The Summer Party Tip – Natural ways to battle mosquitos

Let’s be honest.

Mosquitos SUCK. Literally & figuratively.

It’s a beautiful summer day. You just finished mowing the lawn. It looks friggin’ spectacular. You’re sitting in your favorite chair on the patio, enjoying an ice cold beer & surveying your handy-work. And then, a mosquito starts buzzing around your face, near your ear…that unmistakable sound. You swat at it with your hand and the noise disappears for a second, then you catch the critter out of the corner of your eye. He lands on your arm and starts to gorge himself on your precious blood.

WHAM! You slap down upon him with furious anger. As if killing the pest isn’t enough….you have to hit him as hard as possible to prove a point to any other mosquito in the area. And now you’ve got a spot of blood on your arm and the carcass of the dead mosquito.

Gross.

A new survey recently asked people what they’re fearing the most this summer, and unlike the last few years when everyone was freaking out about COVID/Murder Hornets/etc, 45% of respondents said that mosquitos are what they’re most afraid of this year. 17% said flies….with wasps & bees tied for third place with 14% of the vote.

There’s no shortage of mosquito repellents on the market, but what if you’re looking for something a bit more natural? Something you can make with the stuff you’ve got around the house?

Here’s a couple “recipes” you might wanna try this summer:(Feel free to comment with your suggestions!!!)

1. Grab half a cup of distilled water, half a cup of witch hazel, rubbing alcohol, or vinegar, and 30 to 40 drops of essential oil of your choice.
2. Combine essential oils to create a custom scent. Your homemade mosquito repellent spray can also serve as a natural bug repellent, depending on the combination of oils. For example, cedarwood oil also deters ticks, and lavender essential oils drive away gnats, flies, and ticks.
3. Pour the ingredients into a spray bottle. Shake to combine and spray as needed.

If you don’t have all those ingredients laying around the house, try the “stale beer” version:

1. One 16oz bottle of mint-flavored mouthwash
2. Three cups of Epson salt
3. Three 12oz bottles of stale beer(use the cheap stuff!)
4. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together with a spoon until the Epson salt has dissolved completely.
5. Use a funnel to pour the mixture into a spray bottle.

Another option that should be VERY easy to make includes just baking soda & vinegar.

• 1 cup of vinegar
• 1/4 cup of baking soda

1. Take an empty bottle and cut it into half.
2. Add baking soda to the bottom part of the bottle.
3. Take the top part of the bottle and invert it so that it looks like a funnel.
4. Place the inverted half of the bottle on top of the bottom half.
5. Pour vinegar into this and place it outside your room

Hopefully, whatever version of mosquito repellent you go with offers results!