DIY Fly Repellent & Wasp Trap

I decided to experiment with my own fly repellent. As seen on Pinterest, equal portions of Pine-Sol and water in a spray bottle acted as fly repellent and disinfectant. So before unpacking everything and setting it out on the table, I made the mixture on site and sprayed all over the picnic table and benches. Then I continued around the grills, water supply and electrical supply. I did that again before we brought the food out and again after we were done eating. I did not see one fly anywhere. This will be a keeper and as important as bringing along matches!

I didn't get to this wasp trap, but I had everything ready to go. Perhaps the Pine-Sol and water mixture kept them away too.

If you have ever been stung by a wasp, you know they live up to their reputation of being aggressive and having painful stings. When you regularly spot them in your yard, chances are there’s a nest on your property or nearby. These are not pests that you want hanging about, especially if you have children running around. The best way to get rid of them is to find the nest and destroy it, but if you can’t find it or if it’s not on your property, you can use traps to tempt them away from high-traffic areas to another part of the yard to kill them.

Here's how you make your wasp trap: 

• Punch a hole into the jar lid that’s about as wide in diameter as the base of your pinky finger (you want the wasps to crawl in but not be able to fly out easily).
• Fill jar about 1/2 full with orange juice (can also use orange soda or some sweet & fruity smelling liquid).
• Smear raspberry or strawberry jam underneath the lid.
• Seal jar with the lid then place it at the back of the yard or some place away from foot traffic.
• The wasps will be attracted to the sweet smelling juice and jam and will crawl into the jar and eventually fall into the juice and drown.
• Wait until it’s dark outside before emptying the jar of its contents and refilling with a fresh batch of juice and jam.