This has been a particularly bad year for mosquito's in Northern Illinois. We love to do a lot of outdoor entertaining in warm months. This year most of those gatherings have come to rapid end after the sunset when the voracious mosquitos come out to feed.
We have found that bug sprays, and we have tried quite a few of them this year are not really that effective against these blood thirsty little guys. Unless you dip yourself head to toe before coming outside it seems they find an unprotected place to snack.
We did find unexpected relief from a couple of products that seemed at first like the snake oil mosquito fad of the year. The first one is Johnson and Johnsons "OFF" mosquito lantern. It consists of a cheesy looking plastic lantern with a votive candle inside. On the top you slide a repellant pad into the top, light the candle and you are protected in a 15 x 15 area. We have been pretty surprised because everytime we have used it the patio has been protected.
The second device out there is called the ThermaCell. It is a little fan shaped device that would fit in the palm of your hand. It also uses a pad similar to what "OFF" uses. The difference is it is powered by a small butane fuel cell that last 12 hours. The pads still have to be replaced every four hours.
Both of these products work extremely well. If you are having a large dinner party outside just put one of the lanterns or ThermaCell's on each table and you are ready to go.
The only drawback is cost. Both require replacement insect repellant pads which last only four hours. With "Off" you need to replace the votive candle when it burns out.
On the ThermaCell you must replace the tiny butane cylinder every twelve hours which is more expensive but more reliable than a candle. The advantage of the ThermaCell is it is very portable which makes it perfect for camping or going to the beach. It ignites with a click and you don't have to mess with a cheesey looking candle.
ThermaCell devices run between ten to twenty dollars depending on the model you choose. One 12 hour use including butane and three pads is going to run you $6.50.
The "Off" Lanterns are all around ten to fifteen dollars retail. A refill that includes votive candles and three pads goes for $5.50.
With both systems you can save quite a bit of money if you buy your supplies in bulk quantities which is available on line from Amazon.
If you were to use each of these units 90 days during the summer season for four hours per day it would cost you appproximately $130-$150 per season depending on the product you use.
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