I Tried 5 Methods That Promise to Get Rid of Mosquitoes — Here’s What Happened

All my life, I’ve been a mosquito magnet — and it doesn’t help that I live in Hawaii, where these bugs thrive in the tropical weather. Now that it’s the summer months, I expect to be outside in my backyard more often — whether I’m hosting an outdoor barbecue or tending to my garden — but I don’t want mosquitoes to get in the way of the fun. I researched “how to get rid of mosquitoes” and discovered five popular methods that promise to help you get rid of them. I sacrificed myself for the cause, and here’s what I learned.

Before diving into the testing process, I needed to understand why mosquitoes favor some people (like me) over others (like my family and friends). It turns out, there are several reasons why mosquitoes have a people preference. According to the Cleveland Clinic, while mosquitoes can bite anyone, they are drawn to people who wear perfume or dark-colored clothing, have a particular blood type and body temperature, or visit places they thrive in, like areas with stagnant water. (I, unfortunately, fit many of these requirements.)

To ensure I was testing these methods to the fullest, I forewent my usual tricks like wearing long-sleeve clothing or applying insect repellent. I wanted to make sure I was a “blank slate” before heading outside (which felt terrifying, I’m not going to lie). I rated these methods on a scale of 1 to 5 (one being the lowest and 5 being the highest) and factored in how easy they were to use, how quickly they took effect, and how well they worked overall. 

The methods I tested were as follows: 

• Sprinkling coffee grounds
• Planting mosquito-repelling plants
• Spraying peppermint oil
• Using a bug-repelling device
• Putting out mosquito dunks 

It’s important to note that some of the methods I tested overlapped, and some took longer than others to employ — read on to learn more about that.

Ease of Use: 2

Immediate Effect: 0

Overall Results: 0

I sprinkled used coffee grounds around my patio furniture, creating a sort of protective barrier around me. There’s no scientific proof that coffee grounds actually repel mosquitoes, so I didn’t have high hopes for this method, which required me to brew coffee, save the grounds, and let them dry, before I could use them. And rightly so — nothing improved and I still got bites. 

Ease of Use: 2

Immediate Effect: 1

Overall Results: 1

It’s widely known that there are mosquito-repelling plants, but do they actually work? On an elevated platform in my backyard, right next to my patio furniture, I planted marigolds, mint, and purple salvia (I couldn’t find lavender, but this was recommended as an alternative). 

Purchasing these plants, replanting them in pots, and making sure to keep them watered and alive each day meant they required more effort than other methods. Results weren’t immediate and it’s hard to tell if it truly was effective. I would say I had fewer bites than if I had no protection, but I was still getting bitten. 

Ease of Use: 3

Immediate Effect: 4

Overall Results: 3

Mosquitoes are not fans of the following smells: citronella, peppermint, lavender, and lemongrass. Because citronella isn’t safe for pets, and I want to err on the side of caution, I used Wondercide Peppermint Flea & Tick Spray — which works for fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes, and has peppermint oil in it — all around and on my patio furniture. 

What I love about this spray is that it just smells like peppermint, so it’s not terrible to inhale and it’s completely safe to use on or around your pets. My dog loves to sit by me when we’re outside, so I didn’t feel concerned about it getting on him. You do have to spray this every time you go outside and everywhere you plan to be — especially if it’s been raining — so it can be tedious, but it smells strongly and even keeps flies away at times (another bonus). I’ve found that I would get fewer bites than if I didn’t spray peppermint oil, but it doesn’t completely stop mosquitoes from getting to me. 

Ease of Use: 3

Immediate Effect: 4

Overall Results: 4

The Thermacell E65 Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller is a compact, cord-free device that releases a smell-free and zero-smoke mosquito repellent at the touch of a button. It offers a protection zone of up to 20 feet and is completely rechargeable. The mosquito repelling cartridges last 12 hours (or longer, depending on which one you purchased) and the battery lasts 5.5 hours, so it’s important to change it out and recharge it often. Plus, you have to remember to turn the device on and off with each use. 

On particularly windy days the device was less effective, but on normal days it worked well at deterring mosquitoes. Of all the methods I tried, this one was the most costly because you have to regularly purchase cartridges (and they aren’t cheap — a single 40-hour cartridge costs $24.99, for instance). 

Ease of Use: 4

Immediate Effect: 0

Overall Results: 4

Mosquito dunks float in standing water and release a bacteria that’s fatal to mosquito larvae (but it’s completely safe to use around people, pets, and even plants). To use, you simply add a single mosquito dunk to standing water (like in a small bucket) and replace it once a month with fresh water. This will attract adult mosquitos, which will lay their eggs in the water and once hatched, the larvae will die because of the bacteria.

Once I started using mosquito dunks after a particularly long rainy period, I noticed that the mosquito population in my yard declined over a few months. I cannot tell you the exact numbers, but in terms of bites, I went from getting immediately bitten six times once I got outside to maybe one or two bites. 

So does it repel mosquitoes? No. But does it get rid of them? Yes. Mosquito dunks are a preventative measure that doesn’t offer immediate relief from adult mosquitoes that are biting you. Instead, it targets larvae and helps you control the mosquito population around you. Overall, it is extremely effective at cutting down the amount of mosquitoes in my yard, and at about $1.50 per dunk, it’s cost-effective too. 

My final thought on this process is that it doesn’t take just one thing to get rid of mosquitoes — which didn’t surprise me at all. Mosquito dunks are great for mosquito control because they target the larval form so that you have fewer mosquitoes later, but that requires you to plan ahead. Mosquito-repelling devices and sprays are great, but you have to be on it with application and it does cost more money than other methods. 

The truth is that repelling mosquitoes is an ongoing battle — especially when you live somewhere tropical like me — but if you employ a number of these mosquito-fighting techniques, you are more than likely to escape with fewer bites than ever before. I, for one, will keep on having mosquito-repelling plants (they are pretty, after all!), using mosquito-repelling devices, spraying my peppermint oil spray, and putting out mosquito dunks, all while wearing long-sleeved shirts and relying on insect repellent sprays if I really have to.