Mosquitos are a constant pest as we head into spring and summer.
Aside from the irritation of being bitten, and contending with the itch, mosquitos can carry certain diseases like West Nile, Zika, or Malaria.
There are many ways to repel these pests that you can buy from any outdoor store, but there are ways to trap them that are easy and cheap to make.
How To Stop Mosquitos Without Traps
The first step in getting rid of these pests is to make your property less hospitable to the bloodsuckers. Mosquitos lay their eggs in standing water, so you should eliminate all standing water from your property.
Walk through the yard, looking for anything that collects water. The best time to do this is right after it rains.
Once you have identified all the places where there is standing water, look for where water collects to make damp areas in the lawn or garden. These spots could potentially be attractive breeding grounds.
Another place that can hold water is the gutters around your roof. Keeping them clean and free from clogs and debris will help prevent water from collecting.
Keeping your garden trimmed and neat can also help reduce the number of mosquitos your property will harbor.
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Preventing them from seeing your property as a good breeding ground is the best first line of defense.
Keeping Mosquitos Out Of The House
The best way to keep mosquitos from entering the home is to use screens on all the doors and windows. Using air conditioning rather than opening the doors and windows is also a good idea.
Certain plants and essential oils will repel mosquitos, and burning candles that contain these oils is a great way to convince them from not seeing the inside of your home as attractive.
- Clove
- Citronella
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Lemongrass
- Eucalyptus
- Lavender
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Keeping your home sealed off from mosquitos will always be the best way to prevent the little buggers from ruining your day.
Do DIY Mosquito Traps Really Work?
You can find plenty of DIY mosquito traps online, but are they effective? The truth is that most of the homemade traps you will find may work in theory, but you will probably find that they do not meet your expectations.
The two I selected for this article attract the mosquitos by using standing water and will be effective in luring the females to lay their eggs in the water. They will not do much for the ones buzzing around you in the moment but will help deal with any that are choosing to breed on your property.
When constructing DIY traps, it is best to set out several traps in multiple locations around the property. Setting one trap out and finding no dead mosquitos is hardly cause to say it is a total failure.
Building DIY Mosquito Light Trap
The most straightforward trap I found that seems to hold the greatest potential to be effective is a simple light trap. Since this trap uses light to attract the mosquitos, it will only be effective in the evening, overnight, and early morning.
Materials
The materials for this trap should be easy to find around the home. If not, you can find them at any local big box stores.
- Lamp or another light source that you can direct the light.
- Open top container for water.
- Dish soap.
Instructions
1. Fill the container with some water.
2. Add a few squirts of dish soap.
3. Agitate the water to make it soapy.
4. Place the container in an area where you have seen many mosquitos. Place the lamp so that it shines the beam into the water.
5. Leave overnight and check on its progress in the morning. If you find no mosquitos in the trap, reposition to other areas.
How The DIY Mosquito Light Trap Works
The light attracts mosquitos to the standing water in the container. This environment is attractive to the females for laying their eggs.
The dish soap you have added to the water will break down the surface tension. This makes it impossible for the mosquitos to land on the water’s surface. Instead, they will break through the surface and drown.
Building A DIY No Way Out Trap
There is another trap worth mentioning. This trap can be easily built using scavenged materials or readily available and inexpensive parts.
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This trap works by using a fine mesh as a tunnel for mosquitos to enter, but when they get inside to lay eggs they are trapped.
Materials
You can build this trap in only a few minutes and for minimal costs. Aside from a sharp knife or scissors, you will need no specialized tools to make this trap.
- Large plastic water or soda bottle
- Fine mesh screen
- Tape
Instructions
1. Roll a section of mesh screen into a cylinder and tape it so it does not unravel.
2. Trim the cylinder so it will fit inside the bottle.
3. At one end of the cylinder, squish the end so there is about a 3mm gap. Secure with tape.
4. Trace the end of the cylinder onto the bottle about half way up.
5. Cut a hole in the side of the bottle.
6. Place the cylinder into the hole and secure it with tape. Make sure that the small end is inside the bottle.
7. Fill the bottom of the bottle with some water.
8. Place the trap in an area where you have been bothered by mosquitoes.
How The No Way Out Trap Works
As a mosquito is looking to lays some eggs, it will fly into the mesh tube, eventually finding its way into the bottle.
The mosquito lays eggs and then attempts to fly out of the bottle.
They will not be able to get out because they cannot find their way through the small gap you have left for them to exit.
These two traps are the ones that I found were the most likely to see success in a wide variety of situations and environments.
As I said at the start of this article, your best defense against mosquitos will be prevention and deterrence.
A good defense is going to reduce the need for even having to deploy traps like these.
If you do find yourself in need of dealing with these pests, these traps are cheap and worth your time to try out.
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