Homemade bug repellant jars are an attractive and natural way to keep bugs at bay during Spring and Summer.
Plus they’re super easy to make.
I’m sure that you, or someone close to you, are a target for mosquito bites. The dreaded “getting eaten alive”.
Which is why making diy bug repellant jars is a must.
Especially when hosting a party or dinner outside.
The last thing you want is for it to be ruined by too many bugs.
There are many smells that mosquitoes and other bugs hate. They dislike the smell of citronella, peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass, and rosemary. So using any of these scents in creating natural bug repellent mason jars, it’s hard to go wrong.
And the best thing is these scents are available in essential oils.
When researching natural bug repellants, I read that adding any of these herbs to your fire will keep the bugs away. I have yet to try it, but will definitely be adding them the next time we have an outdoor fire.
I also learned that planting these herbs around your patio area will naturally deter those pesky bugs. In addition catnip, marigolds and mums are super effective insect-repelling plants.
Pretty and effective! Gotta love it!!
Supplies for DIY Homemade Bug Repellant Jars
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- Mason or other glass jars
- Lemons and limes
- Natural oils (peppermint & lemongrass)
- Rosemary and mint
- Floating candle (optional)
How to Make Homemade Bug Repellant Jars ~ Easy DIY
Step 1: Prep the ingredients for your homemade bug repellant mason jars
First, cut your lemons and limes widthwise. So you have round sections.

Second, snip approximately 3″ pieces of rosemary, and remove the leaves from your mint.
Step 2: Combine ingredients to make mason jar bug repellent
First, fill your jars about 3/4 full with water.
Second, add a few slices of lemons and limes to each jar.
Third, add rosemary sprigs and about 20 drops of lemongrass oil to one jar, and add mint leaves and approximately 20 drops of peppermint oil to a different jar.


Fourth, gently stir the contents in each mason jar.
Fifth, add more water to each jar if needed.

Step 3: Put your homemade bug repellant jars to work
Now that you have created your homemade natural bug repellant jars, it’s time to put them outside.
Scatter your bug repellant mason jars around the areas where you will be hanging out.
The neat thing about mason jars is that you can put a lid on them. That way you can easily refrigerate your diy bug repellant mason jars and extend their life.
If you will be outside at night, place a floating candle on top of the mixture. The candle will transform them into diy bug repellant luminaries.
Bonus if it’s a citronella candle!



If you can’t find floating candles, just pop a tea-light candle out of its casing. It will float!
Viola ~ diy bug repellant luminaries!
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