Make a Homemade Bug Repellent
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1 hours
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Beginner
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- 2-40
Learning to make a homemade bug repellent can save you lots of money when trying to ward off nasty attacks sitting on the back porch on a warm summer night. Bringing along your own homemade bug repellent while fishing, camping, hiking or other outdoor activities will help you have a pleasant and safe experience. When needing to ward off gnats, wasps, mosquitoes and other nasty flying insects, use one of the following two home recipes that will help protect you from insect bites.
Scottish Repellent
Combine:
Four tablespoons of baby oil
One tablespoon of Dettol
Mixing container
Spray bottle
This is a tried and true recipe concocted by Scottish fishermen that is supposed to keep those nasty flying foes at bay. Put the ingredients in a mixing container and stir it well to an even blend. Place the concoction in a spray bottle to use.
Sweet Repellent
Combine:
A tablespoon of vanilla extract (use real, not imitation)
A cup of water
Mix the ingredients well in a container and place in a spray bottle for easy use. The "sweetness" produced by the real vanilla extract acts as a deterrent toward most nasty flying insects. Make sure the ratio of one cup water to one tablespoon vanilla is strictly adhered to or the user may have an overwhelming vanilla smell.
Also place some vanilla extract in an open bowl or shallow dish a few steps away from where you sit. This will attract gnats keeping them away.
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![Justin Stewart]()
Justin Stewart is a contributing writer to DoItYourself.com. He loves researching new home improvement techniques, and has written about a huge range of topics, from electrical wiring, to plumbing, to carpentry.![H.R. Helm]()
H.R. Helm is an accomplished DIY craftsman. He has been DIY since childhood and is now a septuagenarian. He is experienced in wood and metal construction, having designed and built several houses and metal buildings. He built every permanent building on his current homestead and did all the plumbing and electrical work. He has several years experience as a professional cabinet builder, and he is an accomplished auto repairman, having operated an auto repair business for many years. He currently has a home shop where he sharpens and rebuilds saws, repairs lawn mowers, mobility scooters, hydraulic jacks, and anything else that comes along. He also builds custom tools for metal working. Invention prototypes are another of his many accomplishments. He owned and operated a manufacturing business building Compact Utility Vehicles for homeowner use. H.R. enjoys making jams and jellies during fruit season along with cooking meals. He is committed to outdoor cooking in a Bar-B-Q pit he welded together several years ago. He maintains fruit and nut trees along with helping his wife with a vegetable garden. He farmed commercial garden produce for several years. It helps to have over 50 years of farming and ranching experience. Employment/Education Highlights ASE Certified Master Auto Technician Certified Welder Cross country truck driver -- over dimensional freight Design Engineer/Project Manager for injection molded plastic company Bus Driver/Substitute Teacher Inventor with two patents (weight training – anti-rollback for manual wheelchair) BS in Industrial Technology
