HOUSTON — Why are citronella candles not effective at repelling mosquitoes?
They are a sign of summer, especially here in Houston. Citronella candles and torches lit up in an effort to keep blood sucking mosquitoes at bay.
Citronella is actually an essential oil derived from two grass varieties. The naturally occurring oil does repel insects. And the Environmental Protection Agency does say that it is a minimum risk pesticide that is safe for both humans and the environment.
But that doesn’t mean citronella candles work. While citronella oil is a repellent, according to experts there is not enough in most candles to be effective.
According to the American Mosquito Control Association, citronella candles only have a mild repellent effect. In fact they don’t appear to offer significantly more protection than other candles that produce smoke.
It turns out a lot of things we use to battle the bites are not super effective. Bug zappers have been found to kill the wrong kind of bugs. Mosquito traps aren’t as alluring to the bugs as we are, and there is not a lot of evidence that sound-based products are effective.
According to the New York Times, there is a simple solution that does appear to work – fans. Turns out mosquitoes aren’t good at flying so send a little wind their way to block the attack.