Mosquito and tick bites aren’t just annoying–they spread dangerous diseases. In this episode, senior staff writer Doug Mahoney shares proven prevention tips and breaks down the differences between various effective repellents.

He also explains why you should avoid certain “natural” repellents, like essential oils and citronella candles, and why bug zappers are bad for the environment.

Products we recommend:

Best DEET-based repellent: Cutter Backwoods Dry Insect Repellent
Best picaridin-based repellent: Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent
Best insecticide to spray on clothes and shoes: Sawyer Products Permethrin Fabric Treatment
A service to mail in clothing to be treated with permethrin: Insect Shield
Best spacial repellent: Thermacell E90 Rechargeable Mosquito Repellent
A good repellent coil: Pic Mosquito Repelling Coils
Festive spatial repellent lights: Tiki BiteFighter LED String Lights
An old-school way to keep mosquitoes at bay: Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator fan
The best gadget for removing ticks: Tweezerman Point Tweezer
Places to send a tick for testing: Ticknology, TickCheck, TickReport, and Eco Laboratory
Doug loves: this Leatherman multitool and this tea steeper

Additional Reading:

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Find edited transcripts for each episode here: The Wirecutter Show Podcast

Bug Repellents That Work

The Wirecutter Show