With the rain showing no signs of abating in India, the happiest are perhaps the mosquitoes who have no dearth of breeding places. Instances of diseases like Zika, dengue and malaria have been rising in the monsoons. If you can’t get a good night’s sleep and wish there was a good way to send the mosquitos packing, you need to head out to your kitchen and raid your spice cabinet. These kitchen ingredients like pepper, star anise and are known to have mosquito-repelling qualities that send them packing. If you are concerned about using chemical mosquito repellants like DEET, try these natural ingredients from your kitchen. World's Deadliest Killer: Mosquitoes Are Biggest Cause of Human Deaths Around the World!

1. Black Pepper

Black pepper can do much more than adding a spicy zing to your foods. Piperine, the active ingredient in pepper, is an effective mosquito repellent. Even companies that make chemical repellents add piperine to their formula. To get protection against mosquitos, heat some pepper powder in coconut oil and apply it on your exposed areas. Places in Your House Where Mosquitoes Love to Hide.

2. Star Anise

Another spice that helps against mosquitoes is star anise. It contains the active ingredients (E)-cinnamaldehyde or (E)-anethole can both work as effective mosquito repellents. Slather a bit of anise essential oil or coconut oil infused with the spice all over your hands and legs to avoid getting bitten.

3. Cinnamon Oil

Cinnamon has the same active ingredients as anise, which help in kicking mosquitoes to the kerb. If you have areas in your house with mulch or stagnant water, put a few drops of cinnamon oil to kill the mosquito larvae. 7 Mosquito-Repellent Plants That Will Keep The Insects at Bay.

4. Mint

Mint leaves or oil both act as mosquito repellents due to its active ingredients that drive the insects away. You can place a potted plant, crush some dried leaves or use mint oil as a repellent. Apply These 6 Oils on Your Skin to Drive Mosquitoes Away.

5. Garlic

Vampires are not the only blood-sucking creatures garlic can ward off. The smell of garlic can annoy mosquitoes and keep them away. Apart from keeping some cloves of garlic next to your bedside or rubbing it on your hands and legs, you can also eat a few. The sulphur smell on your breath and your skin can keep mosquitoes at bay.

6. Cloves

Mosquitoes and cloves don’t go together because the blood-sucking skeeters hate the smell of it. You can use clove oil diluted with a carrier oil on your body or grind a few pieces into a paste and apply it on your skin.

7. Lemon

When you combine clove with lemon, you get a potent mosquito repellent. Put a few cloves on a lemon wedge and watch mosquitoes pack their bags and leave. They hate the smell of anything citrusy and lemon works best.

8. Soya Oil

Soybean oil is one of the best natural repellents of mosquitoes. Insect repellents commonly use soybean oil as an active ingredient in their products. What’s good is that apart from being effective, soybean oil is also safe for use on infants.

Sometimes, these natural remedies work well against mosquitoes, offering better and safer protection than chemical repellents. For best results, use a combination of these ingredients.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2019 07:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).