evolved into “flyswatter.”). By 1940, 20 million were being sold in America every year.
They still work, although cameras that capture 5,000 frames per second show that mosquitoes recognize a flyswatter as soon as they see it. They have very good eyesight and start maneuvering away, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
- Electric flyswatter. A device shaped like a tennis racket. When it touches a bug, there is a burst of electricity that kills it.
It is widely used in Greece and India. At the University of Arizona laboratory where they raise mosquitoes, the devices are used to handle any that get out. The device works so well, researchers have taken to using them in their homes.
A warning: While they don’t generate enough electricity to harm you, they do sting if they touch you.
- A simple DIY bottle trap: These traps are great for kitchens, where mosquitoes and other flies visit. To make a bottle trap, cut the top off a two-liter plastic soda bottle. Put something sugary inside (honey, fruit, brown sugar in water). Wrap black paper around it. Sit it in corners. It is simple, but won the best-in-show award at a science fair in Taiwan.
- A simple DIY bucket trap: Ovitraps are an effective way to control mosquitoes by preventing the next generation. These ovitraps work well in outdoor areas and in areas such as a garage or workshop. Take a 5-gallon bucket, add some water, hay, and a mosquito dunk. Install a screen over the top to prevent children or wildlife from falling in.
- Electric Indoor mosquito traps: There are several indoor mosquito traps that work to zap or stick these mosquitoes to their doom, keeping your home skeeter free.
- Homemade mosquito repellent: If you want to use a simple, non-chemical, DIY approach, you can make your own homemade mosquito repellent using peppermint, thyme, and rosemary oil:
- Mix 10 drops of peppermint, thyme, and rosemary essential oil in a spray bottle.
- Add water.
- Spray it around.
It will repel mosquitoes (and other bugs). However, it won’t kill them.
A tip: Some people put out bowls with a little water and a few drops of peppermint oil. It repels them, and has a pleasant smell to it.
What They Do in India
India, a nation of 1.4 billion, has a major problem with mosquitoes, and with packed urban areas has a difficult time in dealing with the mosquito population. In a survey, 87% of the people living in urban areas called the mosquito problem severe where they lived.
The indoor mosquito infestations are so common that people routinely install mosquito netting around their beds.
Here are a few things that people do inside their homes that are not expensive:
- Prevent breeding. Search out standing water (under the air conditioner, for example) and clean out storerooms and kitchens.
- Put sliced lemons and cloves in bowls. Simply slice a lemon in half and push cloves into it.
- Make your own garlic spray. Crush a few cloves of garlic and boil it. Using a spray bottle, spray it about. That is, if you can stand the smell of garlic.
- Sit out a dish of soapy water. Use a wide dish and, say, dishwashing detergent. Put in enough to have bubbles. Mosquitoes will sit in the water, and become trapped.
Where to Find Mosquitoes in Your House
Mosquitoes rest in dark, humid places. You might not realize it, but those places include areas in your nice, well-cleaned home, such as:
- Closets. Make it a point to clear them out, at least once a year.
- Laundry room. There can be leaks, and they can form pools of stagnant water.
- Basement. Don’t let things sit for years. Move them and sweep where they stood.
- Sink. Under it. And the area around the faucets.
- Under the furniture. To a mosquito, it is like hovering in a bush.
- In flower pots. Especially in the saucer that holds them. (Filling saucers with sand is one way to prevent skeeters from breeding here.)
- Water heaters. New or old, tankless or not, they are known to leak.
- In the garage. A hose might be leaking. Water gets splashed around, often to clean something. There are often cans and other containers sitting about.
- Indoor water features. Including cascading bowls to hanging wall fountains.
- Toilet cisterns that are not flushed every day.
- Floor drains. In the basement and garage, mosquitoes may come up through the floor drain. You can put sticky tape by it and see if mosquitoes turn up.
A pro’s tip: Mosquitoes need as few as seven days to develop from egg to adult, so standing water needs to be removed without hesitation.
How to Prevent Mosquitoes in Your House
Keep Out Any Mosquitoes
The best way to deal with a mosquito problem in the house is to prevent mosquitoes from getting in. Make it a point to:
- Install: Screens on doors and windows
- Repair: Pulled-out corners or torn areas on screens
- Realize: Mosquitoes will come in under doors that do not properly seal or through pet doors.
