The Natural Alternative To Bug Spray You Can Make With Ingredients You Probably Have Already

When it comes to camping, there are a few miseries that can be universally agreed on: litter, loud music or talking, middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks, and surprise visits from bears are just some of the things that can turn a dream trip into a difficult one. But perhaps there's nothing more annoying or humbling than bug bites. Mosquitoes can turn a lakeside paradise with berry-picking and kayak-in island camping into hell on Earth, and a gnarly bite from a spider cozying up in your sleeping bag can keep you up for days. 

While there are many industrial-grade insect repellents to choose from that use DEET or picaridin, and some may opt for banishing bugs from their campsite by using vodka, there's also an easy, natural bug spray alternative that you can make to keep the critters at bay. The best part is, you likely already have the ingredients, which makes this a convenient solution in a pinch or a good option for those who would rather avoid sprays with a lot of chemicals. The mixture of onions, garlic, and water is meant to be used as a pesticide to keep insects out of your campsite or garden and is not suitable as a repellent for your skin or clothes (and you probably wouldn't want to use it on yourself, considering its strong aroma).

To make this natural bug spray, all you need is onions, garlic, and water. Onions contain sulfur molecules (that's what makes us cry), while garlic has allicin, the thing that makes it (and all who eat it) stink. Allicin also has a sulfur component, so if you've ever smelled sulfur in real life, you'll understand why the pungent smell of these two common ingredients is repellent to insects. Garlic, in particular, has been used as an insect repellent since ancient times. People worldwide — from the Egyptians to the Indigenous tribes of North America — used this powerhouse allium to protect food stores and keep pesky critters off their crops long before the U.S. army invented DEET in the 1940s to protect soldiers.

TikTok user plantedinthegarden highlights an easy way to make this bug spray: dice a large onion, and put it in two to three cups of water for one to two days. Strain it (you can save the cut-up vegetables to make more), and dilute the mixture with water at a 1:5 ratio, then go to town on your campsite, garden, or indoor plants. For an even more potent recipe, add four cloves of fresh garlic and 10 drops of a mild liquid soap.

@plantedinthegarden

This old school onion spray is natural, safe and easy to make at home. It's been used for years in the garden as well as indoors as a natural pesticide against plant pests. It works on both edible and ornamental plants. You can also add garlic which has similar effect. Onions and garlic contain sulphur and both have antimicrobial properties. The odour will keep bugs away from your plants and also keep them healthy and prevent plant disease. NATURAL PESTICIDE RECIPE: Large Onion diced or use a blender. 4 fresh cloves of garlic into this 2-3 cups of water Let it sit for 1-2 days Strain the chunks and save for another batch Dilute with water (1:5 ratio) 1 part onion/garlic water mix to 5 parts water Add 10 drops of Castile liquid soap OR KEEP IT SIMPLE Large Onion diced or use a blender 2-3 cups of water Let it sit for 1-2 days Strain the chunks and save for another batch Dilute with water (1:5 ratio) 1 part onion/garlic water mix to 5 parts water #gardentok #gardening #gardenhack #learnontiktok #fyp

♬ original sound – Planted in the Garden

If you're not in the business of spraying yourself all over with an onion and garlic mix, you can simply pop some garlic capsules or throw extra pieces of garlic and onion into your meal while cooking over the campfire, since their scent and the smoke will keep bugs away. To further enhance your experience, check out these DIY camping hacks Redditors swear by.