Amazing Inexpensive DIY Bug Killer, Repellents, and Traps

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Make your own DIY bug killer repellents and traps for an inexpensive alternative to store-bought products.

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Make your own DIY bug repellents and traps for an inexpensive alternative to store bought products.

Aren’t insects such a nuisance?!!! They are in our gardens, in our house, make it difficult to be outside… they’re everywhere.

I wanted to share a few DIY bug killers, repellents, and traps that I use in and out of our home.

HOW TO MAKE A DIY FLY TRAP

DIY Bug Killer

HOW TO MAKE A DIY Fly Trap

  • Mix 1 cup boiling water and 1/8 cup sugar until the sugar dissolves.
  • Cut the lid off a recycled bottle.
  • Pour the mixture in the bottle.
  • Flip the lid so it is like a funnel into the bottom part of the bottle.
  • Tape the lid onto the base.
  • Set inside or outside where flies are bad.
The flies go into the bottle to drink the mixture and get trapped inside.

The flies go into the bottle to drink the mixture and get trapped inside. This has the potential to capture other flying insects including boxelder bugs, wasps, yellow jackets, and Japanese beetles.

GNATS, FRUIT FLIES, DRAIN FLIES

Gnats, Fruit Flies, Drain Flies

  • Mix 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp Castile Soap together.
  • Cut the lid off a recycled bottle.
  • Pour the mixture in the bottle.
  • Flip the lid so it is like a funnel into the bottom part of the bottle.
  • Tape the lid onto the base.
  • Set inside or outside where bugs are bad.

*Castile soap is a natural, non-toxic, multi-purpose vegetable-based soap. It’s biodegradable, you can get it scented or unscented, and it is categorized as a disinfectant that will kill 99% of germs.

The flies go into the bottle to drink the mixture and get trapped inside.

The flies go into the bottle to drink the mixture and get trapped inside.

If you look closely you can see at least one right in the center of the mixture. They are very tiny.

DIY ANT TRAPS

DIY Ant TRAPS

First, follow the ants and find where they are coming into your home so you can block that in the future, and track them to their nest. Often this may be in cracks or crevices.

  • Mix together 1 tsp. Borax & 3 tsp. sugar.
  • Place in a small lid of a recycled bottle.
  • If you have pets and kids you won’t want them getting into the Borax, so make a trap by getting a small container with a lid, and poke holes in it so the ants can crawl in.

The point of this trap is that the ants will take the “food” back to their nest and kill all the other ants. The sugar attracts them and the Borax kills them.

If you are anti-Borax I totally get it – I did read you can put out Cornmeal and that they have a hard time digesting it. Might be worth a try…

Place your bait trap by their nest for them to bring home.

Place your bait trap by their nest for them to bring to the rest of the ant colony.

You can also place your bait trap near where they are coming into your home.

You can also place your bait trap near where they are coming into your home.

Another way to get rid of ants is to find their home and flood it with boiling water. You might need to do this a few days in a row to get rid of all of them.

Another way to get rid of ants is to find their home and flood it with boiling water. You might need to repeat the application a few days in a row to get rid of all of them.

Make a mixture of 1/8 tsp. Castile Soap and 1 cup water and place in a spray bottle. Alternatively you can mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water as well. Your choice.

Make a mixture of 1/8 tsp. Castile Soap and 1 cup water and place in a spray bottle. Alternatively, you can mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water as well. Your choice.

Spray the point of entry and the area around it and wipe it up. Ants leave behind pheromones and that how they follow the pathway to the food source.

Spray the point of entry and the area around it and wipe it up. Ants leave behind pheromones and that is how they follow the pathway to the food source.

Spraying and wiping up the area will get rid of the residual pheromones. You can also spray the point of entry from the outside as well.

You can also use the Castile soap and water mixture to spray the ants directly. It will soften their shells and they will die.

You can also use the Castile soap and water mixture to spray the ants directly. It will soften their shells and they will die.

BUG REPELLENT

What is the best DIY bug spray?

