# How to Keep Mosquitoes Away From Your Patio

> Dump standing water weekly, use an EPA-registered repellent on exposed skin, run a fan. What the CDC, EPA and field studies say about candles and sprays.

Source: https://longsleeve.com/blog/how-to-keep-mosquitoes-away-from-patio-dinner

By [Andrew Rothaus](https://longsleeve.com/about), Founder · August 31, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026

**Short answer:** Start with water: the CDC says to empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out anything that holds water once a week. The CDC also says to use an EPA-registered insect repellent, and University of Maryland Extension says to use fans when sitting outside on a porch, deck, or patio. Citronella candles and butane-powered repellers, the extension says, do not protect areas their smoke or vapor does not reach.

## What do the CDC and EPA say to do first?

Get rid of standing water. The [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/mosquito-control-at-home.html)'s advice for controlling mosquitoes outside your home is to remove standing water where they lay eggs: once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water, like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. It also says to tightly cover water storage containers such as buckets, cisterns and rain barrels. EPA's list adds fountains, wading pools and potted plant trays, emptied and changed at least once a week, and EPA names removing mosquito habitats first among its four tactics for mosquito control.

Small amounts of water count, and the cycle is fast. [University of Maryland Extension](https://extension.umd.edu/resource/controlling-mosquitoes) says mosquitoes can breed in as little as one teaspoon of water, and that it can take as little as four days for them to go from eggs to adults. The mosquitoes may also be local: the CDC says Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus do not fly long distances, and will only fly a few blocks in their lifetime.

Water work has a limit. [EPA](https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol/success-mosquito-control-integrated-approach) says egg and larva interventions are generally the most effective, least costly way to control mosquitoes, but are unlikely to be 100% effective. University of Maryland Extension pairs two steps: wearing repellents and eliminating standing water are, it says, two of the most effective things you can do to protect yourself from mosquito bites. The full weekly routine is in our [standing water checklist](https://longsleeve.com/blog/standing-water-mosquito-control).

Two details for the porch itself. The CDC says to install or repair and use window and door screens, and not to leave doors propped open. [EPA](https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/tips-prevent-mosquito-bites) suggests replacing outdoor lights with yellow "bug" lights, which tend to attract fewer mosquitoes than ordinary lights, and adds that the yellow lights are not repellents.

## What should guests put on their skin, and what should they wear?

An EPA-registered repellent on exposed skin. The CDC says to use EPA-registered insect repellents, and lists these active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, and 2-undecanone. It says to look for an EPA registration number on the product label, which means the company provided EPA with technical information on the effectiveness of the product. [EPA](https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-repellent-right-you)'s advice is to use a product with a protection time that fits your activity, and you can compare registered products' label times in [The Repellent Index](https://longsleeve.com/repellent-index).

The [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/prevention/index.html)'s rules for using it are short: always follow the product label instructions, reapply repellent as directed, do not apply repellent on the skin under clothing, and if you are using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second. It also says not to use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD on children under 3 years old. Conditions matter too: the CDC Yellow Book says duration of protection is markedly affected by ambient temperature, level of activity, amount of perspiration, exposure to water and being rubbed off.

Clothing does the rest. The CDC recommends loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants, and clothing and gear treated with permethrin, with one firm rule: do not use permethrin products directly on skin. EPA adds socks, and tucking pants into socks to cover gaps in your clothing where mosquitoes can get to your skin. Our guide to [permethrin-treated clothing](https://longsleeve.com/blog/permethrin-clothing) covers how long a treatment lasts.

## Do fans keep mosquitoes away?

One field study points that way. In a Central Michigan wetland, Hoffmann and Miller reported in 2003 that electric fan-generated wind strongly reduced mosquito catches in carbon dioxide baited traps, over wind speeds from 0 to 3.7 meters per second, or 0 to 8.3 miles per hour. That study counted mosquitoes caught in traps, not bites on people.

How it works is the interesting part. The authors concluded that applied wind diminishes mosquito catches primarily by diluting attractants rather than by exceeding mosquito flight capability. [NPIC](https://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/repellents.html) says mosquitoes are attracted to skin odors and the carbon dioxide we exhale, and the American Mosquito Control Association says carbon dioxide draws mosquitoes from up to 35 meters. Our post on [why mosquitoes bite some people more](https://longsleeve.com/blog/why-mosquitoes-bite-some-people) covers those attractants. The authors recommended that fan-generated wind be pursued as a practical means of protecting humans or pets from mosquitoes in the backyard setting.

