7 Homemade Mosquito Traps And Repellents That Work

The sound of buzzing mosquitoes while you are in bed can keep you up the whole night. Let’s not forget about the red itching bitemarks the next morning.

Whether you are a camper, prepper or just someone that cannot stand it anymore, I believe that this article might provide a solution to your problem. The best part of it all is that you can make all of the items listed here at home.

Prevent the mosquitoes from breeding

One of the easiest ways not to sit with a mosquito problem is not to allow them from breeding in the first place. Mosquitoes can multiply exponentially and will become a problem if you do not take action beforehand.

1. Get rid of standing water

The first thing that you need to remember is that mosquitoes need to lay their eggs in water for them to reproduce. If you have ever seen mosquito larvae in water before, then you will realize that they do need water.

You can start by covering water puddles with soil and also emptying cans and barrels that might be laying around in your backyard. If you have a pool, then you can either cover it or drain it. It is also essential to clean the surfaces of these items because the larvae might still be intact.

2. Make use of larvicides

Another option for if you cannot get rid of the water is to make use of larvicides. There are many types of poisons that you can use and include Methoprene, Microbelift, Abate, Triflumuron and also Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (Bti).

Bti comes in the form of dunks that is a specific group of bacteria used to give off toxins that are poisonous to mosquitoe larvae. You will need to place the product in the water source for it to work. It is also important not to consume any of the water that contains any of these products.

3. Plant Mosquito repelling plants

You also have the option to plant some of these plants near water sources in to prevent mosquitoes from coming close to the water. There is a long list of plants that can be used, and my favorite is Citronella grass.

You can also use catnip (your cat will love you for that), Scented Geraniums, Rosemary, Marigold, and even Lavender. Most of the plants such as Lavender and Citronella grass have a delightful scent to them that might lift your mood during the day.

The 5 mosquito traps that you can use

Now that you have done all you can on preventing the mosquitoes from reproducing you can start by setting out traps that will catch and most likely kill them. It is impossible to avoid all of the mosquitoes from, and you need to set out traps to catch the smart ones.

1. Plastic bottle trap

This trap is probably one of the cheapest and most well-known mosquito trap out there. This trap is also easy to make, and I will show you how. Here is what you will need:

• 1 two liter plastic bottle.
• 1 sharp knife or blade.
• 1 cup of boiling water.
• Measuring tape.
• One marker.
• 1/2 of sugar.
• 1 teaspoon of yeast.

a) First, you need to take an empty 2-liter plastic bottle. It is best to use one that is round so do not use the square ones. This will ensure that the top fits perfectly without providing any gaps for the mosquitoes to escape.

b) Take a measuring tape and start measuring the length of the bottle by starting from the bottom. Now you need to take a marker to make a mark 20 cm’s from the bottom. Draw a line around the circumference of the bottle to make it easier to cut. Just make sure that you only remove the part that resembles a funnel. You do not want the funnel to be too long.

c) The next step is to take a knife or razor blade and cut along the line that you have made with the marker.

d) Now you have two parts of the plastic bottle. Take the top part that looks like a funnel and turn it upside down so that the lid is downwards. Put it inside the lower part of the bottle.

e) Once the top part is placed inside of the lower portion, you now need to seel the edges to prevent any mosquitos from escaping. You can seal the bottle with the help of adhesive tape.

f) Now that your trap is complete and you now need to have bait. The best one that I know off is a solution of sugar, water, and yeast. You can boil one cup of water and then adding half a cup of sugar. Most people recommend brown sugar, but white sugar will also work.

Mix the sugar within the boiling water until dissolved and then wait for the water to cool down to room temperature. Once the water is cooled down, you can add one tablespoon of yeast (Never add yeast to boiling water as it will kill the yeast which contains fungi).

g) Once the mixture is dissolved you can pour the solution inside of the trap and set it to a place where mosquitoes are present. The mosquitoes will be drawn to the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast from the sugar solution with the help of fermentation.

h) The best area to place this trap is near a shade out of the sun and away from where you like to hang out. If it works, you can replace the solution every week or two depending on how many mosquitoes you have caught.

2. The fan trap

If you already have a fan and a sheet of fine mesh, then you are in luck because now you can trap mosquitoes the same as a spiders web except that this method is much more successful. The only problem is that the fan must have a framework around the fans to attach the mesh. In most cases, a box fan will do the trick.

So here is what you should do:

All you need to do is to attach a mesh to the front side of the fan in the direction of the air movement. The back side of the fan will need large volumes of air to push through the fan and will create a suction effect as a result which will suck all of the mosquitoes through the fan.

The role of the mesh is to catch all of the mosquitoes which makes it also easier to clean. You can monitor the fan throughout the day to see how many mosquitoes you have captured.

3. Catch them with sticky tape

Sticky tape is a common trap that I lot of people use to catch insects. Today I am going to show you how you can make your own. If the trouble of making them is too much for you, then I recommend you buy them as they are very inexpensive.

