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Keep Mosquitoes Away With These DIY Traps & Repellents
By MEGAN BRAME
Trap
Cut off the top third of a 2-liter bottle, invert it to sit inside the bottle, pour in 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in a cup of hot water, and place it away from people.
Mosquitoes use the sugars in flower nectars and fruits for energy, so when they are lured into the bottle by the brown sugar, they can’t find the small exit and eventually drown.
Fan
Measure the side of a fan that acts as the exhaust and some mesh fabric so that it's a bit bigger than the fan. Fit the mesh to the back of the fan and seal it all around.
Mosquitoes are weak fliers and can’t resist the wind forces of a fan. The fan's suction pulls them in while the mesh netting at the back traps them until they die.
Vinegar
Add apple cider vinegar and liquid dish soap to an open container but not so much that it creates bubbles. Put the container where you've noticed mosquitoes.
Apple cider vinegar’s pungent aroma seems to attract mosquitoes. Once in the stagnant vinegar, the dish soap coats their wings, weighing them down so that they drown.
Coffee Grounds
Fill a fire-safe bowl halfway with fresh coffee grounds, pinching them to form a cone shape in the center. Use a long lighter to ignite them until you see smoke.
Burning coffee grounds disrupts a mosquito's ability to smell your scent, so it’s unable to find its target. Coffee grounds also prevent females from laying eggs.
Lemon Eucalyptus
Oil of lemon eucalyptus is a non-toxic, plant-based DEET that’s effective at repelling mosquitoes. All you need to do is spray it onto your skin or clothing.
Note that oil of lemon eucalyptus and lemon eucalyptus oil are different — the latter doesn't have enough of the ingredient (PMD) that repels bugs. Look for OLE or PMD to be sure.