Mosquito bites are itchy, annoying, and devastating. You might be too late to find out that a random mosquito bite has given you dengue or malaria. So it’s better to be extra cautious and take as many precautionary steps as possible.
There are several products that can repel mosquitoes effectively but a handful of them are toxic for humans and animals; so looking for a natural repellent is quite a wise decision.
Garlic is famous for keeping vampires away, let’s see if it works on mosquitoes.
Does garlic keep mosquitoes away?
The chemical component allyl methyl sulfide is responsible for garlic’s distinctive aroma. This component is sufficient to mask the sense of smell in insects such as mosquitoes. The scent of garlic repels both male and female mosquitoes. As a result, garlic can be an excellent natural bug repellant.
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Garlic can be used in several ways to repel mosquitoes. Let’s check out which ways are the most effective.
Garlic spray:
A highly or moderately concentrated garlic spray will be pretty effective against mosquitoes. It’s pretty easy to make and able to give long-lasting effects almost up to a week.
If you are into organic farming and don’t use pesticides then adding 7 cloves of minced garlic to a gallon of water and spraying it in your garden will do the job.
That being said, the pungent smell may not be suitable for household uses, you can add fragrant essential oil with your garlic spray to make it tolerable.
Garlic pills:
Known for their medicinal benefits, garlic pills are mostly used for curing cardiovascular problems and rejuvenating the blood-flowing system.
Eating garlic pills does create a garlic smell in your mouth but it won’t be enough to keep the mosquitoes away.
However, a healthy body will produce less sweat and the Carbon dioxide production would be down to a significant amount; these will certainly make you less attractive on Mosquitos radar.
That being said, taking too many garlic pills can create indigestion and other problems.
Garlic powder:
Mostly used in cooking, garlic powder does bring on an umami, a little bit of sweetness, and obviously a strong garlic taste. Using garlic powder in cooking does come in handy as it tends to create a garlic-like smell from your sweet.
You may not be looking forward to eating raw garlic, so using the garlic powder in foods makes it easier to consume along with providing all the health benefits. The garlic sweat is pretty effective against mosquitoes but it may be too much for social interaction.
Garlic plant:
Male mosquitoes rely on plants for a living and for reproduction purposes they always choose a suitable environment.
If you plant garlic plants near your home or in the garden, it will surely keep both male and female mosquitoes away and you won’t have to worry about any mosquitoes laying eggs in your surroundings.
Also, you can use fresh garlic cloves and leaves in your cooking to enhance the taste also get plenty of health benefits.
Does eating raw garlic keep mosquitoes away?
Eating garlic does have a handful of health benefits but it’s not a for sure method to keep the mosquitoes away.
Eating raw garlic will boost metabolism, help repair oxidative cells, and also provide a noticeable increase in the body’s antioxidants enzyme production.
Studies have shown mosquitoes prefer to go for humans who produce large amounts of carbon dioxide and stay sweaty all the time. Having a healthy body does come in handy as your body will produce less sweat and less carbon dioxide.
Also eating garlic seems to produce a strong sulfur-like smell in your body and mosquitoes get blinded by such smell which means it will avoid biting you.
That being said, only eating garlic may not do that much to protect you from mosquito bites so it’s better to rely on well-known mosquito repellents.
Do mosquitoes dislike garlic?
Mosquitoes dislike the bold pungent smell of garlic. The allyl methyl sulfide present in the garlic has the ability to blind the sense of smell and directions in mosquitoes.
The male and female mosquitoes both have different diets, where the male mosquito will rely on a plant-based diet and the female mosquitoes will go for animal blood.
So you can take advantage of the situation by planting garlic both inside and outside your home.
The smell of garlic will keep both male and female mosquitoes at a distance, they won’t look for food, reproduce or lay eggs near your home, also you can use fresh garlic leaves and cloves in your cooking.
3 reasons why garlic keeps mosquitoes away
Garlic is effective to keep the mosquitoes ways. But why so? Let’s get to know them.
