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Zika Virus. Dengue Fever. Malaria. West Nile Virus. No, thanks. I’ll pass.
While I’m certainly not going to sign myself up to catch one of these mosquito diseases… I also don’t want to drown my body in harmful mosquito repellent chemicals like Deet and other lab-created concoctions.
So! I set out on a deep dive of the internet to collect all of the best, easiest, and most effective all-natural methods to trap and repel mosquitoes for a Zika-free household.
You don’t need to invest in a $50 black light fixture to eradicate the swarm. Low-energy and inexpensive is the way to go when looking for a long-term mosquito solution.
DIY Mosquito Traps
1. Coca-Cola Bottle Mosquito Trap
Using ingredients from your kitchen cabinet and items from your recycling bin, you can create a super effective mosquito trap that attracts AND kills these flying pests.
What You Need:
- A Pair of Scissors
- A 1.5 Liter Plastic Soda Bottle (empty, duh)
- Masking Tape
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey or 1 Tablespoon of Yeast
- 500ml of Water (warm is better to help ingredients dissolve)
How to Make It:
- Cut the top off the plastic bottle (save for later)
- Fill the bottle with the water
- Stir in the brown sugar and honey
- Take the top of the plastic bottle, turn it upside down and insert it into the trap
- Use masking tape to secure the two pieces together.
- Place in an area where mosquitos buzz around
Why We Love This One: The clear plastic bottle gives you a direct view of the trap, showing you how many mosquitos you’ve caught! It's so satisfying AND it allows you to see when it's time to change the trap.
Here’s an entertaining how-to video that performs each step slow enough for you to follow along.
2. The Lazy Method
When you're running low on supplies or motivation, try this easy method that you can set up in 2 minutes.
What You Need:
- A Plastic Cup
- Warm Water
- Salt
- Vinegar
- Cellophane Wrap
P.S. You can swap the vinegar/salt mixture for brown sugar/honey if you’ve got the ingredients on hand.
How to Make It:
- Take a plastic cup (disposable is most hygienic) and fill it with warm water.
- Pour in a handful of salt and stir to dissolve.
- Mix in vinegar.
- Cover with cellophane wrap and poke a dozen Q-tip size holes in the plastic wrap.
- Leave over night on a sturdy surface and empty in the morning.
Why We Love This One: This is the quickest way to help solve a mosquito problem AND it doubles as a fruit fly trap.
Here is an example of what the finished product will look like.
3. Sticky Mosquito Trap
Those yellow sticky traps are so effective and easy to use. But why spend money when you can just make your own cheap trap? Here is a practical and affordable trap that you can create over and over again in seconds.
What You Need:
- Yellow Masking Tape
- String
- Scissors
How to Make It:
- Cut a foot of masking tape and 1 foot of string.
- With the sticky side facing out, connect the ends of the masking tape to create a circle.
- Poke a hole in the tape, insert the string and now it’s ready to hang.
Pro Tip: For extra mosquito attraction, drizzle the tape with honey or sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar.
Why We Love This One: There are no ingredients to mix and no mess to clean up! Plus, it’s kind of fun watching all the bugs get trapped and squirm around.
4. Mosquito Fan Trap
A 2-for-1 deal! Get a cool breeze going through the house while trapping mosquitos, bees, and flies! This is a ‘why didn’t I think of that sooner’ kind of contraption.
What You Need:
- A Floor Fan
- Food Net
- Binder Clips
How to Make It:
- Lay the floor fan down flat – with the front side on the floor (the side that gives you a breeze).
- Place the food net over the fan.
- Attach the perimeter of the food net to the fan using 4-8 binder clips until secure.
Why We Love This One: It’s so easy to assemble and isn’t a massive eyesore in the living room or kitchen!
Here’s a video tutorial to help you out!
Pro Tip: Place these traps near a light source at night or in the evening for extra mosquito congregation!
All-Natural Mosquito Repellents
The human body naturally emits co2, and co2 attracts mosquitos, causing us to be eaten alive.
