Taylor and Tay Lautner’s hilarious plan to ward off mosquitoes all summer long

Oh, wouldn’t it be nice to be newlyweds. “It was always like this: I opened doors and she closed them,” actor Taylor Lautner jokes about married life in a video call. He and his wife Tay Lautner, a registered nurse, digital content creator and mental health advocate, are both on a video call discussing their upcoming summer plans when the conversation turns to the saga of door opening and closing in their household.

Their banter is undeniably a part of their chemistry, and the conversation is peppered with their easy-going back-and-forth. This makes sense, after all, since the two co-host their podcast, The Squeeze. But in this case, the crux of the door debate is actually about insects: As it turns out, Tay is one of the unlucky few who is attracted to mosquitoes, so she closes the windows and doors at nightfall to avoid getting bitten.

“No matter what blood type she is, it has to be her dessert,” Taylor teases with his typical dry humor. Science confirms that mosquitoes are indeed more attracted to some people than others, and the couple has stories to prove it anecdotally. After a friend’s outdoor engagement party in 2023, Tay’s legs were covered in dozens of bites. “It must have been twenty to thirty bites… Oh, it was a situation,” Taylor says of his wife’s attraction to mosquitoes.

“It was really bad. I had to ice my legs, it was that bad,” Tay recalls, noting that she couldn’t even wear pants because the heat made the itching worse. All she could do was rub calamine lotion on her legs and wait for the healing process inside. “I couldn’t even go outside because my legs looked like they had an infection!”

If you’re one of those people who likes insects, you know that a mosquito massacre is more than just an itchy nuisance. Double-certified adult and pediatric dermatologist Karan Lal warns that insect bites can easily become infected, especially if they’re scratched. If you get stung, he recommends washing the bites with an antibacterial soap. As for the itching, he says a menthol-based cream can soothe the skin, while a 1% hydrocortisone cream will relieve itching and inflammation.

Still, the couple is determined not to let a few bugs ruin their summer. The key is prevention, which is why they use STEM Attracts & Traps Flying Insects Light Traps ($17.79) to keep their home free of winged pests. Instead of using insecticides, STEM uses blue light to attract and trap flying insects, avoiding potential exposure to toxins.

As pet owners, this was definitely something the couple liked. “We have two dogs who are like our kids and we love them very much, so the fact that the light traps don’t have insecticides in them is really important. I don’t have to worry about the dogs getting in or anything,” says Tay.

“We’re also trying to transition to clean living. We’re trying to find products that work just as well as non-clean products. It’s a bit of a difficult transition, but we’ve found them,” she continues.

Most importantly, their prevention plan is working: Tay reports that she hasn’t been bitten by a mosquito yet this year. With less time spent treating bug bites, the couple has more time to enjoy their favorite summer activities together, like going to the farmer’s market or spending time together by the pool.

“I love summer and I swim in our pool every day,” Taylor says, drawing attention to his enviable tan. “I’m a little darker than usual. I put on sunscreen, but I can lay outside for twenty minutes and then just walk in and look like a different person.”

“I was going to say the sun is his beauty trick. I don’t have that luxury. I just burn. And then he comes and makes me look very pale,” laments Tay. Although she doesn’t tan like her husband, she enjoys a subtle artificial glow that she gives her favorite Elta MD sunscreen by adding Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Bronzing Drops with Peptides ($38). “That and also my Bloom moisturizer saved my skin,” she adds of the gel moisturizer for acne-prone skin.

But after a busy year of traveling, the couple is looking forward to a much-needed break together. “We love to travel, but we’ve been pretty busy and have traveled quite a bit this year, so we’re looking forward to a more relaxed summer,” Taylor says. “STEM light traps will definitely help us enjoy the summer. I’ll be able to assert my will and keep the doors and windows open.”