Which Mosquito Repellents Work Best? [Week 25]
Everyone has their own anecdotal evidence regarding what they think works well to repel mosquitos. But in studies, which one works the best? Here are some results as well as some more natural products my friends and I have used that we thought were effective against mosquitos or not.
Amanda Drews, 6 minute read
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People have their own preferences on what type of mosquito repellent they like to use.
Some prefer not to use chemicals on their body like DEET. Or maybe just prefer the smell of a plant-based mosquito repellent. Others may be most concerned about diseases carried by mosquitos and don’t want to risk using something that may not be effective.
I talked about the health and environmental effects of chemical mosquito repellents in my Complete Guide to Mosquito Repellents in Week 24.
DEET seems to be, hands down, the most effective mosquito repellent on the market. Usually when I’m testing out products, I’m able to buy a bunch, try them and compare. When it comes to mosquito repellent, that wasn’t practical because of the amounts products come in, how expensive they are, and the fact that you really don’t need a lot. It would have been a big waste to buy a bunch of different kinds. So I will lean on what the experts say who were actually willing to scientifically test these products and deal with the potential bites that came with that testing. Let’s look at two different studies.
Studies on Mosquito Repellents
This study from The New England Journal of Medicine tested 3 different DEET products from 4.75 to 23.8 percent DEET, an IR3535 product and wristbands with DEET or citronella. The 23.8 percent DEET was effective for 301.5 minutes, the IR3535 for 22.9 minutes and the wristbands were basically worthless. All the plant based products that were based on ingredients like citronella and peppermint lasted less than 20 minutes on average.
The Journal of Insect Science had a 2015 study comparing various insect repellents. DEET products were highly effective at keeping the mosquitoes at bay both upon application and 4 hours later. Surprisingly, the 25% vs 7% DEET concentrations showed very similar results after 4 hours but the 25% DEET product did the best overall of all products upon application. The Cutter lemon eucalyptus also showed similar results hovering between the 98.1% DEET and the two lesser concentrations at 4 hours. The EcoSmart organic insect repellent did well at first but did not perform well over time. The mosquito skin patch actually did worse than no repellent at all!
Clip-ons and coils
NPR reported that a 2017 study also found the OFF Clip-On product containing metofluthrin worked about as well as DEET. But only for a person sitting in one place. The EPA fact sheet for metofluthrin mentions neurotoxicity to dogs, rats and rabbits. I have no clue how the dosing for their lab animals compares to what the product contains. I have used the OFF! Backyard mosquito coils with metofluthrin as the active ingredient in the past. It did seem to keep the mosquitos away however, metofluthrin can have some negative environmental effects.
Candles and wristbands
Overall, the products that were wristbands, citronella candles and ultrasonic devices had little to no effect on keeping away biting mosquitos. There is no scientific evidence that any type of sound will repel mosquitos. It probably just pisses off the animals that can actually hear it.
Personal Recommendations
Beyond the DEET repellents, here are some of the more mosquito repellent products my friends and I have used and how well we thought they worked.
- Raw Natural Products– despite all the scientific evidence saying these ingredients shouldn’t work that well. I’ve used this one a couple of times and was happy with the results. Plus it smells pretty nice. While researching this week, I even sprayed my legs down and sat out in the grass one evening just to see what would happen. Most mosquitos landed on me and awkwardly walked around on my skin “looking” confused.
- Repel Lemon Eucalyptus-my neighbor likes this one as a DEET alternative
- Protector Mosquito Repellent– my mother in-law likes this one for at the cabin. I tried it once with decent results. And hey look! It’s a B corporation.
- BUGG– another my neighbor is a fan of. They have one for gnats and no-see-ums and another for mosquitos and ticks.
- Bug Soother– my friend swears by this one, I haven’t tried it. It says it has a lemony scent.
- Natrapel– This is a picardin product that works well.
- Greenerways Organic Bug Repellent– Someone in my master naturalist class had this on one of our hikes. It didn’t seem to work at all.
- Quantum Health Buzz Away Extreme– I think the only thing that’s extreme about this product is that it works extremely poorly according to my neighbor.
Takeaways
After looking through the comparative studies and learning about the chemical safety side of insect repellents here’s what I’ve decided to go with.
Prevention and avoidance is best, just like with sunscreen. But I’m also not going to be hiding away my summer inside. For the times when my family isn’t going to be outside for long but they might be facing mosquitos for a short amount of time, I’ll go with the lemon eucalyptus based repellent. However, if we’re camping or plan to be out for hours, we’re going with DEET spray on (not aerosol) products with less than 30% concentration. And that’s if we are around home and there’s no significant disease worries. If we’re traveling in areas where we have to worry more about diseases from mosquitos, I’m going DEET for all. The diseases mosquitos can carry are serious and need to be met with a product you know will be effective in protecting you.
- Ask your friends and family if they have any good recommendations for mosquito repellents or look and see if there are any local companies that produce one.
- Choose a product that fits your needs when it comes to balancing risks from the product vs risk from diseases mosquitos carry in your area.
- Move onto Week 26: A Greener Way To Go Back To School
Medical disclosure: I’m not a doctor. Do not take any of my recommendations as official medical advice. A Greener Demeanor makes no warranty as to the accuracy or reliability of any information obtained through the site or that a product or method will meet your expectations. Use products at your own risk. Consult your own doctor for medical advice.
