Whether you’re camping out in the bush or simply relaxing on your back deck, mosquitoes can quickly ruin an otherwise perfect day. After all, no one wants to feel like they are being eaten alive! Don’t let those annoying little pests ruin your time outdoors – Get rid of mosquitoes with this simple and cost-effective hack!
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The summer weather is the perfect time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. For some, this is a time to tap into their love for all things ‘rugged’ – hiking local trails and camping in beautiful backwoods locations, cut off from the modern world. Others, however, prefer to simply kick back with friends and family on their back deck or around a bonfire. Either way, warmer temperatures encourage us to step away from the television and computer screens and get some much-needed fresh air.
Unfortunately, this time of year is also known for the emergence of one of our ‘favourite’ insects (note the sarcasm) – the mosquito. There is little to nothing about these pests that we can appreciate as they buzz around us with that annoying hum as they pass by our ears and attempt to feed upon our blood leaving itchy and irritating bites. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I could DEFINITELY do without them!
Even more concerning, we have come to realize that mosquitoes have the ability to transmit some pretty serious diseases including the recent warnings about the West Nile virus and Zika fever. This knowledge makes it more important than ever to take preventative measures.
What can we do to protect ourselves?
There are many steps that we can take to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs including the removal of any standing water on your property, cleaning and maintaining your eavestroughs. If you are open to the use of insecticides, many pests control companies offer a mosquito treatment.
Talk a walk through the seasonal section of your favourite big box store and you will find yourself surrounded in a wide variety of options from personal spray (we all love smelling like bug spray, right?) to decorative citronella candles and tiki torches each promising to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried nearly every product on the market, and very few seem to deliver even close to what they promise. I can remember sitting around the campsite watching mosquitoes flying right up to a citronella torch as if mocking us for thinking that we had found a solution. These little buggers just don’t give up! However, I wasn’t ready to go down without a fight…
As we were preparing for our camping trip this year, we were warned by friends who also vacation in the area that the number of mosquitoes were higher than normal during their trips. Determined not to let this ruin our trip, I took to Google and my favourite camping-related Facebook groups, searching for new suggestions and ideas. SOMETHING had to work, right? There was a lot of buzz about a simple DIY hack, one that seemed so simple that it couldn’t possibly work as well as they said!
The concept was easy – They stated that the smoke generated from smoldering egg cartons and/or cardboard drink trays (the kind you receive with your drinks from fast-food restaurants) was an effective mosquito repellent. I was intrigued. Could the solution to this problem really be found in my recycling bin? Recognizing we had nothing to lose, my family decided that it was worth a try.
Google revealed that you could purchase a chimney product designed for this purpose, but we weren’t ready to invest money into something that extensive until we could see firsthand that it would actually get rid of mosquitoes. Instead, many people suggested that you could simply set your egg cartons or drink trays on a piece of aluminum foil.
We waited until later in the day, when the bugs were starting to get bad and set up our little mosquito weapons. All you have to do is light a spot on the egg carton or drink tray then blow out the flame, allowing it to slowly smolder and smoke. Once the smoke has started, take note of where the breeze may be directing it and position it accordingly. The result? We were shocked to discover that it worked!
Related: ’15 Tips for Camping in the Rain’
Since we’ve returned home my husband set to work creating his own metal chimney. What are the benefits of using a chimney? It’s contained, especially if there’s a breeze that may blow your embers around the site. This is also incredibly helpful if you’re camping with pets or kids. It also allows you to control the amount of oxygen ‘feeding the fire’ which helps to lengthen the amount of time a single egg carton or drink tray will smolder. When they were in the open on aluminum foil, we found that they burned up relatively quickly, however, in a chimney we can light half a tray and it will smolder for approximately an hour. Finally, it’s far easier to move your mosquito repellent if there’s a change in the breeze or if you are moving to another part of the campsite.
Final thoughts? This is an incredibly simple, cost-effective and effective way to get rid of mosquitoes. Give it a try, you won’t regret it!
What are your go-to solutions for mosquitoes and other pests while outdoors? Do you prefer to use a DIY technique or a purchased product to get rid of mosquitoes?
Very useful post x
Thank you!
I liked your tips, those mosquitoes get the best of me sometimes. I have a garden and because of these mosquitoes, I don’t work in my garden in the evening. Thanks for sharing.
I’m also a gardener – great thing with this trick is that you can use it when gardening and it’s not going to cause any damage to your garden unlike the way some chemical treatments may!
WOW that tip is super helpful, I would’ve never thought those cartons or trays are part of the solution to eliminate mosquitoes! I hate smelling like bug spray, plus the product always feels sticky when I sweat lol! Thank you so much for sharing this post! I live in Texas so this method would be quite useful for us 🙂
Natonya | https://justnatonya.wordpress.com
The smell of bug spray definitely bothers me too! With this there is still a smell, the smoky/burning smell, but I’d take that over bug spray any day lol
Mosquitoes always manage to find me, no matter how hard I try, especially the worst in the summer! I’ve had to get a mosquito light and although it does help, I could really do without the few ones that I do end up getting.
I’ve never heard of this hack! That’s so interesting to see that It worked!!!! That’s actually insane how well it worked, seems like the one thing I won’t be forgetting if I go camping! DIY is always a fun experience!
