There are TWO types of insects which I CANNOT and DO NOT want to co-exist with.
The MOSQUITOES.
And the COCKROACHES!
Not that I like any of the other types of insects like lizards, flies and beetles but I don't mind them staying in the room for a couple of hours until Alphonse come to the rescue. :P
I hate cockraches the most but I think mosquitoes can do more harm especially if it's the Aedes mosquitoes that cause dengue fever. Even if it is just any other mosquitoes, the itchiness of the bite can be extremely annoying for days.
Didn't you hate it when they bit you on the face and you had to bear with the unsightly swell? What's worse??? They bit you on the FEET and made you itch but you couldn't scratch!?!?
Oh... and I will never forget the buzzing sound the mosquitoes made that disrupted my sleep almost every night.
Staying at level 2, you may think that mosquitoes and cockroaches are my house tenants.
Nooooo...
NEVER!
For the 5 years staying in my level 2 home, I hardly ever got bitten by mosquitoes. Definitely less than 10 times... or may be 5. I am, by the way, the mosquito magnet of the family. Yet I do not have the problem.
So I shall share with you what I invested on to achieve that.
Before that, let me also share with you a few other methods we tried.
Some of these are items we got 6-10 years ago. There may be improved versions, I don't know, but what I got where not very helpful.
Let's start with the least favourable.
1. Air freshener that repels mosquito
Sounds good yah? BUT very disappointing!!
These air fresheners usually come with scents of Citronella because the scent repels the mosquitoes. Unless the air freshener is placed in every single corner of the room, the scent is not good enough to proof the area from mosquitoes. If it is strong enough, you must really like the Citronella scent to be able to bear with it.
2. MOSQUITO COIL
There are many brands of mosquito coils out there. Some are scented, such as lavendar, to ease the pungent smell from the burning of the coil. Personal felt it was pretty effective while the coil burns, but the ash and the smoke/CO2 can be rather unhealthy for long term usage.
Especially now that I have a child, I really don't want my child to breath in the chemicals/pesticides which are given off by the coil.
3. Mosquitoe ZAPPER!!
I first learnt about mosquitoes zapper when I worked in a hospital kitchen. They hung HUGE zappers, each with 6 UV tube bulbs. What they do is that the mosquitoes (and other flies and insects) gets attracted to the the light and get ZAPPED with loud TUG. All excited, I introduced it to Alphonse we got one with 3 tube bulbs to place by my bed.
I would say it was pretty effective, there were always dead mosquitos every morning when I checked the Zapper. But that doesn't mean that I did not get bitten. I still did. Just much lesser.
I admit my secret joy every morning when I open up to check for the spoils. haha... but it's can also be rather troublesome to have to open up and clean it everyday.
Worse still, if you are a light sleeper, you will get shocked by all the TUGs and BIZZZZZZZ.... when the insects get ZAPPED to death. :P My mum couldn't tolerate the tug sound and gave up using the zapper.
4. Insect repellant spray or patch
There was I period of time I couldn't tolerate the mosquitoes anymore that I sprayed repellant over my whole body (EVEN FACE) with the repellant. I certainly didn't feel comfortable.
These are good items to have when you are going out especially after a rainy day. But to me, these are not solutions for the night time. It repells the mosquitoes but they are still in the house. Sooner or later, they will still attack you or the person next to you.
It got this from Nature's Spa pretty pleasant scent and is suitable for infant.
This is a mosquito patch for your child to paste on the clothes but I dont think it is cost saving. I use it only when I know for certain that Elric will be outdoor for long a period of time. Otherwise, I would spray on the repellant.
NOW... comes the most important part of the post.
My mosquito defence system.
TADAHHHH....
Can you see it?
No??
Try again...
Alright how about this?
Yap. This is my window screen. THE hero that has protected me and my family from mosquitoes, flying cockroaches, flies and many other insects.
Before I finally decided to install this, I tried other types of window mosquito nets. The DIY type. I bought velcro tapes and big pieces of mesh to install when Alphonse and I was still staying with his mum. It was very troublesome and since the mesh were soft and not durable, we had to buy can change every 2-3 weeks because it traps dust. Once it traps dust, the air can't flow in properly.
Mosquito Screen Installation
How this mosquito screen works is very simple. Give them a call and they will measure all the windows. A few days later, the they will return to install the magnets at all the sides of the windows. Since the screens are made to measure, you don't have to worry about the fit.
Once the magnets are installed, the placing of the screens was a breeze. Just align the screen the top corners of the window and let the magnet do the job!
