Mosquitoes, flies and other pests can really spoil the joy of summer! But an insect-free home doesn’t have to remain a dream thanks to the following tips.
Table of contents: What to expect in this article
Insect-free apartment: Mosquitoes and flies stay outside
Admittedly, a completely insect-free apartment may be difficult to achieve. When the doors open, mosquitoes and flies fly in, and small spiders often cling to clothing. One or the other wasp sometimes strays through the window into the house. It may not be possible to achieve an insect-free apartment, but with the following tips it will at least be an insect-free apartment.
“Unfortunately, I have to stay outside”: access to interior spaces is made more difficult
What currently applies to many people in terms of health care will, at best, be applied to insects throughout spring and summer. These should not even get into the room, where they deprive people of their well-deserved sleep or just the rest on the couch. If you don’t like the constant “Ssssss” of the mosquitoes, you should try to leave these little animals outside right away.
This works best with the help of mechanical aids that are not only attached to the normal windows and doors. Of course, the fly screen can also protect roof windows! It just has to be perfectly adjusted so that there are no gaps between the window frame and the grille. These are namely discovered very unerringly by the insects and exploited to stop in as uninvited guests.
So what helps to get an apartment that is as insect-free as possible? On the one hand, there are the fly screens, which are available in different versions:
- Fly screen with adhesive and Velcro tape
- Fly screens specially designed for skylights
- Fly screens for house, balcony and terrace doors as an overlapping variant
- Fly screen doors to slide or with magnetic closure
Admittedly, a completely insect-free home may be difficult to achieve. ( Photo: Shutterstock-Radovan1 )
Another tool in the fight for an insect-free home are smells. Many insects live according to the motto “always follow their nose” and follow interesting smells over long distances. So it seems only logical that mosquitoes can be kept away by spreading smells that are less pleasant for them.
Lavender, garlic and citrus oil have proven to be particularly effective, although garlic should certainly also be extremely effective against two-legged friends. If you want, you can make the window sill the new home for a variety of kitchen herbs, because basil, tomatoes and oregano also spread smells that insects cannot. Alternatively, bowls of essential oils can be set out, making it clear if a family member is allergic to a particular oil.
If you don’t want to use smells to combat insects, you should at least try not to spread overly attractive scents. Wasps love hearty food and even prefer a plate full of pasta with tomato sauce to a piece of cake. However, both should not necessarily be left open.
In general, food and drinks should be covered in summer and should not be freely accessible to insects. This applies to the house as well as to the balcony and terrace. The reason is that fruit flies are also very active and whoever discovers one today has to compete against a small army tomorrow.
Mosquitoes and other insects like to get into the house, especially via the roof. Many skylights are not protected with grilles, but there are insect screens available from the manufacturer or as universal models that seal perfectly. These can even be equipped with a pollen filter or with heat protection, which is particularly useful in rooms under the roof.
Video: Which mosquito repellent works best?
The red card for insects: Please leave the house!
It is not always possible to keep an insect-free apartment by simply locking out the little animals. Often enough they still find a way in and can turn the summer into an ordeal. The easiest way here is certainly the chemical club, with which the house is simply sprayed.
Everything that crawls is then dead. But that is neither good for your own health nor in the interests of environmental protection and nature conservation. Beneficial insects are also killed. For example, spiders can easily be caught with a cup: put the cup over the spider, slide a piece of thin cardboard between the wall and the rim of the cup and lock the animal in. Now carry outside and release.
Flies can be caught with the fly swatter or chased outside through an open window. If necessary, mosquitoes can also be sucked spot-free from the ceiling and walls with a vacuum cleaner. If you don’t want the mosquitoes to die in the vacuum cleaner bag, you can open it outside afterwards. After all, mosquitoes are important food for many other animals! However, most summers there are also so many of these stick animals that they don’t really need to be protected as food.
It is also important to attach a fly screen to the skylight (Photo: Shutterstock-Ladanifer_)
Helpful tips: Home remedies for an insect-free home
With many insects, the point is to find out how they got into the house in the first place. An example of this are ants, which, like other insects, should simply be kept out. They can usually be found on an ant trail that can be sprayed with a mixture of water and vinegar.
The animals themselves are not sprayed, only the path they always take. The ants are confused by the smell, which is very unpleasant for them, and slowly disappear. It is important to find the access point to the house and seal it, otherwise the little crawlers will soon return.
If the window in the roof is open and the light is on in the room, it will soon be buzzing with moths and sometimes even hornets. The behavior of the animals is now simply exploited: the light in the room has to be switched off, there has to be a light source outside. The insects will fly back outside through an open window.
A fan can also be very helpful. Stinging insects in particular do not like it when the air is turbulent. It is harder for you to orientate yourself and you can no longer find out from which direction an interesting smell came. So if you set up a fan in the house, you will at least confuse the little pests and reduce the number of bites. An insect-free home is not yet achieved, but the number of bites is at least reduced.
In order to have an insect-free home, the garden should not be forgotten either. There mosquito larvae cavort in the smallest bodies of water: rain barrels and puddles are real breeding grounds for these biting insects. From here you enter the house through the doors. Therefore, please make sure that there is no standing water or at least that insects cannot get in there.
One last tip: If you can come to terms with spiders, you will come a step closer to dreaming of an insect-free home. They catch flies of all sizes in their nets and even a mosquito every now and then.
Video: Use These Natural Remedies to Keep Bugs Out of Your House!
Body care against insects
Many insects love the smell of deodorant, perfume or sweat. Anyone who is always struggling with mosquitoes starting the large-scale attack at night should therefore definitely take a shower in the evening. Even if this does not prevent every stab, it at least reduces the number of attacks.
Of course, it is important not to use strongly scented shower gels or bubble baths, although the latter can at least be helpful if they have certain ingredients. Mosquitoes don’t like the smell of pine needles, but a bubble bath in summer is usually not particularly pleasant against the background because it’s already too warm. Sweating should be avoided if possible!
