We can all agree: there is nothing more annoying than the sound of a mosquito buzzing in your ear at 2:00 AM. What’s worse is getting up to hunt for it, only to spend 30 minutes staring at walls while it disappears into thin air. They truly are masterminds at hiding to protect their survival.
To solve this problem effectively, you need a two-pronged strategy: keeping mosquitoes away from your space (stopping them from breeding and entering your home) and keeping mosquitoes away from you (protecting your skin and body chemistry). Here is your complete guide to tackling both.
What We Cover in This Article:
- The 3 Main Mosquito Types in South Africa
- What Makes You & Your Space a Target?
- Simple Tips to Keep Mosquitoes Away
- Expert Mosquito Control Services
The 3 Main Mosquito Types in South Africa
To most of us, a mosquito is just a mosquito. However, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), there are 3 main types you will run into in South Africa, and they behave very differently:
- The Common House Mosquito ( Culex ): This is the classic culprit behind your 2:00 AM sleepless nights. They love dirty standing water, drains, and rain barrels. While not major disease carriers in SA, their buzzing and itchy bites are relentless.
- The Malaria Mosquito ( Anopheles ): Found mainly in warmer, humid regions like Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northern KwaZulu-Natal. Unlike house mosquitoes, they don’t make a loud buzzing sound and bite mostly at night. They breed in clean, quiet pools of water.
- The Yellow Fever / Dengue Mosquito ( Aedes ): Easily spotted by the black-and-white stripes on their legs. Unlike most mosquitoes that hunt at night, these aggressive daytime biters thrive around homes in pots, buckets, and garden containers.
What Makes You & Your Space a Target?
You:
- Breathing (CO2 ): Mosquitoes smell the carbon dioxide you exhale from half a football pitch away. The harder you breathe, the easier you are to spot.
- Sweat & Heat: When you work up a sweat, your body releases heat and lactic acid. To a mosquito, that smells like dinnertime.
- Alcohol: Drinking even one beer or cocktail boosts your body temperature and alters your sweat chemistry, making you an instant target.
- Blood Type: Research shows mosquitoes land on Type O blood significantly more often than Type A or B.
- Dark Clothes: They use vision to hunt, too! Dark colours like black or dark blue make you a high-contrast target.
Your Space:
- Standing water (breeding grounds): Ponds, clogged drains, and water pooling in pot plant saucers are where mosquitoes thrive. They serve as primary breeding grounds for larvae. Even if you do not have these, if a neighbour does, their mosquitoes quickly become your problem!
- Overgrown vegetation & shelter (resting spots): Mosquitoes cannot survive direct sunlight and heat, so they spend the day hiding in tall grass, untrimmed weeds, and dense bushes. If you have been putting off mowing the lawn or pulling weeds, you have inadvertently rolled out the welcome mat.
Simple Tips to Keep Mosquitoes Away
From You:
- Use effective repellents: Apply plant-based options like Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), or conventional repellents containing DEET or Picaridin to exposed skin.
- Wear protective clothing: Choose loose-fitting, light-coloured trousers and long sleeves. Dark, tight clothing makes you easier to see and bite through.
- Use directional airflow: Set up an oscillating patio fan on your patio or in your room to disrupt their flight paths and disperse scent.
From Your Space:
- Empty standing water: Clear pot plant saucers, buckets, and garden containers weekly.
- Maintain your yard: Keep lawns mowed and weeds trimmed to remove daytime shade.
- Block entry points: Fit mesh screens, attach door sweeps, and cover air vents.
- Fix moisture: Repair leaky taps and dry out refrigerator drainage pans.
- Sugar & yeast trap: Use warm water, sugar, and yeast in a cut 2L bottle to trap CO2 seeking mosquitoes.
- Plant barriers: Grow lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and marigold around patios.
Expert Mosquito Control Services
At Rentokil, we utilise an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methodology. This ensures we don’t just treat the immediate symptoms, we identify and address the root cause of infestations to prevent recurrence and keep your property protected.
Our Integrated Management Process for Mosquito Control
Our SAPCA-certified technicians follow a rigorous four-step process to ensure your property remains protected:
- Survey & Risk Assessment: Full site inspection mapping species, breeding hotspots, and key property entry points.
- Tailored Treatment Plan: Customised, safe treatment strategy designed for your specific home or facility.
- Source Reduction & Exclusion: Targeting water with larvicides while fitting physical barriers against re-entry.
- Monitoring & Reporting: Ongoing trend tracking with audit reporting to prevent future pest outbreaks.
Don’t let persistent mosquitoes ruin your sleep or compromise your health and safety. While DIY methods help manage temporary activity, a strategic, science-led IPM approach is the only way to eliminate root causes and keep your property protected year-round.
Where is it recommended to place the sugar & yeast mixture to trap mosquitos? Is the carbon dioxide safe in the house?
Hi Mlungisi
I would recommend placing this mixture on a sturdy surface (where it can’t be knocked over) such as a windowsill, desk or counter, or on the floor in areas where you have noticed mosquito activity. Good thinking about the carbon dioxide – mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide, and as us humans exhale CO2, it makes them drawn to us, unfortunately! Since you are using a sugar and yeast mixture, I wouldn’t say that this would be harmful to use.
The sugar and yeast mixture is not always effective in getting rid of mosquitoes, but you can also try natural repellents such as peppermint oil, garlic, citronella and lavendar to prevent mosquitoes from annoying you. Also be sure to eliminate standing water around your home as mosquitoes breed in still standing water, and close windows after dark or switch off the lights as to not attract them indoors. More tips here>
Hope this helps!
Best Regards,
Nicole