When I first moved into my grandmother’s old cottage, I pictured quiet weekends, homemade lemonade, and the scent of jasmine drifting in through open windows. What I didn’t expect were the persistent visitors that arrived each evening—flies slipping through the tiniest cracks, mosquitoes buzzing after dusk, and the occasional roach making a surprise appearance in the kitchen.
I tried everything. Store-bought sprays, plug-in devices, traps—you name it. Despite the effort, the results were underwhelming. The pests stayed, and I was left with a shelf full of half-used products.
Then one night, frustrated after yet another mosquito had dodged every attempt to catch it, I remembered the old pantry in the back of the house. Tucked inside was a worn notebook filled with my grandmother’s handwritten recipes and household tips. One page, in particular, stood out: “For Flies, Roaches, and Other Household Visitors.”
Curious, I gave it a try.
The DIY Trap and Herbal Spray That Actually Worked
The first solution was a simple trap made from a 2-liter plastic bottle, sugar, yeast, and warm water. I cut the top off the bottle and inverted it to form a funnel. Then I mixed 5 tablespoons of sugar with a tablespoon of yeast and poured in a cup of warm water. Once the mixture started to bubble, I added it to the bottle base and secured the funnel top with tape. It worked like a charm—flies and mosquitoes were drawn in and couldn’t escape.
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