Health officials love to remind people to wear pants and use CDC-approved repellents, but they tend to shy away from telling the public what doesn’t work. As a result, millions of people embrace ineffective techniques and gimmicks that waste money and expose family members to mosquito-borne diseases. So I thought I’d make a list of the top myths and scams just in case skeptical people want details.
1. Mosquito-repelling plants
Despite claims made by influential, wholesome gardening folks on Facebook, there are no plants that repel mosquitoes. The plant marketed as the “mosquito plant” is no exception.
2. Bug Zappers
These devices make a satisfying crackle but if you dump all the carcasses on a table and sort them, you’ll find that only a very small fraction of the victims are mosquitoes. In one study, 0.22% were mosquitoes. Mostly you’ve just electrocuted thousands of small, defenseless moths and night-active beetles. More details.
3. Tubes of yeast and sugar
Containers filled with yeast and sugar are really good at attracting and killing fruit flies, ants, and wasps but will not control your mosquitoes. If you want details I’ve reviewed Tougher Than Tom’s Mosquito TNT and the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech.
4. Dynatraps
These don’t appear to work. I’ve tried two different models and splurged on the optional lure but only succeeded in killing large numbers of moths, beetles, and other innocent insects (and thus depriving local birds of food). If you’re still on the fence read some of the 1-star reviews on Amazon.
5. Citronella candles
Citronella candles, coils, and torches only seem to work if you surround yourself with a lot of them, ideally in a protected area so that wind doesn’t dissipate the smoke. The fire and smell combine to activate a strong placebo effect in people who are susceptible to gimmicks.
6. Ultrasonic devices and apps
None of these have been found to work (details). The FTC has taken some companies to court. There is, however, a device called The Mosquito that is effective at repelling teenagers.
7. Listerine
Just another internet rumor started by somebody with too much free time.
8. Bounce dryer sheets
Per one study fungus gnats (which don’t bite) were mildly repelled by dryer sheets. I’d wager these sheets might actually be attractive to mosquitoes because some species home-in on perfumes.
9. Wrist bands with natural oils
At best, wrist bands will reduce the number of mosquito bites on your wrist simply because they can’t bite through the plastic. But they will not emit enough volatile compounds to shield the rest of you. NB: currently there are no wristbands that contain DEET or other CDC-approved repellent. Details.
10. Stickers laced with natural oils
Stickers only prevent mosquitoes from biting the flesh directly underneath the sticker. You’d need an awful lot of stickers for full protection. Note, same conclusion for the stickers that claim to infuse your bloodstream with B1.
11. Garlic
Eating garlic does not deter mosquitoes. It just deters other people.
12. Vitamin B1, B6, or B12 pills or patches
Nope, nope, and nope. Details. More details.
13. Mozi-Q pills
Just another scam. Details.
14. Bats and birds
Bats and birds eat mosquitoes under some circumstances (e.g., when they are caged with nothing else) but under most conditions they prefer to eat larger insects. Details.