I Finally Found Some Help to Keep Mosquitoes at Bay (or whatever form of water they’re inhabiting)

Up until about seven years or so, I wasn’t bothered by mosquitoes. It would always be my far tastier companions who the little bloodsuckers sought out. Unfortunately, clichéd as it is, like a fine wine, my taste improved with age and now the creatures find me delicious.

I have blended essential oils with water in a spray bottle to deter mosquitoes, obtaining some degree of repellent and a large degree of a migraine. And, yes, I could apply a repellent containing DEET but the idea of applying and then washing after every single outing into the yard is daunting and maybe a little impractical. And, this is not to mention the fact that my dog Huck likes to lick every single fragrance he’s unfamiliar with just in case it might be tasty. Except wine. He’s never tried that unless it was in his previous existence.

A couple of months ago the New York Times Wirecutter section, which explores and reviews new gadgets, told me about Thermacell, a company that is revolutionizing the mosquito repellent industry. They recommended Thermacell’s e-series. This gadget is rechargeable (no replacing batteries) and works in a 20-foot (~6 meters) wide area. I immediately ordered one for the mere sake that I like to be outdoors in the summer, preferably not being bitten and then scratching myself bloody. (My apologies if that image was too graphic.)

Guess what? This little bugger works. I turn on the Thermacell, put it where I want it, and leave it to warm up. The warming up activates the scent that keeps mosquitoes away. It repels, doesn’t kill. It is EPA-approved.

Yesterday, I didn’t wait for it to warm up and got bitten a couple of times. (Applying a quick paste of baking soda and water got rid of the itching.) After it warmed up, no mosquitoes around. It doesn’t seem to repel ants or other winged creatures that I’ve noticed. The amount of scent visibly discharged is amazingly small.

An equally nice thing about it is that today it’s part of Amazon’s Prime Deals so you can get it on sale $10 off the regular price. 7/12/23.