  • Place cut up mint & lavender in 1 cup of boiling water and let it steep for 5 minutes.
  • Strain out the herbs and place the water in a squirt bottle.
  • Add 1 cup of vinegar or witch hazel.
Give it a shake and it's ready to use. I have left my herbs inside the water vinegar mixture to keep infusing in the squirt bottle.

Give it a shake and it’s ready to use. I have left my herbs inside the water-vinegar mixture to keep infusing in the squirt bottle.

Plant things in and around your yard that repel bugs like lavender, mint, basil, etc.

Plant things in and around your yard that repel bugs like lavender, mint, basil, etc.

YOu might also enjoy reading How To Keep Bugs Out of House with 5 Simple Tips

Learn more about “Why to Deep Clean and Organize Your Home” to save money, function better, and keep your sanity. 

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Aren't bugs such a pain?!!! Make your own DIY bug repellents and traps for an inexpensive alternative to store bought products

More pests tutorials

If you’re looking to get rid of ticks, spiders, mosquitoes, roaches, silverfish, fleas, moths, cockroaches, crickets, mites, carpenter ants, caterpillars, aphids, bed bugs, millipedes, etc. You can find many answers in my other tutorials below. Many include natural ingredients like lemongrass, lavender, essential oils, etc. I try and avoid environmental hazards whenever possible. I also don’t like harsh chemicals as the active ingredient.

For many of these, you can mix your own formula, and place it in your own reusable bottles for storage (great for recyclability). Spray it and let it sit and dry for 15-20 minutes. These work in your home, garden, lawns, and more. Stop eggs before they hatch, and keep these bugs out of your home and pantries, garages, etc. Spray those common areas like baseboards, place them in your sinks, spray mattresses, and most likely you’ll have to do a repeat application to keep up with things. Make sure to label your product container so you remember which mixture is for what pests. Drain your fountain and/or gutter and make sure there is proper drainage to keep those areas dry. Be careful to keep chemicals in your treated area away from places like food-preparation areas. Remember that pets and children also play on your carpets so be careful what you use on those as well.

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18 Comments

  1. Such great tips! I’ve got fruit flies right now, where do I find Castile Soap?

    1. Thanks Darcy, I bought my Castile soap at Walmart – you can get it there or online at places like Amazon.

    2. Elysabeth says:

      That would be terrific, but due to a truck plowing into the highway in front of Walmart this morning and taking out a few of those things…forgot the name of those electrical gadgets…my castile days have ground to a halt!
      But, my memory is a steel trap!!

      Thank you one and all!

      Elysabeth Faslund

  2. Glad I found all of this, will be using it for next summer. Found you on Blogger’s Pit Stop Link Party

    1. Thanks Candy, so excited you want to give some of these a try. Thanks for stopping by.

  3. I love all of these ideas without dangerous poisons. We all need to be mindful of what we spray or rub and keep our homes clear of dangerous chemicals.
    We will feature this post on the next Blogger’s Pit Stop.
    Kathleen

    1. Thank you so much Kathleen, I’m so glad you like it an thank you for the feature 🙂

  4. Great tips! I just went through Hurricane Flo and the bugs are crazy everywhere now. Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
    Kim

    1. Thanks Kim and I’m glad you are okay! See you next week.

  5. Great tips here 🙂 Thanks for sharing at #CreativeMondays, hope to see you tomorrow for our next blog hop.

    1. Thank you Claire and looking forward to joining tomorrow 🙂

  6. Thank you so much for these recipes. We have a lot of ants in the fall and spring and we even have terminex. ugh. The annoying thing is finding the time to keep setting up appointments for them to come out. This is great to be able to do this stuff ourselves. What a great post. Saw your post from grandmas house wed. party:)

    1. Thank you so much and I hope this helps you too. Thanks for stopping by from Grandma’s House

    1. Thank you so much Helen, and thanks for the Pin and stopping by. Have a great weekend as well 🙂

  7. I love these natural ideas. I put acv in a glass, cover with cellophane, punch a few hoes and watch my fruit flies disappear.

    1. Thanks Elise, and thank you for sharing what works for you 🙂

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