As we all know, mosquitoes are annoying little creatures that can pose a serious health risk to people living in or traveling around areas with heavy mosquito population.
By this stage of the summer season, most people have given up trying to enjoy outdoor activities such as going for a walk or swimming because of the pesky insects. Luckily, there is an easy way to keep mosquitos at bay – fire!
Burning plastic junk like old food packaging, water bottles, empty beverage cans, and polyethylene bags will eliminate much of the fuel needed by the bugs to survive. When throwing away these items, make sure to also burn them so they can help prevent harmful gasses from escaping.
There are several different ways to dispose of garbage properly and effectively to aid in environmental conservation and reduce air pollution. And while some say burning leftovers can harm wildlife, doing it correctly has never harmed any creature.
It doesn’t work as well as some people think
Although burning egg cartons is a cheap way to try and prevent mosquitoes from breeding, it isn’t very effective at all. This is because when most animals hatch, they usually don’t eat their own eggs.
Most reptiles and birds won’t eat their offspring even if they are still in the womb, so this also applies to insects like mosquitos.
When these young critters attempt to hatch, there’s little or no food available, which can cause death for the embryo or larva.
It can be dangerous
In addition to not helping your home’s air quality, burning plastic can actually do more harm than good. When burned, some types of plastics give off harmful chemicals that other organisms rely on for survival.
Some examples of these are called “flame retardants” and they work by clogging up the pores in animal skin so you cannot breathe in any excess amounts of toxins.
These flame retardant compounds have been linked to health issues such as respiratory problems, heart disease, and even cancer. Due to this, there is now a movement away from using them and instead choosing safer alternatives.
One alternative is leaving leftover food and beverages untouched until it goes cold or buying glass bottles! Luckily, with knowing how to prevent mosquitoes in your house, this is rarely an issue anymore.
It doesn’t work on all mosquitoes
Although burning egg carton works on some mosquito species, it does not work on every individual of those types you will find everywhere.
Eggs can be very hard to come by in some animal or bird populations so if there are no more eggs left, then there is nothing for the fire to burn down into.
This would exclude birds like the chicken from this article who was just laying an omelette!
It also cannot work on certain types of mosquitoes that do not ingest their food. These include some genera such as Aedes, Culex, and Anopheles.
These types of mosquitoes need liquid to survive so they don’t take solid foods like the deer I mentioned earlier. They also hatch within 24 hours so any leftover carton pieces could help prevent larvae growth.
However, this won’t work on individuals whose babies never make it through the larval stage.
It’s not a perfect way to keep mosquitoes away
Although burning egg carton may help reduce mosquito numbers, there are some drawbacks of using this method as a natural pest control technique. First, burned plastic can contribute to air pollution so it is not ideal for that reason alone.
Second, sometimes smoke from the fire can conceal hungry mosquitos and prevent them from detecting your blood as a source of food. If this happens, they will pass you by and go after another more susceptible target instead.
Third, even though burnt paper doesn’t remain physically in the environment very long, leftover ashes can wash down rain drains or into rivers, contributing to water contamination. This could have negative environmental effects like contaminating drinking supplies or harming wildlife.
You should still use other methods to keep mosquitoes away
Even though burning egg cartons is an effective way to prevent mosquito breeding, it is not the only way to do so. Although creating a dry fire after rinsing your dishes in water is a great idea, using aluminum foil or putting these burnt remnants into a trash can instead of recycling them is much better!
In fact, leaving leftover food sitting around can help attract more mosquitos as they search for fresh meals. If you are very careful about how you prepare your foods, then this will not be an issue for you.
By cleaning your dishes properly and either throwing the leftovers out or giving them to someone else, you have eliminated another source of fuel for the larvae.
You should only burn the egg cartons after you’ve done all other methods
Although burning plastic junk can help keep mosquitoes away, there is not enough evidence to say that it works as well as using trash bags or tarp covers. In fact, some studies show that leaving exposed trash for hungry mosquitos may actually attract more of them!
If you must use fire to prevent mosquito landings, make sure you do it in an enclosed area with heavy air circulation so that smoke does not linger and hinder visibility. Also, be careful not to overburn your garbage, as this could create harmful pollutants like dioxins.
Whenever possible, try to wash your hands and shower before and after cleaning around the house to reduce infectious substances left behind.
You should burn the egg cartons in a place that isn’t close to your house
Many people have heard about burning plastic junk to prevent pollution, but few know what kind of plastic can be burned and whether it works!
Fortunately, there are only a couple types of plastic that you will find around us today (besides glass) that really require incineration. The most common type of plastics found everywhere is polyethylene (also known as plastic trash bag material).
Polyethylene bags usually contain food waste or other products that have dried up and gone bad. Because these bags are made out of thin materials, they can be burnt easily and effectively without any additives needed.
By avoiding adding chemicals to the fire, we avoid exposing more toxins to our environment. This includes dousing the smoke in water to extract additional compounds and fumes.
You should burn the egg cartons after sunset
Many people have noticed that burning plastic trash such as grocery store or beverage container wrappers keeps mosquitoes away. While this may seem like an easy way to prevent mosquito bites, it can actually do more harm than good.
In fact, leaving these remnants in your environment may be what is promoting the growth of mosquito-breeding habitats.
Burning plastic junk cuts down on the number of leftover pieces you’ll see scattered around outside. However, it also raises new concerns about potentially harmful chemicals left over from the fire.
When you burn plastic, some parts are burned off and then mixed into watery liquids that eventually get washed away. These components could end up contaminating natural resources, including rivers and oceans. Some studies even suggest that exposure to certain plastics may contribute to health problems. [Sources: Environmental Health Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health]
While there isn’t enough evidence to say whether or not removing plastic debris benefits public health, avoiding contaminated drinking waters and eating foods grown in untreated soil or freshwater is important for overall wellness.