If you have window grills installed, no problem either. They are capable of sealing up the gaps between the grills and the windows which means there is NO WAY the mosquitos can sneak in.
My Vendor
There are many brands of mosquito screens out there and it is important to get the right one. http://mosquitoscreens.com.sg has been around for many years. Mine was installed 5 years ago and it is still working very well.
Ken who is the boss were very helpful when he did the screens for us. He advised us the types of screens suitable for us and was not pushy when selling his products.
Design
What I bought was the simpliest design. Basically I wanted it to be camoufladged. However if you like it to be seens, there are other colours and designs to choose from.
Blocking the breeze?
That was my initial worry. Will it block the wind from entering the house?
Well, it does break the wind a little. Meaning you may not feel strong wind but the air still flows well and you still do feel the breeze.
You can also take it down during periods when there are less mosquitoes if you really want to enjoy the breeze.
Maintenance
Cleaning of the screen is also very simple. Just use mild detegant and water to wipe both sides of the screen regularly.
After service
I was, initially, afraid that the quality would not last or the magnet wouldn't be strong enough. Ken assured us that his products are of good quality and there is a 3-year guarantee. It's been 5 years now! I haven't had a chance to call him.:P
I surely will call him again when I shift to a new place. :D
Pricing
Initially I was reluctant to install because of the pricing. It was about $1,600 to fix the whole house. (Not sure about the current pricing though)
After 5 years, I can tell you it is worthed EVERY SINGLE CENT.
$1,600 / 5 years: $320 per year
(if I don't shift, it will last me even longer)
$320 / 365 days = $0.88 per day
In comparison to the spending on mosquito repellant healing cream for mosquito bites, the disturbed sleep and all the agony you have to go through! My $1,600 was money well spent.
Rather than trying to shield yourself, when the mosquitoes are still in your house always ready to attack, why not shield the entire home? You prevent them from breeding in your house too.
I hope this blog post has introduced to you an alternative (if you were not aware) to protect your family from mosquitoes.
Do share with me if you have other methods and creative ideas!
Cheers,
Mummy Kaye
P.S. Remember I mentioned I was bitten by mosquitoes about/ or less than 5 times in my 5 years? Those were times when we left the door open for too long and invited the enemies in. You can install door screens if you like keeping your doors opened. :)
The MOSQUITOES.
And the COCKROACHES!
 |
| only if you like this in real life... I may reconsider. :< |
Not that I like any of the other types of insects like lizards, flies and beetles but I don't mind them staying in the room for a couple of hours until Alphonse come to the rescue. :P
I hate cockraches the most but I think mosquitoes can do more harm especially if it's the Aedes mosquitoes that cause dengue fever. Even if it is just any other mosquitoes, the itchiness of the bite can be extremely annoying for days.
Didn't you hate it when they bit you on the face and you had to bear with the unsightly swell? What's worse??? They bit you on the FEET and made you itch but you couldn't scratch!?!?
Oh... and I will never forget the buzzing sound the mosquitoes made that disrupted my sleep almost every night.
Staying at level 2, you may think that mosquitoes and cockroaches are my house tenants.
Nooooo...
NEVER!
For the 5 years staying in my level 2 home, I hardly ever got bitten by mosquitoes. Definitely less than 10 times... or may be 5. I am, by the way, the mosquito magnet of the family. Yet I do not have the problem.
So I shall share with you what I invested on to achieve that.
Before that, let me also share with you a few other methods we tried.
Some of these are items we got 6-10 years ago. There may be improved versions, I don't know, but what I got where not very helpful.
Let's start with the least favourable.
1. Air freshener that repels mosquito
Sounds good yah? BUT very disappointing!!
These air fresheners usually come with scents of Citronella because the scent repels the mosquitoes. Unless the air freshener is placed in every single corner of the room, the scent is not good enough to proof the area from mosquitoes. If it is strong enough, you must really like the Citronella scent to be able to bear with it.
2. MOSQUITO COIL
There are many brands of mosquito coils out there. Some are scented, such as lavendar, to ease the pungent smell from the burning of the coil. Personal felt it was pretty effective while the coil burns, but the ash and the smoke/CO2 can be rather unhealthy for long term usage.
Especially now that I have a child, I really don't want my child to breath in the chemicals/pesticides which are given off by the coil.
3. Mosquitoe ZAPPER!!
I first learnt about mosquitoes zapper when I worked in a hospital kitchen. They hung HUGE zappers, each with 6 UV tube bulbs. What they do is that the mosquitoes (and other flies and insects) gets attracted to the the light and get ZAPPED with loud TUG. All excited, I introduced it to Alphonse we got one with 3 tube bulbs to place by my bed.
