Beer: A Natural Insect Repellent

Although usually no one likes to waste beer, sometimes there's leftover stale beer in the mornings after a long night; don't throw out the beer and just recycle the bottle. Recycle the beer by using it in these homemade insect repellent recipes to keep insects out of your yard and off of your skin.

Recipe #1- For the Yard

Step 1 - Find a Spray Container

Clean out a hose sprayer that you would use for spreading weed-killer or fertilizer.

Step 2 - Mix up the Concoction

Combine equal parts of stale beer, epsom (or sea) salt, and Listerine (or other mouthwash) in the hose sprayer container. Add a half package of yeast for every gallon of beer mixture. Shake up well and allow to sit, stirring occasionally, until the salt and yeast has dissolve into the mixture. The yeast and mouthwash are repelling agents, and the magnesium in the sea salt helps your grass to grow.

Step 3 - Spray the Yard

Spray the yard every month or so to keep the insects away and protect and nourish your lawn, or you can take it on camping trips when the insects are the worst. Avoid spraying on flowering plants. 

Recipe #2 - For the Body

Step 1 - Gather Ingredients

Mix a half a teaspoon of rosemary oil and a half of a pint of stale light beer. 

Step 2 - Spray on the Body

Pour into a spray bottle and mist over your clothes and skin or rub directly onto your skin. Its unique aroma has a better scent than most insect repellents!

Other Tips for Using Beer as an Insect Repellent

• Leave out a bowl of beer in your garden to attract slugs and snails. The little guys will drink themselves into a stupor and drown. 
• Make a perimeter around your campsite or barbecue area with beer cans and bottles with a little beer in them. The flies and insects will be drawn to the beer and hopefully stay away from you.
• To trap fruit flies, cover a beer can or bottle with a piece of paper that has a small hole in the paper over the opening of the beer. Or, you can fill a small Ziploc bag halfway with beer and poke a small hole in it. Place the bag in a cup or bowl to keep it standing upright. The flies will fly into the can, bottle or bag, but they will be unlikely to find their way out.
• To keep bees away from the deck or area in your yard where you spend the most time, leave out bowls of beer on the perimeter to distract them.

Going green and recycling leftover beer can eliminate the guilt of wasteful beer-drinking habits! Who said that it's a crime to not finish your beer?