21-05-2025
- Science
- Hamilton Spectator
Tips and tricks for getting rid of nature's little vampire — the mosquito — and what doesn't work
It's a lifelong pursuit to try and get rid of mosquitoes.
As the weather warms, mosquitoes come out, searching for their next snack.
And things like citronella candles, various plants, lawn sprays, picnic heating coils and bug lights have all been used in attempts to keep them at bay.
Non-profit research company
Consumer Reports
has taken a look at what works to keep mosquitoes away.
Entomologist and Cornell University pest management co-ordinator Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann suggests putting screens in all open windows and doors.
'Screens are simply the best mosquito-control device you can find,' she says. 'They were one of the original forms of home pest control, and for good reason.'
The same works for gazebos and porches, if you are able to install netting there.
Some companies offer a magnetized door screen, which splits down the middle so you can still get in and out.
Consumer Reports has tested an oscillating pedestal fan to keep the tiny pests away.
'We found that the fan is far more effective than citronella candles or the (battery operated) geraniol diffuser, the company said. 'In fact, our tests showed that the fan reduced mosquito landings by 45 to 65 per cent for folks sitting nearby.'
It's actually one of the reasons you see porch fans in mosquito-rich areas like the tropics, Gangloff-Kaufmann said.
She says that while a fan makes it more difficult for mosquitoes to fly against the steady breeze, it also helps disperse the carbon dioxide we emit when we breathe — something mosquitoes use as a guide to find where to feed.
One
Reddit user
said they purchased two box fans for their patio, which worked well.
It might be difficult in the hot summer to cover up, but it's a prevention that works.
Wear long sleeves, pants, socks and closed toe shoes if you are in a mosquito-prone area.
'Forgo dark-coloured clothes and scented products, too, because these attract mosquitoes,' Consumer Reports said.
Consumer Reports
tested mosquito repellent brands
by applying to a subject's arm, then exposing it to cages of disease-free mosquitoes for five minutes at a time. The process is repeated a half-hour later, followed by every hour, until the product wears off (and fails to protect the user), or until eight hours have passed since the first dose was applied.
Fourteen of the 22 recommended insect repellents use Deet as their active ingredient. Three are made with 20 per cent picaridin, one is made with 10 per cent picaridin, and four contain 30 per cent oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE).
'OLE, although it occurs naturally in the lemon eucalyptus plant, is not an essential oil. It's refined and concentrated (or sometimes synthesized chemically) for use in commercial bug repellents,' Consumer Reports said.
All Deet products tested well, with wipes and sprays working well, but one lotion tested didn't do as well.
'We've found some sprays that use the active ingredients picaridin or OLE that perform well, and others that don't,' Consumer Reports said. 'And in a few instances, we've found that products containing 20 per cent picaridin score well as a spray but not in another form, such as a wipe or lotion.'
'Most plant-oil-based products we've tested — including several containing citronella oil, peppermint oil, soybean oil, or others — have performed poorly,' Consumer Reports
said in a different press release
.
If you want to avoid Deet, use a product with at least 20 per cent picaridin or 30 per cent OLE are your best bets, Consumer Reports said.
To put onto children, adults should spray the repellent onto their own hands first before rubbing it onto the children. Insect repellents with Deet should not be used on children younger than two months.
'Don't spray repellent onto kids or apply it to their hands. That's to avoid it getting into their eyes or mouth, and avoid applying it to cuts or irritated skin. Insect repellents with Deet should not be used on children younger than two months.'
It should be noted Consumer Reports also tested the products against ticks, with ones containing Deet working the best.
One of Canadian Tire's bestsellers is the Thermacell mosquito repelling machines.
'Thermacell's award-winning technology keeps mosquitoes away by creating a defence zone around you,' Thermacell
said on Canadian Tire's website
. 'Our proprietary formula precisely targets mosquito sensors, driving them away.'
The products can be expensive, along with the refills. But customers mostly said the product works.
'It works really well. Where I live we're surrounded by forest and get lots of rain = lots of insects. This product is amazing! It works so well I can actually sit outside without getting eaten alive. Love it! Highly recommend,' @LoraxGal wrote on the Canadian Tire website.
Half of the battle of keeping mosquitoes away is making sure you don't have a breeding ground nearby.
Take a weekly walk around your property to dump any sources of standing water — including buckets, trash cans without lids, tires, plastic pipes or anything with a small amount of water.
For bird baths, replace the water in it weekly.
However, a few items didn't work as well at keeping mosquitoes at bay.
Bug zappers were tested, but researchers found they weren't always effective.
'When you're hearing your bug zapper go all night, it's killing moths and midges and beetles, beneficial good insects, and very few if any mosquitoes at all,' American Mosquito Control Association technical adviser Daniel Markowski
said in a Consumer Reports report
.
Ultraviolet or black lights, sonic devices, various mosquito traps and zappers have not been proven effective, the government of Ontario said. There is inconclusive evidence on the effectiveness of mosquito traps using carbon dioxide and octanol.
The best traps might be live ones that target mosquitoes specifically, not bugs or flying insects in general, according to Markowski.
Some entice the mosquitoes to fly inside to lay eggs.
Researchers at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention designed a low-tech trap known as an
autocidal gravid ovitrap (AGO trap)
to specifically target the Aedes species of mosquito, which often breeds in buckets or old tires in backyards.
'Versions of this trap often look like a bucket with a bit of water and hay inside. Female mosquitoes fly in looking to lay eggs, but a screen prevents them from actually depositing eggs. They are then captured by sticky paper on the sides of the bucket,' Consumer Reports said.
Markowski also said the
In2Care trap
is effective. With this trap, mosquitoes fly in and can access the water where they lay eggs, Consumer Reports said. But the water has a fungus that will slowly kill adult mosquitoes and a larvicide that the mosquitoes can spread to other breeding sites before they die.
The benefit is these traps don't have chemicals to kill pollinating insects.
Installing a bat house somewhere on your property can help attract bats — with the
government of Canada
saying a brown bat can easily capture 600 mosquitoes each hour.
But the
province said scientific studies
do not support claims that natural predators such as bats, swallows, purple martins, dragonflies or other flying predators are effective in appreciably reducing mosquito populations.
According to Health Canada, citrosa plants do not produce enough citronella oil to be considered effective and citronella-based products appear to be potential dermal sensitizers which, therefore, may cause allergic reactions in some individuals. In fact, in 2004, the
idea of using citronella in creams or lotions
for bug repellent was phased out by Health Canada.
Several companies offer spraying services to treat your backyard for mosquitoes.
Some are liquid garlic juice mosquito sprays to keep mosquitoes and ticks out of your yard, by spraying on grass, flowers and the lower leaves of trees.
It acts as more of a deterrent, rather than a eradicator.
This can be expensive, and may also contain pesticides, which can kill pollinators like butterflies and honey bees.
