In order to defend against the pesky mosquito we must first understand the mosquito.

At present I am living in the south of Italy where during the Summer months mosquitoes are a genuine annoyance.  I have also traveled to the far east to countries such as Thailand, Laos and Vietnam and came back last year from Brazil, all of which have mosquito issues.

Through all my annoyance with being bitten by the pesky mosquito I have come to respect how they operate and gain a little understanding of how they behave.

1. If you have a mosquito in your house they will generally reside at the base of your sofa, underneath chairs, the reverse of your headboard and back of your desk.  They do not tend to be too visible on walls. Moths and other insects like to latch themselves to pale walls and fly around your lighting. Mosquitoes tend to, I believe hid round darker looking object and in crevices such as the gap between a bookcase and the wall.

1. Indoors, I do not encounter groups of mosquitoes, but tend to only hear and see one at a time.  When that one is killed another then appears from their secret hiding place. I believe that they are quite territorial and will not encroach on anther mosquitoes operating area until that one is killed.

1. If you have ever suffered on holiday or in your bedroom from that annoying buzzing of a mosquito when you turn the lights out then you really must get a plugin vapor diffuser.

I suffered badly from mosquito bites at bedtime. Once I purchased the VAPE diffuser (or similar) I had no more trouble. Simply switch it on at bedtime and off again in the morning and I have never been bitten once with it on. I have it plugged in next to the bed and it will last over a month, sometimes up to 3.

1. With the hot weather a swimming pool or paddling pool is a great addition to the garden. Unfortunately (much to my surprise) mosquitoes LOVE swimming pools, even though there is chlorine and other chemicals in it they thrive next to it. I found this out when I sold my swimming pool last Autumn. This Summer (2016) the number of mosquitoes in the garden has reduced by well over 90pc, just by getting rid of the pool. They also like the areas of stagnate water around a pool where swimmer splash around.

1. Many homes in locations where mosquitoes are prevalent will have mosquito netting of one sort or another. The netting keeps mosquitoes out, however their cunning behavior means that they hover around doors and windows that have mosquito netting waiting to be let in.

You cannot see them in the picture but there are about 4 mosquitoes flying around waiting for the door to be opened. They do not hover around the walls or patio floor area, but around the base of the patio door. I do not know if they are attracted to the white door frame or dark window (light off in bedroom).

Dawn and dusk are the times when you will see mosquitoes around the base of doors, a good way to get rid of them is to:-

1. Spray some mosquito spray along the base of the patio door from the inside before opening the mosquito blind
2. Place a lavender plant near the door as mosquitoes do no like its scent.
3. quickly open and close the blind so prevent them from getting in.

I hope you have found this useful and that it will help you against the pesky menace of the mosquito.

Updated 2, May, 2021