What you will need is a brightly colored cardboard sheet which is either green, yellow or pink and some sticky glue.

a) You can make your sticky paste with corn syrup, sugar, and water that are born to a boil in a pan. Place one cup of water in a pan and wait for it to boil. Then add 1/2 cup of sugar and stir it until it has dissolved. Then add corn syrup until the substance becomes thick and sticky.

b) Wait for the paste to cool down and then apply it to a sheet of brightly colored cardboard with the help of a brush.

c) Punch a hole in one of the corners so that you can attach a string to it. The line will enable you to connect this sticky paper to anywhere you want.

4. Make use of ovitraps

An ovitrap is very similar to that of the standard plastic bottle trap except that it is more effective and can also cost you more to make. The purpose of the ovitrap is for mosquitoes to lay their eggs on and around the sock that is placed around the outside edge of the mesh.

Once the eggs hatch the larvae will crawl through the mesh to get to the stagnant water, and once they are full grown mosquitoes, they will not be able to pass through the mesh. The only con about the trap is that the sock that you attach to the opening must stay wet at all times.

Here is what you will need:

• You will need a 1 liter to the 5-liter black container in size. Make sure that the opening is large enough for the mesh because you want to cover a large surface area. You can also take a 2-liter soda bottle and cut it in half.
• Black spray paint for if you could not find a black container.
• a Pair of black socks
• Metal mesh or screening.
• Tape or glue (silicone works best).
• Stagnant water.

Now that you have all of the parts let’s build the trap.

a) Take the plastic bottle and cut it in half so that you have a large opening. Take the black spray paint and spray the outside of the container black and wait for it to dry.

b) Drill two small holes on each side of the container to attach the wire or rope. This will enable you to hang the bottle anywhere you like.

c) Take the metal screen and cut out a circle that is larger than the opening of your container. Push the screen down inside of the container, and you can use tape or glue to stick it in the inside. Using silicone is also an excellent option.

d) Cut a long strip out of the sock and attach it to the inside of the mouth of the container just above the metal screen. You can also use tape or silicone to connect the sock.

e) The last step is to fill the container with stagnant water to attract the mosquitoes. It is important not to use fresh water as mosquitoes prefer stagnant water.

5. Clamp light method

The last mosquito trap on the list that you can make yourself can be called the clamp light method. This method is also straightforward and only requires three components which are a bowl of water, a clamp light, and some detergent.

a) You will need to fill the bowl with water (preferable stagnant water) and place the bowl somewhere under a tree or where there is shade.

b) Next, you need to add some detergent. The most accessible source of detergent is dishwashing liquid. Just add a few drops and you are done. The reason for adding the soap for the mosquitoes to stick to the water and eventually drown. Mosquitoes can walk on water without being sucked in.

c) Lastly, you need to attach the clamp light to the bowl of water and point the bulp downwards so that it faces the water bowl. Connect the light to a power source and watch the magic happen.

The purpose of this trap is for mosquitoes to be drawn to the light and once the sit on the water, the detergent will suck them into it. This trap works best at night where light is minimal.

Making your own repellent cocktail

If you do not want to buy a mosquito repellent but would instead make your own, then you might be in luck. You can produce large quantities of this repellent and spay it all over yourself. It is also safe to use because the chemicals are not toxic to your skin. It is not safe for ingestion.

The tools that you will use is an empty spray bottle and a funnel. The ingredients are as follow. You need to take 1/3 Dettol, 1/3 Baby oil and pure alcohol (methylated spirits).

Mix all three ingredients in the bottle, and you are ready to use. As a final tip, you can add a teaspoon of lavender oil to give the repellent a lovely smell. The lavender oil will also help repel some of the mosquitoes.

How to make Citronella candles

If you want to mix romance with bug repellent, then Citronella candles are for you. Let’s face it. There is nothing worse than mosquitoes buzzing around you while you want to spend some time with your loved one.

The biggest problem is that it is hard to get your hands on these lovely scented candles. In this section, I am going to explain to you how you can make them yourself.

https://youtu.be/uXwK_mQ9Ed8

Here is what you will need:

• Mason jars.
• Bag of candle wax granules (can melt regular candles as well).
• Candle Wicks.
• Citronella essential oil.
• Colored crayons to add color to the candle.
• Pot with boiling water.
• A Glass bowl.

a) First, you need to take the wax granules and fill them 3/4 into the mason jar. You need to do this to know the quantity of wax granules to melt.

b) Take a pot, fill it with water and bring the heat up until it boils. Place the glass bowl on the pot and make sure the bottom part of the bowl reaches the boiling water.

c) Place the measured wag granules into the bowl and wait for it to melt. You can also place colored crayons to add color to the wax. Food coloring are not fat soluble and will not work. Please be cautious when handling hot wax. I still have a burning mark on my finger that came from melted wax when I six years old.

d) Once the wax is melted, you can add one teaspoon of Citronella essential oil.

e) Take the candle wicks and place it in the middle of the jar. Do the trim the wicks yet.

f) Now gently pour the hot wax into the mason jar, and you can hold the wicks in place with the help of wood clothespins. Now you have to wait for the wax to cool down and solidify.

Final word…

I believe that after reading this topic, you will be well prepared for when the mosquitoes strike during the raining season. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.