Lakeshore RV Center
If you’re looking for a way to get rid of nasty little bloodsuckers once and for all, follow these directions for an easy DIY mosquito trap that you can set up anywhere mosquitoes are a nuisance. Using just a few easy-to-find materials, you can quickly create a portable mosquito trap that will travel easily with you from campsite to campsite or you can make it a summertime fixture on your backyard patio. Stop using harmful pesticides and toxic sprays on yourself and your family to kill mosquitoes. The mixture in this homemade trap is all-natural and it lasts for about two weeks. Simply dump out the zillions of dead mosquitoes in your trap after two weeks and refill it with a fresh batch of sweet-smelling nectar. If you fill it, they will come!
How It Works:
When yeast is mixed with hot water and brown sugar it creates CO2 (carbon dioxide). Mosquitoes are attracted to the sweet carbon dioxide and they will fly into the bottle to get to it. Because the inverted bottle top has such a small opening, the mosquitoes will very likely not be able to find their way out of the bottle. They’re trapped, and the world is home to thousands (hopefully!) of fewer blood-sucking mosquitoes!
Why is it important to cover the mosquito trap with dark paper and set it in a dark place? If the mixture is exposed to UV rays from the sun, it stops producing CO2. It’s dead in the water, but the mosquitoes aren’t.
Materials Needed:
- Plastic 2-liter bottle
- ¼ C. brown sugar
- 1 C. hot water (not boiling!)
- Duct tape or electrical tape
- ¼ tsp. yeast
- Scissors
- Dark construction paper or newspaper
Directions:
- Cut off the top third of your plastic bottle. Save the top for a later step.
- Pour the 1 C. of hot water into the large plastic bottle.
- Add the ¼ C. of brown sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Once the mixture has cooled, add the ¼ tsp. of yeast. DO NOT STIR.
- Set the top of the bottle upside down on the larger bottle so that it makes a funnel shape. Use duct tape or electrical tape to secure the edges of the bottle together.
- Wrap the bottle in dark construction paper or newspaper.
- Your new mosquito trap is ready! Set it in a dark place or anywhere you have a swarm of nasty little suckers.
*A little note: If you prefer to mix the water and brown sugar on the stovetop and then pour it in the bottle, that works too. Just make sure the mixture isn’t so hot that it’ll start to melt the plastic bottle.
