Obviously getting wiser with age doesn't always apply

We have very few mosquitoes in our area - in fact, seeing one a month is the average. Yet the last week has been a mini-hell for us here - not outside but in our home - eep! The nasty little things seemed to be breeding in our bedroom of all places and it wasn't unusual to have a dozen or more at one time zipping around trying to dive-bomb us. Wasn't until last night it suddenly occured to me that I had brought this hell upon us by re-potting a huge plant on the balcony and then bringing it inside. The pesky things have been breeding within the damp potting soil obviously as once I dragged the plant back outside things have returned to normal. Don't know where the potting soil originated from but yuck!

Anyone know a method other than spraying 'Raid' on the top of the soil and over the plant ever few days for a couple weeks? (For one thing it is going to freeze any night now and palms don't take kindly to freezing weather).

Hello Mara, Try using a Catnip plant. (Nepeta cataria) some other names for it Catswort, Fieldbalm
Either put in in the soil,next to it or put one in your room to keep the bugggers out. This is more a device to keep them rom you as it masks your chemical signature and you don't smell like a mosquito meal.
Also sprinkle a small amount of Calcium oxide or lime on the soil then water it is somewhat caustic and will kiil eggs in soil.

Hi Boopme and thanks so much for the great advise! Have made a list of the lime and the catnip plants and off to the store I go as soon as it opens in the morning. Really appreciate your help, especially since I'm one of those unlucky humans that swells up like crazy with every skitter bite. Thank you, thank you!

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. You are very welcome. I learned this talking to a friend once as my daughter is as you are. I am not. We were talking while camping and we sit next to each other, she's the meal,me nothing. So I put the plants in her room at home. Seemed to work.

Another option is to crush sassafras leaves and rub them over yourself. I do this to keep mosquitoes and deer-flies away when I'm outside. They buzz around me, but they don't land and bite. I wouldn't want to go to bed with the stuff on though.

Orange Blossom

I'm late to the party here also.

A little trick I've used when bringing in a potted plant is to wrap the pot and the base of the plant in a plastic (recycled) bag. After three weeks one can usually remove the bag and near all insect life has passed into soil amendments.

I've also used the Calcium Oxide treatment on larger pots (over 3 gallons) or where the plant had multi-stems and couldn't be properly contained in a plastic bag.

You could always be like me and have anemia - there isn't a self respecting bug that will bite me. Heck the Red Cross won't take my blood!

As too your bug problem - they sell sticky pads that you put over your dirt, mostly for newly arriving bugs, but I imagine it would also work in reverse.