Home Made Insect Repellent

Mosquito

Put 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and drink. The smell of vinegar emitted in your normal perspiration will repel the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes sense of smell is about 10,000 times better than ours.

Dab 1 to 2 drops of lavender oil (available at health–food stores) on pulse points. Inside of your wrist, inside your elbows, behind your ears and in back of your knees. The oil makes a great repellent and makes you smell good.

Consider building a bat house or buy one. Bats eat and feed around dusk or after dark when mosquitoes may be particularly abundant.

Make sure there are no standing water sources in your yard. This includes plastic swimming pools, birdbaths and decorative fountains. The water should be changed at least once a week. Standing water also can be found in gutters, eave troughs or items left outside. Be sure to check your flower pots and the dishes underneath them for standing water.

Ants

Put the legs of your picnic table in paper cups that are filled halfway with water. Ants can’t swim. If they craw up the side of the the cup, they will fall into the cup of water.

Keep ants from climbing up tree by using a sticky substance such as pine tar around the trunk of the tree. They will not cross over it.

Another simple way of controlling ants is pouring boiling water into the entrance of the nest. It will not kill the entire nest but it will certainly take care of the scout ants that are traveling around the lawn. Boric acid is a low-toxicity chemical that can be used for ant control.

Boric acid can be especially effective when paired with boiling water. The boiling water will kill ants near the surface and even as the water-cools, it will bring the boric acid deep into the nest.

A mixture of 1 teaspoon of boric acid powder and 10 teaspoons of sugar into 2 cups of water. Ths mixture can be sprinkled around the nest for effective control. Be careful using this mixture in the yard around pets.

Fruit Flies

Problems with fruit flies can occur when trash is forgotten or fruit is left out. These creatures seem impossible to get rid of once you have gotten them. No matter the amount of cleaning, scrubbing, or spraying they just keep coming back. Even recycling can lead to fruit flies as these things seem to have the ability to persevere where other creatures perish. However a fruit fly trap can help you get rid of them.

We all love fruit but we do not love the fruit flies that come with them. Fruit flies are the tiny looking gnats that fly around. These pesky flies are most common in places such as fresh produce markets as well as liquor bars with the sweet liquor.

The First step in getting rid of fruit flies is to get rid of their food source. This is as simple as cleaning up spells, and throwing away rotting fruit. Fruit flies are drawn to anything that’s organic and moist – they leave their eggs in it.

The second step in getting rid of fruit flies is once you’ve gotten rid of their food supply, you need to make sure you get them all – this is actually very simple: Take a slice of banana and put it in a shallow dish of mineral oil. The mineral oil is viscous enough that the flies will land in it and be unable to take off again – leave this out someplace where you can monitor it for about 24-48 hours, and then throw it out, along with all the dead flies.

House Fly

Flies breed where manure and garbage accumulates, so it is important to keep the perimeter of the home clean and clear of garbage, and to clean up any pet manure. Garbage cans should be cleaned with disinfectants on a weekly basis to reduce the attraction of the housefly. The cans should also be equipped with tight-fitting lids, and trash should be disposed of on a weekly basis, and even more in the summer, if possible. Pet waste should be disposed of promptly, and should not be allowed to stand in a garbage can for more than two days, which will definitely attract flies. Food should also not be allowed to stand, as the old food will attract flies and encourage their breeding. There are many herbs and spices that can be used as home remedies, and that work to repel flies from the home.

Growing basil in flowerpots or placing fresh-cut basil in vases and places where it is needed, will work as a natural repellent and flies will be apt to invade the home. Eucalyptus leaves can be burned outside, and used to repel flies as well as mosquitoes. A natural barrier can be made around the home to discourage flies from entering. The barriers are like barbed wire that keep the flies out of the home. Growing certain plants around the periphery of the home can make barriers. The plants will look nice while deterring nasty flies from entering the home, and even the yard. For flies, mint and basil should be grown to repel them, and keep them from entering the human household. These plants may smell nice to humans, but they are absolutely disgusting to house flies.

Bees, Yellow Jackets, and Wasps

These flying stingers are attracted to bright warm colors such as yellow, orange and red. Use pale pastel color plates, napkins and tablecloth, when eating outdoors. Use perhaps soft blue or green. Wear colors to match.

Set your table with a few fabric-softeners. They will keep bees and yellow jackets as well as ants away from your party.

Mice

Mice hate the smell of peppermint. Put a few drops of oil of peppermint wherever you think the critters may visit.

Sprinkle baking soda around areas where you think mice may wander.

Moles

Pour used cat litter down the holes of moles; they will quickly find another place to live.

Pest Free Picnic

When eating out in the back yard or park, place battery operated fan on the table. The fans will keep flying insects (such as mosquitoes, bees, wasps, flies and gnats) away while keeping you cool.