GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-- You may not have seen them yet this spring, but inevitably, mosquitos will arrive in West Michigan in the coming weeks.
There’s so many mosquito repellent products out there, from natural and synthetic, to topical and spacial.
13 On Your Side Verified if a fan can be more effective than a citronella candle, and the best ways to repel pests.
“Mosquitoes hone in on you kind of like a shark does with water. It kind of zig zags to get to the source of it when blood is in the water, mosquitoes do the same thing with your odors.”
Joseph Conlon, technical advisor for the American Mosquito Control Association says citronella is one of the most widely used natural repellents on the market.
“Citronella candles, they will work in an enclosed space," Conlon said. "They are not going to provide you 100 percent protection and what protection they do provide is not going last you very long.”
He says tiki torches have essentially the same effect.
“Unfortunately you're going to put them out on your porch and the breezes are going to waft away the citronella vapor," Conlon said. "And therefore the concentration is going to be extremely diluted to the point probably it's not going to be effective against mosquitoes.”
So can a fan can be more effective than a citronella candle? According to our expert, yes.
“If you position it properly and it's powerful enough to provide a stiff breeze, in all likelihood, it's going to work better,” Conlon said.
Aim the fan for your legs, where the pests often target.
“The mosquitoes can't navigate through them with their wing beats because they're just not strong enough," Conlon said. "And two it takes all those olfactory clues, the odors you have, and just blows them all over the place and they can't fly back to the source.”
But overall, you’re better off using topical repellents. He has one recommendation for the best natural option.
“The only one that I would recommend that is registered by the EPA is oil of lemon eucalyptus," Conlon said.
It offers six hours of protection, but it is not supposed to be used on children younger than 3 years of age, according to Conlon.
But natural doesn't necessarily mean better. When it doubt... DEET.
“DEET is the bellwether of repellents," Conlon said. "Utilize anywhere from 25 to 30 percent formulation of DEET, it will give you the maximum protection for about 8 hours.”
So although we can verify a fan can be more effective than a citronella candle, using topical repellents is best.
And if you're looking for an alternative to DEET, Conlon said picaridin is just as effective.
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