- Close: Doors. Remember, you kids don’t always do this. And adults are known to prop them open at times.
- Be aware: Some yard features right outside your door can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes, such as bird baths, out-of-use swimming pools, overwatered ground, leaky hoses, and dripping air conditioning units.
- A tip: Use air conditioning, if you can, instead of cooling off by opening doors and windows. But make sure it isn’t dripping.
Maintain Your Home to Prevent Mosquitoes
Reducing the mosquito population outside your home means there will be fewer skeeters who may make their way inside. On a regular basis (usually once a week):
- Turn over or empty anything that can hold water, such as flower pots (and the saucers they sit in) and vases. They are mosquito breeding grounds that can quickly attract mosquito larvae.
- Fix faucets that leak.
- A pet’s water dish should be changed daily.
- Toys the kids left out should be put away. They might have water sitting in them.
- Be careful about food. Beer and bananas are common backyard mosquito attractants. Ice cream, cake, and candy might seem to attract mosquitoes, but that hasn’t been supported in scientific testing.
- Take care of rain barrels. Any rain barrels or cisterns can quickly become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Add fine mesh screens over the top to keep mosquitoes out of rain barrels. If you don’t have a lid on your rain barrel, add a mosquito dunk to kill larvae that find their way into the barrel.
Careful What You Bring Into Your Home
This is known to happen, and why you have to be diligent:
- The female mosquito lays her eggs on the walls of a water-filled container.
- The eggs stick to the walls of the container (a kid’s toy, a cup, a pot) like glue.
- For months, the eggs stay in place.
- The container comes inside. You bring it. A child retrieves it. The dog drags it in.
- The water rises. If it does and it covers the eggs, they will hatch.
Another way to avoid mosquitoes hitching a ride into your home? Ensure they aren’t on your skin while you’re outside. Use a mosquito repellent with an EPA-approved active ingredient, such as DEET or picaridin, to avoid itchy bites and diseases. For those who prefer to go chemical-free, natural mosquito repellents are another popular and effective option.
If you’re a serious outdoor adventurer, insect-repellent clothing may be a good addition to your wardrobe. These clothing items often include SPF as well, providing a double dose of protection.
But don’t forget Fido! In addition to mosquitoes, he can bring in other unwanted insects without proper protection. Use one of the best dog mosquito repellents to keep Fido and your home skeeter free.
Floral Scents Attract Mosquitoes
Things that attract mosquitoes to you outside your home, like floral scents, can also attract them inside. Additionally, if mosquitoes are attracted to you outside, they can follow you inside.
The Cost of Treating for Mosquitoes
Mosquito treatment costs an average of $350 to $550, depending on the following factors of your mosquito problem:
- Area’s size
- Weather, especially the humidity
- Method of treatment that is used
- Number of treatments
- Level of infestation
- Control company
- Products that are utilized
| Mosquito Treatment | Cost |
| National average cost | $450 |
| Typical price range | $350-$550 |
| Extreme low-end cost | $80 |
| Extreme high-end cost | $1,600 |
FAQs
Mosquitoes can live for three weeks if they make it indoors, longer than if they stay outdoors. But a real concern is that they will lay eggs inside your home. Even worse, the female needs your blood for her reproduction, so she will be looking to bite you.
In addition to the things listed in the article, you can use a fan (they dislike moving air) and take a shower (removing the sweat they love). Both help prevent mosquito bites.
Mosquitoes don’t like the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass, or rosemary. People do like those smells, so they can be used around a house as repellants.
Mosquitoes don’t like smoke, either, but no one wants to have a smoky house.
A Call to Action
If you want to control mosquitoes in your house, you want to take action before you have to kill them; you won’t be able to kill them all. Before you have a mosquito problem, take the steps to make your house mosquito-free. Make a plan, and act on it.
When it comes to mosquitoes, you can take them on as a do-it-yourself project. But if you want to call in a professional, Pest Gnome can connect you with a pro in your area. They can take care of any pest control issue.
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