It is annoying to have mosquitos and bugs in your backyard when you try to enjoy the beautiful summer weather.  Most mosquito control services use harsh chemicals and cost a lot. Some company offers a natural alternative by spraying garlic and other herbal oils to repel bugs. That makes me think we can do similar things at home with essential oil spray.

Here are the ingredients I use:

Essential oils

1.       Lemongrass

2.       Tea Tree

3.       Eucalyptus

4.       Rosemary

5.       Citronella

6.       Peppermint

Fill a 1.5 Liter (1500ml, or 50 OZ.) plant sprayer with water, add about 15 drops of each essential oils above. Shake well and spray the area in the yard that mosquitos stay most such as the underside of Bush, empty pots, and stairways. It should cover an average size front and back yard.

Once it dries up, in about 30 minutes, it should be effective for a while. For rainy days, you need to spray more frequently.

Since the whole bottle is used at once, I can just use the tap water. If you want to store the mixture for longer, it would be better to use distilled water with some alcohol to discourage bacteria growth. If you like, you can add a preservative to make sure it can store for a long time.

As a natural mosquito repellant, this spray does not kill mosquito and insects but is effective at keeping them away. You will have to spray repeatedly. I will start with once a week and see how it works. Adjust the dosage of essential oils and frequency of spray accordingly.

A word about the essential oils. You do not need all the essential oils above to make it work, but a combination of 3-6 types of essential oils will be more effective than just one type.

Always label the jars, keep away from children, and use caution with essential oils. Remember to dilute essential oils with water or other carrier oils first. Stay safe and enjoy a naturally bug-free summer.