DIY Life

I love living in Florida, but I hate, hate, hate the bugs. As if the mosquitoes aren't bad enough, we've also got untold billions of ants to contend with. All these creepy crawlies can turn a pleasant picnic into an ordeal. Fortunately, there are lots of quick and easy tricks to help keep them at bay this summer. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Go natural. Citronella oil can discourage mosquitoes, of course. But did you know that lemon and garlic (oils or fresh) can be used to repel flies, mosquitoes and ants?

• Wipe the tablecloth down with plain old white vinegar. Flies don't care for the smell, apparently.

Why on Earth would you want to build an owl house? Having owls take up residence on your property will cause the mouse population to dwindle: never a bad thing if the furry invaders like to live in your basement, attic, or -- yikes! -- your kitchen.

To build a screech owl house, you'll need ten feet of one-foot board, some hinges, nails, and screws, wood glue, and a little time. Research shows that owls like big houses with small entrance holes, which is what inspired this owl house plan from Audubon. They suggest hanging your owl house ten feet off the ground or higher.

You are now on your way to a mouse-free house! Similarly, if you'd like to see a few less mosquitoes, try building a bat house. Apparently, those buzzing buggers are quite delicious....

Nothing ruins a cool summer evening like mosquitoes. Unless you're a bat, you take cover at the appearance of the annoying, buzzing villains.

Here at DIY Life, we've written a lot about how to banish mosquitoes. Tips like reducing standing water, not wasting your money on the Mosquito Magnet, eliminating mosquito hiding places, and wearing light-colored clothing have all been mentioned before.

This season, the mosquitoes arrived with a vengeance at my house, and even applying all of the tips didn't help the mosquitoes stay away. But something finally did....

Yeah, yeah. Spring is awesome. All those pretty flowers blooming. Pastel clothing. Bunnies. Blossoms. Baskets of eggs. Picnics. Outdoor weddings. Lush green lawns. Hmm. What about the down-side of Spring? Yes. There is one. Here are my personal pet peeves regarding the prettiest, perkiest season of all:

1. Return of the lawn mower. Remember how "winterize lawn mower" was on your to-do list back in September? Just never got around to it, did you? Well, guess what? It's too late and now Spring is back. Time to deal with the consequences. Your mower, having been neglected in the garage for six months with a tank full of fuel, will be hell to start again. Have fun with that.

2. Wrestling the garden hose. Spring means planting time, and planting means watering to get new plants established. Planting is satisfying work, but my most hated gardening task is watering. Actually, the water is kind of lovely. It's the hose I hate.

It's been a wet, hot Summer over much of the world, which means the mosquitoes are going to be plentiful, hungry, and ticked off. (Little known fact: all mosquitoes are angry. Always.) So what can we do to protect ourselves from being attacked by swarms of bitter bugs? The easiest thing to do, of course, is stay inside; well-sealed windows and doors do a terrific job keeping out unwanted, blood-sucking guests. However, if you absolutely MUST go outside, you'll need to be prepared with some sort of bug repellent.

When faced with the proposition of being blitzed by a battalion of biting bugs, most people make a beeline to their local store to pick up some OFF Spray, or similar DEET-laden repellent. Store-bought bug sprays are fine, but some people have serious skin reactions to DEET, which if sprayed directly onto plastic can cause it to bubble and warp. Would you want to put that on your skin? If you're like me, and you enjoy rolling your own bug-off juice, here's an effective recipe that I find keeps the mosquitoes away just as well as the name brand stuff.