The upcoming summer camp is on our mind. The last time our family camped was almost three years ago. Since then, our vacation has been revolving around visiting families. Which is great, we don’t see them often enough, but we’ve wanted nature time soon. We are set for a camping trip in Sequoia National Park this summer, and super excited for it.

One time we camped at Fort Tilden, Long Island. The place is known for ferocious (and numerous) mosquitoes, and it indeed was full of them. All those mosquitoes were gross and very annoying. A couple who camped next to us gave us some sprigs of rosemary, for natural mosquito repellent. I don’t know if it worked or not because it burned away pretty quickly, but the idea of natural bug repellent and its natural fragrance seemed great.

By combining the herbs with bug-repelling powers and essential oils in a jar and adding a wick to it, you can make a natural bug repellent candle that is convenient to travel with and has a long burning time.

Supplies
  • 4 cups soy candle wax
  • 60 drops citronella essential oil
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 piece candlewick (6 inches)
  • 16 oz mason jar
Tools
  • cooking pot
  • stainless steel bowl
  • measuring cup
  • glue gun
  • wick holder
Direction
  1. Hot glue the candlewick to the bottom of a jar.

2. Measure the candle wax. Use double the amount than the capacity of a jar. Here I melted 32oz (4 cups) of candle wax to pour for a 16 oz jar.
Using a double boiler or stainless steel bowl over a cooking pot with little water in it, melt the candle wax. Wax is ready when you don’t see flakes anymore and color resembles olive oil.

3. Place rosemary sprigs in the jar.
Use the wick holder or a stick over the jar with tape to secure the wick. Pour the melted wax. Let it cure for a couple of hours.