RAID! This is likely the most popular insect repellent/obliterator of all time. The commercials were seriously mainstream when I was growing up. I’m not sure what happened to all the hype, but I will say that the products are effective. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used Raid bug sprays in my life. Hey, I know what the deal is. Maybe people have reverted back to the old-school natural insect repellent solutions. There are plenty to concoct in your own home. If you’re not familiar with this concept, let me fill you in. Who knows? It just might save you some cash this summer on bug spray.

Back when I was a kid, growing up in rural Northeastern Iowa, there were plenty of bugs and insects to spare. Our house was on a large piece of farmland virtually miles from anything civilized. The Turkey River, if you’ve even heard of it, ran right next to our home. This was awesome, no doubt. It was a blast having a river right next to our house. However, having a large, flowing stream of water right outside your window means oodles of insects and bugs. YUCK! I never could get used to all the annoying gnats and mosquitoes. But, my father would always resort to natural insect repellent solutions. We set large bowls of soapy water on our porches outdoors. This was a great way to nab flying bugs. For some odd reason they’re drawn to the moisture, but then executed by the soap. We killed thousands of insects this way. I can also recall a time when we had ants in the kitchen. My father stuck cucumber rines in the corners under the counters and sink area. This works as a natural insect repellent as well.

There are so many different natural insect repellents to concoct in your kitchen. Peppermint oil deters bees and wasps, lemon juice helps repel mosquitoes, and mint tea bags keep ants away. Personally I make use of a natural insect repellent on occasion, but I’m not going to lie; I truly prefer a DEET bug spray when it comes to mosquitoes. I feel that these work the best to repel nasty little mosquitoes. And you need all the defense you can get considering the West Nile Virus pandemic.