Mosquitoes can ruin al fresco living, especially in the autumn when it is so pleasant to spend evenings eating on the terrace.

Clearly there are things that everyone should do to avoid the problem as far as possible and that is to remove any stagnant water which is used by mosquitoes to breed.  Areas of risk to be aware of and that many people fail to identify include:

•Water features, ponds and lakes.  If these are home to wildlife then there is little you can do except to suffer in silence!  Otherwise, keep a careful eye on the suspect water and at the first sign of larvae, treat with mild chlorine.  This will prevent the larvae from developing into adult mosquitoes.

•Puddles caused by leaking irrigation systems.  Repair the leak!
•Water collecting in flower-pot saucers.  Avoid over-watering.

There are also measures that can be taken to minimize the problem on a local basis:

•Burn Citronella.  Citronella is a chemical that gives off gases when burnt and these gasses are extremely unpleasant to mosquitoes.  Consequently they will probably go elsewhere to trouble someone else leaving you to enjoy the evening.  The downside is that some people also find the smell of burnt Citronella unpleasant!
Citronella may be bought as candles or as oil for oil lamps or flares and burnt on the wick.

•The other solution is to kill the mosquitoes that invade your space.  The device of choice is colloquially called a Zapper.  This is an electric fluorescent light that attracts mosquitoes and many other winged insects.  The insects that touch the device are then electrocuted.

In order to be effective, the Zapper should be located in a relatively dark corner away from humans.  It is safe to use indoors or out and is often very effective placed in a bedroom for 20 minutes before retiring to bed.