Key Points at a Glance
- Keep the balcony door closed and the patio door and windows shut—in principle, these are good ways to keep mosquitoes out of your apartment.
- But those pests always find a way in, no matter how careful you are.
- During the day, these bloodsuckers hide cleverly in cool, dark spots around the room, where they're almost impossible to find.
- During the day, the insects usually go unnoticed by us as they hide in cracks, crevices, and holes.
Mosquitoes have a remarkable ability: they can make themselves invisible. Well, almost—and only to the human eye. Because when you’re woken up at night by that characteristic buzzing and turn on the light to finish off the intruder that’s after your blood, the bloodsucker has usually vanished into thin air.
House flies are around all day long
As soon as you flip the light switch, these pesky little creatures seem to vanish into thin air. Then they quickly disappear into those little nooks where they’ve been hiding all day. That’s because the house mosquito is already in your apartment—it always finds ways to torment you within your own four walls. It takes advantage of any moment of inattention to get from outside to inside.
So you should do everything you can to avoid letting more bloodthirsty insects in during the evening. It’s hard enough to keep those mosquitoes at bay—the ones that hide during the day in every tiny hole in the walls and every tiny crack in your home. No place is too dark for them, nor too cool. There they hide from their enemies—in closets, behind wall hangings and furniture—in short, everywhere we don’t actively look for them during the day.
How can you keep those beasts away from you at night?
When we go to bed (and are about to fall asleep), the mosquitoes come out of their hiding places and attack us. Then we need a stopgap solution in case we can’t catch them during the night, which is usually the case. Since these insects aren’t just attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale but especially love the smell of sweat we give off—particularly in the summer—it’s a good idea to drape a sweat-scented T-shirt —one you’ve worn during the day while exercising, for example—in the bedroom.
Usually, the mosquitoes will then swarm around that piece of clothing, and you'll be off the hook. But only if you yourself smell as little like sweat as possible. So it's a good idea to take a shower or wash thoroughly before going to bed in the summer.
Ways to Get Rid of Mosquitoes
On the other hand, it’s less effective to keep the bedroom door open and turn on the light somewhere else—because mosquitoes aren’t attracted by light, but by odors. Lavender oil, mosquito repellent plugs, or ultrasonic devices in the bedroom are much more effective.
In some cases, DIY mosquito traps might also work. Pour some soda or cola into a bowl, add a little dish soap, and place the bowl in a visible spot. If all goes well, the bloodsuckers will be drawn to the sugar. The dish soap reduces the surface tension of the soda, causing the insects to sink and drown.