So when looking for a natural mosquito repellent, we need one that will mask the co2, making us practically invisible to mosquitoes. These natural repellent recipes do just that using a clever mixture of lemon, lime, citronella and more.
5. ‘Better than Deet’ Repellent
Any chemical you put on your skin, your body absorbs! Too much Deet can make you sick and irritate sensitive skin. Quit poisoning yourself and switch to the natural stuff.
What You Need:
- Spray Bottle
- 4oz of Rubbing Alcohol or Witch Hazel
- Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oil (25 Drops)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 ounces Coconut Oil (liquefied)
How to Make It:
- In order of the list above, add your ingredients into the spray bottle.
- Shake the bottle.
- Spray on your skin.
Optional: You can swap the spray bottle for a dropper bottle where you can drip this concoction in your wrist and ankles.
Why We Love This One: It smells so good! After wearing this DIY repellent, there’s no way you’ll got back to the stinky stuff.
Here’s an easy and informative video to teach you a bit about mosquito control and how to you make your repellent.
6. Grow a Mosquito Repelling Garden
Who knew growing a garden could fend of mosquitoes? These everyday plants and flowers emit scents that mosquitos absolutely hate and avoid at all costs. There’s nothing more that you have to do other than water and care for your garden.
- Lavender
- Citronella
- Marigolds
- Rosemary
- Lemon Balm
- Catnip
- Basil
- Peppermint
- Pennyroyal
- Garlic
Pro Tip: Pot these herbs and flowers in a window planter so that you can have your windows open in the summer without any mosquitos flying inside.
7. Mosquito Repellent Candle
So pretty. So effective. You can place this fresh candle creation in the kitchen or on a patio table to fend off mosquitoes while simultaneously creating a calming ambiance.
What You Need:
- A Glass Jar
- Water
- Mint
- Rosemary
- Lemon
- Lime
- Citronella Oil
- Tea Candles or Floating Candles
How to Make It:
- Slice your lemons and limes (about an inch thick).
- Insert the sprigs of mint and rosemary into the base of your jar.
- Place the lemon and lime in the jar.
- Fill the jar with warm water.
- Add a couple drops of citronella.
- Place your candle on top and light!
Why We Love This One: While so many mosquito repellents are ugly and smelly, this candle repellent is beautiful and adds a touch of charm to any room or centerpiece.
Watch this video for the quick and easy steps!
So why should you make the switch from chemical to all-natural when it comes to traps and repellents? Well, besides the fact that Deet and other lab-created chemicals can irritate your skin and lungs, these natural methods are cheaper, easy to replace, and quick to create when you’re being overtaken by a swarm of hungry mosquitos.
No Deet, no weird electromagnetic fields, and no toxic sprays. Just quick and easy ways to live in a bug free zone while breathing deeply and sleep soundly. Enjoy!
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About trapping “Bees”. They are pretty much harmless. They consume only nectar. They can sting, but they would then die. Overall, not a threat. If you put your hand in the way a Bee will crawl over it to get to flowers.
No Bees aren’t threats… and you can identify them by their furry bodies.
Now for the real threat…Wasps.
Smooth bodies. Like a vultures head, and for the same reason. They eat meat, so YOU are either a meal (dead), or a threat (alive)… and they can sting multiple times and keep on coming. They live in the ground, or in paper nests under eves. Some wasps mimic bees, but their smooth bodies give them away.
While you may wish to kill wasps, it’s best to contact a beekeeper to remove bees. DON’T SPRAY THEM! (Bees). Contaminated bees are worse then useless. Beekeepers don’t want them, sprays are often not effective, and the hivescent will inevitably attract, you guessed it, more bees.
Better to let the expert beekeepers identify your insect problem.
I have a small nest of wasps on the side of my house where we keep the trash cans. They eat the flies. Before them we had a fly problem. At least they are good for something. We also have a shed way in the back of our lot. And in the back wall there’s a huge hive of bees. When it gets hot we leave water with rocks for them to land on.