I would say it was pretty effective, there were always dead mosquitos every morning when I checked the Zapper. But that doesn't mean that I did not get bitten. I still did. Just much lesser.
I admit my secret joy every morning when I open up to check for the spoils. haha... but it's can also be rather troublesome to have to open up and clean it everyday.
Worse still, if you are a light sleeper, you will get shocked by all the TUGs and BIZZZZZZZ.... when the insects get ZAPPED to death. :P My mum couldn't tolerate the tug sound and gave up using the zapper.
4. Insect repellant spray or patch
There was I period of time I couldn't tolerate the mosquitoes anymore that I sprayed repellant over my whole body (EVEN FACE) with the repellant. I certainly didn't feel comfortable.
These are good items to have when you are going out especially after a rainy day. But to me, these are not solutions for the night time. It repells the mosquitoes but they are still in the house. Sooner or later, they will still attack you or the person next to you.
It got this from Nature's Spa pretty pleasant scent and is suitable for infant.
This is a mosquito patch for your child to paste on the clothes but I dont think it is cost saving. I use it only when I know for certain that Elric will be outdoor for long a period of time. Otherwise, I would spray on the repellant.
NOW... comes the most important part of the post.
My mosquito defence system.
TADAHHHH....
Can you see it?
No??
Try again...
Alright how about this?
Yap. This is my window screen. THE hero that has protected me and my family from mosquitoes, flying cockroaches, flies and many other insects.
Before I finally decided to install this, I tried other types of window mosquito nets. The DIY type. I bought velcro tapes and big pieces of mesh to install when Alphonse and I was still staying with his mum. It was very troublesome and since the mesh were soft and not durable, we had to buy can change every 2-3 weeks because it traps dust. Once it traps dust, the air can't flow in properly.
Mosquito Screen Installation
How this mosquito screen works is very simple. Give them a call and they will measure all the windows. A few days later, the they will return to install the magnets at all the sides of the windows. Since the screens are made to measure, you don't have to worry about the fit.
Once the magnets are installed, the placing of the screens was a breeze. Just align the screen the top corners of the window and let the magnet do the job!
If you have window grills installed, no problem either. They are capable of sealing up the gaps between the grills and the windows which means there is NO WAY the mosquitos can sneak in.
My Vendor
 |
| after 5 years... :P |
There are many brands of mosquito screens out there and it is important to get the right one. http://mosquitoscreens.com.sg has been around for many years. Mine was installed 5 years ago and it is still working very well.
Ken who is the boss were very helpful when he did the screens for us. He advised us the types of screens suitable for us and was not pushy when selling his products.
Design
What I bought was the simpliest design. Basically I wanted it to be camoufladged. However if you like it to be seens, there are other colours and designs to choose from.
Blocking the breeze?
That was my initial worry. Will it block the wind from entering the house?
Well, it does break the wind a little. Meaning you may not feel strong wind but the air still flows well and you still do feel the breeze.
You can also take it down during periods when there are less mosquitoes if you really want to enjoy the breeze.
Maintenance
Cleaning of the screen is also very simple. Just use mild detegant and water to wipe both sides of the screen regularly.
After service
I was, initially, afraid that the quality would not last or the magnet wouldn't be strong enough. Ken assured us that his products are of good quality and there is a 3-year guarantee. It's been 5 years now! I haven't had a chance to call him.:P
I surely will call him again when I shift to a new place. :D
Pricing
Initially I was reluctant to install because of the pricing. It was about $1,600 to fix the whole house. (Not sure about the current pricing though)
After 5 years, I can tell you it is worthed EVERY SINGLE CENT.
$1,600 / 5 years: $320 per year
(if I don't shift, it will last me even longer)
$320 / 365 days = $0.88 per day
In comparison to the spending on mosquito repellant healing cream for mosquito bites, the disturbed sleep and all the agony you have to go through! My $1,600 was money well spent.
Rather than trying to shield yourself, when the mosquitoes are still in your house always ready to attack, why not shield the entire home? You prevent them from breeding in your house too.
I hope this blog post has introduced to you an alternative (if you were not aware) to protect your family from mosquitoes.
Do share with me if you have other methods and creative ideas!
Cheers,
Mummy Kaye
P.S. Remember I mentioned I was bitten by mosquitoes about/ or less than 5 times in my 5 years? Those were times when we left the door open for too long and invited the enemies in. You can install door screens if you like keeping your doors opened. :)