The pungent smell:
While looking for food, Female mosquitoes greatly rely on their sense of smell and carbon dioxide emissions detection.
Mosquitoes will prefer to bite people who give away a great amount of carbon dioxide along with a less annoying odor. Garlic-based products are known for their pungent smell which is great at nullifying mosquitos hunting instincts.
Consuming and using garlic-based do wonders when it comes to keeping mosquitoes away. The garlic spray is certainly not that attractive to the human nose, it goes the same for mosquitoes.
The antioxidant boost:
Eating raw garlic or taking garlic pills is highly effective in boosting your body functions.
A healthy person will have a good amount of blood flow and sweat way less when compared with an obese person.
Actually the fatter you are, the more your organs go on overload and produce huge amounts of carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
When you are able to reduce sweat, carbon dioxide emissions, and other factors, you will certainly be able to make yourself a less desirable target to the mosquitoes.
The less you release carbon dioxide from your body, the lower your chances are of getting mosquito bites. So eating healthy, being healthy does have its perks.
The sense of danger:
We have seen how irrationally animals behave when they are hungry or stuck in life risk situations.
So you can say that when a mosquito is hungry, need blood to survive it would surely go after anything, a pungent smell in your body or producing less carbon dioxide may not be enough but garlic does so much more.
Garlic odor creates a sense of fear and numbs mobility in mosquitos. Although they are small creatures with less brain function, mosquitoes do fear for their lives and garlic’s strong sulfur smell can repel them.
How do you use garlic to keep mosquitoes away?
Garlic can be used in several ways to keep the mosquitoes away. Let’s get to know them thoroughly.
Spraying it around:
Garlic spray is one of the oldest and quite effective natural pesticides. The peculiar sulfur-like smell of garlic keeps several harmful bugs including mosquitoes away from you.
For repelling them, you should use garlic spray in your curtains, windows, walls, and places where mosquitoes can get in easily.
Use it while cooking:
Raw garlic or garlic powder can enhance the taste of your food along with making you mosquito-proof. After eating garlic most people tend to have a garlic breath, even their sweet smell like garlic.
It may be a good thing that mosquitoes will keep away from you but at the same time, it will be hard to fit in at social gatherings.
Plant it:
Garlic plants are really good at keeping the annoying mosquitoes away. Planting a bunch of them in your garden or growing them in a pot inside your home will certainly be beneficial in more than one way.
How to make garlic spray to repel mosquitoes?
Making garlic spray is very easy. Just follow the given steps to make it for mosquitoes repelling.
Pick the right ingredients:
Obviously, when you are talking about garlic spray, the main ingredient would be garlic but it’s not that simple.
Dried-up garlic doesn’t provide that much of an odor also just mixing raw garlic paste with water won’t make a potent spray. You would need a base oil to enhance the efficiency of your spray.
Base oil:
There are several oils which possess the ability to repel mosquitoes.
You can directly spray lavender oil, neem oil, cinnamon oil, citronella, tea tree oil to repel mosquitoes or you can use them as a base for the garlic spray to make it more effective.
Mix ratio:
The mix ratio depends on your desire, if you want a highly concentrated spray then the garlic and essential oil ratio would be a bit much higher.
You can use 3 minced raw garlic cloves along with 2 tablespoons of especially oils.
You can add 2 to 4 cups of water when you are making a highly concentrated spray or you can add 500ml or up to 1 liter to make a moderate version.
After mixing all the ingredients, you should wait for at least 10 to 20 hours. Before pouring the mixture into a spray bottle make sure to strain the garlic pieces otherwise it will clog the spray nozzle.
Final Thoughts
Mosquitoes rely on their sense of smell and their ability to detect body heat in various animals and plants to survive. Consuming, carrying, and using garlic-based items can undoubtedly keep mosquitoes at bay. Most bugs avoid garlic odor because of the allyl methyl sulfide it contains.