Yahoo LifestyleA Bug-Free Season Is Possible With These Citronella Candles
- 1/11
A Bug-Free Season Is Possible With These Citronella Candles
Keeping you and your family safe from mosquitos is part of enjoying the outdoors throughout the summer season. Protecting platters of food with mesh coverings and stocking up on bug repellent always helps — but nothing does the trick like sparking a few citronella candles. They help mask scents that are attractive to mosquitos, so they can be useful to burn during an outdoor dinner and are sure to keep the atmosphere safe yet still celebratory.
The jury is still out on the effectiveness of using citronella candles alone. One study from 1996 found that using citronella-infused candles and incense reduced mosquito bites by 42% and 24%, respectively, but didn't eliminate the chance of them happening. The case is probably true for the products in this guide. For added insurance, you will probably want to have topical bug repellent and maybe even a light layer for covering legs and shoulders with you if you're determined not to get bitten.
The Best Citronella Candles
Citronella products come in candle, torch-fuel, and incense form, so you can pick your potency. We chose the following products based on their majority of positive reviews and their varying formats for large- and small-scale enjoyment. Here are 10 different types of citronella candles and products to help you keep the bugs at bay this summer.
Stocksy - 2/11
1) 3-Wick Outdoor Citronella Candles (4-Pack)
UWAX
amazon.com
$13.99
If you don't want a citronella candle with a brand name splashed across the front, opt for these decorative tins instead.
Available in a set of four, they have three wicks each for even burning and an estimated 30-hour burn time. They're just 5 ounces each, so they're small enough to disperse across an outdoor picnic table for a boost of both ambiance and bug-repelling properties.
amazon.com - 3/11
2) Citro Guard Candle
Cutter
target.com
$7.49
It's a basic but budget-friendly mosquito solution. Pick up a few of these long-lasting, 30-hour Cutter citronella candle buckets to keep your porch or patio a bug-free zone.
Despite containing 3% citronella oil, the candle has a very potent citronella smell. And users love that it's a simple, reliable, and cheap option.
target.com - 4/11
3) Patio Egg Mosquito Deterrent Diffuser Set
Skeeter Screen
amazon.com
$35.95
Keep those skeeters away in style by setting out this small, egg-shaped ceramic oil diffuser. This citronella-candle alternative can either be placed on a tabletop or hung by its macrame holder.
All you have to do is add drops of the included geraniol and lemongrass oil blend to help naturally repel buzzing bugs without an open flame.
amazon.com - 5/11
4) Color-Changing LED Citronella Candle
Coleman
bedbathandbeyond.com
$4.99
This 2-in-1 citronella candle helps repel mosquitos while also putting on a dazzling, color-changing light show. When the wick is sparked, the 8-ounce candle's internal LED light will flicker on and provide up to 25 hours of glow time.
bedbathandbeyond.com - 6/11
5) Scented Citronella Candles (3-Pack)
Coleman
amazon.com
$16.49
A fun alternative to your usual nose-tickling citronella candles, these crackling wood-wick candles from Coleman all contain citronella oil but are also scented with fun outdoorsy fragrances like pine, campfire, and s'mores.
These 6-ounce candles burn for 25 hours each. Reviewers who really can't stand the smell of regular citronella candles love using these instead.
amazon.com - 7/11
6) 80-Hour Coil Citronella Candle
Candle by the Hour
amazon.com
$30.39
This centerpiece-worthy citronella candle burns just as much wax as you allot above its metal clasp. One inch provides about 20 minutes of burn time, and the coiled wax will give you 80 bug-free hours in total.
amazon.com - 8/11
7) Citronella Candle Outdoor Lantern
Coleman
walmart.com
$7.88
Though this rugged, 6-inch-tall citronella candle lantern from Coleman is ideal for camping, you can use it virtually anywhere in your yard outdoors.
Its handle makes it more portable than other bug-repelling candles while also providing a whopping 70 hours of burn time.
walmart.com - 9/11
8) Votive Citronella Candles (Set of 72)
Candle Charisma
amazon.com
$27.49
What's better than having a candlelit dinner outdoors? Not swatting at mosquitos the entire time. Grab a few votive glasses and spark some of these yellow citronella candles to further the relaxed vibe of your tablescape.
Though small, their 10-hour burn time makes them perfect to put outside at sunset.
amazon.com - 10/11
9) Incense Repellent Sticks
Mosquito Guard
amazon.com
$12.30
This unique citronella-candle alternative encapsulates all of the bug-shooing benefits in just a slim incense stick.
Infused with citronella, rosemary, and lemongrass oil, this set of 12 incense sticks keep the bugs away for an hour or two at a time, making these sticks better suited for a brief outdoor sit than all-day lounging.
If you're into cone incense, check out this set of 36 instead.
amazon.com - 11/11
10) Bitefighter Torch Fuel
TIKI
amazon.com
$12.96
If you're breaking out the tiki torches all around your yard this season, fill them with a fuel that also helps keep the bugs at bay. Users love this cedar-and-citronella-infused BiteFighter fuel, though they do advise that it tends to give off quite a bit of smoke.
Folks who live in tropical climates find that this fuel effectively reduces the number of biting insects buzzing around.
amazon.com