I was shocked it worked for us as well as it did. Now, instead of recycling drink trays, we keep them in a pile so we can take them with us out into the backyard or when we go camping lol! Cheapest solution ever!
This is so helpful to me as I literally am one of those people that get bitten so badly! Thanks for the tips x
They seem to love me too hahaha! I understand your struggle!
The older I get the bigger the mosquitos seem to get – this encourages me to get back out there for my smors 🙂
It’s such a simple solution – I wish I had known about this a LONG time ago lol
This is so interesting! I would have definitely rolled my eyes not expecting this to work. It’s great that you can make one so cheaply and easily with stuff you’ll likely have on hand. Good luck with the chimney! x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
We were completely of the belief that it wouldn’t work… but I’m glad it does because it’s going to make future camping trips even better
Wow, this is amazing. I’d never in a million years have expected this when I saw the title of this post. I get bitten REALLY bad by gnats etc, always have!
When I was first reading about it in the FB groups I was SO skeptical. We tried it mainly just to say we did and prove it didn’t work… You can imagine our surprise when we found ourselves mosquito free lol
I was totally expecting to read about a new lotion or spray that came out on the market! What a cool hack! I never would have thought to use these cartons and coffee holders to keep mosquitoes away! It’s so easy, cost effective and readily available! We don’t do a ton of camping but this is great for just being able to enjoy being outside in the evenings when its nice and taking advantage of the extra day light without getting eaten in the process! Thanks for sharing!
We definitely have been making use of this trick in our backyard just so we can enjoy hanging out on our deck without feeling like the mosquitoes are carrying us away!
Wow! I’m excited to try this. It made me wonder what was in the cartons that made them work, but I guess it’s just paper pulp and water. Is that right?
I had the same thought, honestly, I’m not sure what it is about these products that work. However, many of us will burn them in bonfires and campfires anyway without realizing that they actually could serve a purpose!
Wow! It’s amazing how something so simple can work so well. We don’t have that many mosquitoes where I live thankfully but if I ever go somewhere where there are quite a few I will try and remember this!
I live where we joke that mosquitoes are our provincial bird lol They are EVERYWHERE here, and this year seems to be particularly bad.
This is actually such a clever idea! I’ve never thought to do it, plus it’s really resourceful and affordable. Mosquitoes are so annoying, I love going camping but they’re one of the biggest downsides. I always seem to be covered in bites as well, I must have tasty blood haha. I usually use some sort of cream or spray that’s meant to repel them but I’m not convinced it works all that well, so I’ll definitely be trying this out.
Alice x
I am definitely a mosquito’s dream snack apparently based on how many bites I seem to get compared to others that I camp with hahaha – Not sure what about me is so attractive, but it can totally ruin time outdoors!
Thanks for the useful tip! Live in a countryside, we meet lots of mosquitos.
Have try this next time.
There are a ton where I live too just due to the amount of smaller bodies of water around creating standing water situations lol
What a fantastic idea! I love camping so definitely gonna try this out! Great post!
There is something about just getting back to nature like that
I can’t believe there’s this easy of a solution to mosquitos! I’ve had little luck with traditional bug sprays, and the diseases mosquitoes can spread really concerns me! I also love that this isn’t spraying more harmful chemicals into the air and on us, and that it’s another use for recyclables! Thanks for the information, I’ll definitely give it a try next time!
Isn’t it great? I am a HUGE supporter of natural alternatives whenever possible, which is why I was so intrigued to give this a try.
All great suggestions and I’ll definitely be trying a few! Mosquitoes attack me even if I’m only outside for mere seconds, lol. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I hear you, I swear I’m a mosquito magnet lol
I’m lucky we don’t have an issue with these little buggers in this country, but whenever I go abroad I am always the first to be eaten alive! These are very useful tips and a great alternative (or accompaniment) to bug spray.
The great thing with this trick is that you wouldn’t even need to pack anything extra if you’re travelling abroad – Just make sure when you get there that you save your trays if you’re grabbing a coffee or a drink at your favourite fast food stop.
This is really interesting! Great tip!
Thank you!
Gurl this is amazing! I am so keeping this in mind when we sit on the back porch! Real simple trick, I’m in so awww! Thank you I needed this!
Isn’t it crazy that it’s this easy and none of us knew it? I was totally blown away!
I’ve literally not heard of some of these tips before but they sound so helpful and useful! Thanks for sharing x
Kayleigh Zara ? http://www.kayleighzaraa.com
It’s such a simple solution to a frustrating problem!
Who knew, right? From now on I’m saving my leftover egg cartons!
Isn’t it crazy? Something so simple, I wish I’d discovered it years ago…
I absolutely hate mosquitos! I will definitely be putting these tips to good use the next time I’m out in nature. Thanks for sharing!
Eena ? cabin twenty-four
It’s surprising how easy and effective it is!
OK I am definitely going to give this a go when I’m next camping, I can’t believe something so simple worked so well.
I hope you share your chimney when it’s finished 🙂
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk
I’ sure my husband will be more than willing to share when it’s done – Just need to add legs and a handle now!
It’s so amazing that something this simple can deter mosquitos! I look forward to trying this next time I spend any time outside.
It’s surprising how simple it actually is, isn’t it?