What types of mosquito repellents work best?

SALT LAKE CITY — You may have felt it already, but it’s mosquito season. With the recent hot summer temperatures, mosquitoes are more active now than they ever were before.

Last week on the KSL Greenhouse show, Taun referenced a CBS News article that addressed the effectiveness of mosquito repellents. One of the reasons he brought this up is because there aren’t really any plants that you can put around your patios to fend them off.

One plant that is effective to a degree is citronella. If you have a citronella-scented candle lying around, then the mosquitoes will avoid it. However, they will still remain within a foot or two of the area.

“You pretty much have to hold the potted plant on your lap to have it do any good,” Taun said.

So what types of mosquito repellents work best?

As reported by CBS News, researchers from New Mexico State University tested out different types of essential oils to see which are best at repelling mosquitoes.

“It looked like all of them are at least partially effective, but not effective enough to really keep the mosquitoes away, except for two or three of them,” Taun said.

While the research shows that the best repellent is DEET, it also shows that certain essential oils perform fairly well, too.

Clove oil came in first, followed by cinnamon oil and geraniol oil.

“The clove and cinnamon oils were the most effective against lower pressure for mosquitoes, but they need to be reapplied every hour, to where some of the DEET products will last five or six hours,” Taun said.

Listen to the full segment on our podcast below!

The KSL Greenhouse is on every Saturday from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. You can follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and on our website.