Protect Your Home

By Paul Muresan | Tougher Than Tom | Updated: July 2026 Quick Answer The mosquito repellents that actually work are the ones registered with the EPA for skin: DEET, picaridin (icaridin), IR3535 Read more

Quick Answer A handful of plants really can help repel mosquitoes — but almost none of them work just by sitting in a pot. The repellent oils are locked inside the leaves, so you only get a real effect when you crush the leaves to release t...

Quick Answer Mosquito repellent bracelets and ultrasonic apps mostly don’t work — at least not the way people hope. The two are different gadgets with the same disappointing result. Ultrasonic repellers (phone apps and little plug-...

Quick Answer Citronella candles work, but only a little, and only in a small, calm space. Citronella is a genuine plant-based repellent — its scent helps mask the carbon dioxide and skin odors that mosquitoes use to find you. The weakness isn’t the...

Quick Answer Bug zappers are a poor tool for mosquito control. The classic electric zapper lures insects with ultraviolet (UV) light, but mosquitoes don’t hunt by light — they home in on the carbon dioxide (CO₂), body heat, and skin odor Read more

Quick Answer A mosquito bite itches because of your own immune system, not the bite wound itself. When a female mosquito feeds, she injects a little saliva into your skin to keep your blood flowing while she drinks. That saliva is full of foreign p...

Quick Answer Most people are surprised by the answer: a mosquito's life is short, but not that short. Adult male mosquitoes live only about a week — they feed on nectar, mate, and die soon after. Adult females live much longer, typ...

Quick Answer Mosquito season generally starts when temperatures hold consistently around 50°F (usually spring) and ends around the first hard frost, though it runs nearly year-round along the Gulf Coast and much of the Deep South. ...

Quick Answer A mosquito hawk is not a mosquito at all — it's a crane fly (family Tipulidae), a harmless, long-legged insect that looks like a giant mosquito but is a completely different bug. Despite nicknames like "mosqui...

Quick Answer No mosquito trap is a magic bullet, but the type you choose makes a big difference. Traps that work by releasing carbon dioxide (CO₂) — either from burning propane or from a fermenting yeast-and-sugar bait — are the most effective at d...