One number needs its context. In a 2002 test, the same researchers used an electric fan to draw air through a DEET-impregnated screen and project it toward a person, which reduced mosquito landing by 75% relative to no applied wind or DEET. That result is a fan combined with DEET, not a fan alone. For the patio itself, University of Maryland Extension says to use fans to keep the air circulating when sitting outside on a porch, deck, or patio, and the American Mosquito Control Association calls a large fan on your deck a low-tech solution.

## Do citronella candles and mosquito coils work outdoors?

A little, and only close by. University of Maryland Extension says citronella candles, mosquito lamps and butane-powered repellers have limited effectiveness: the repellent is found in their smoke or vapor, so areas where the smoke or vapor does not reach are not protected.

The studies put numbers on that. In a field trial published in 1996, Lindsay and colleagues reported that subjects received on average 6.2 bites per 5 minutes at positions with citronella candles, 8.2 with plain candles and 10.8 with no candles, and described the overall reduction in bites from the citronella candles as only 42.3%. The [American Mosquito Control Association](https://www.mosquito.org/faqs/) says citronella candles have a mild repellent effect, but do not offer significantly more protection than other candles producing smoke. A 2008 study by Muller and colleagues found citronella candles reduced the number of female mosquitoes caught in traps by 35.4% at a distance of 1 meter, and that the repellency dropped significantly at 2 and 3 meters. In a 2017 study by Rodriguez and colleagues, of the five wearable devices tested, only the one that releases metofluthrin significantly reduced the numbers of attracted mosquitoes, and the citronella candle had no effect.

Coils belong to a different category. The [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/environmental-hazards-risks/mosquitoes-ticks-and-other-arthropods.html) Yellow Book says spatial repellents, including mosquito coils, contain active ingredients such as metofluthrin and allethrin, and that coils and spatial repellents repel mosquitoes from more circumscribed areas. It also says that many of these products have not yet been adequately evaluated in peer-reviewed studies for efficacy in preventing vector-borne diseases. The American Mosquito Control Association says mosquito coils and heated repellent devices can provide some protection, but are most effective in situations of little wind. Fans work by moving air, and the association says these devices work best in little wind.

The Yellow Book gives two instructions for spatial repellents: supplement them with an EPA-registered repellent on skin or clothing, and avoid direct inhalation of spray or smoke. Our guide to [mosquito repellent candles](https://longsleeve.com/blog/mosquito-repellent-candles) goes through what is in them and how to read the label.

## Should you spray the yard before a party?

The sources differ. The CDC says you can use an outdoor adulticide to kill adult mosquitoes in areas where they rest, such as under patio furniture, and to always follow label instructions. [Penn State Extension](https://extension.psu.edu/got-mosquitoes-eliminate-mosquitoes-with-ipm) says residential spraying or fogging outdoors is the least effective method for killing mosquitoes and is not recommended.

If you do spray, the CDC is specific about where and how. It says mosquitoes rest under plants, in dense brush or tall grasses, on the undersides of leaves on trees and bushes, under the eaves on buildings, under decks and porches, and in moist, shady areas. It lists coils, foggers, yard sprays or aerosols, and liquids as the forms adulticides come in. Its label rules: do not apply more product than recommended or reapply more often than the label states, and do not apply to fruits and vegetables in your garden, to plants in bloom, or to plants that bees, butterflies, and other pollinators visit.

For a party, the timing rule is the [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/adulticides.html)'s: keep people and pets out of the area you treat until the product has dried, usually about an hour. Expect limits as well. University of Maryland Extension says area-wide sprays or foggers are only effective temporarily, lasting 1 to 3 weeks depending on the chemical and the weather conditions, and that they do not protect you from new adult mosquitoes flying in from surrounding areas. Penn State Extension says eliminating or treating standing water around your home is easier and more effective than spraying pesticides for adult mosquitoes. For pesticide questions, the CDC points to the National Pesticide Information Center, at 1-800-858-7378.

## Do bug zappers, ultrasonic devices or mosquito plants help?

The evidence gathered here does not support any of the three. On zappers, the American Mosquito Control Association reports that in the only two controlled studies by independent investigators, at the University of Notre Dame, mosquitoes made up 4.1% and 6.4% of the daily catch over a season, and that neither study found a significant difference in the number of mosquitoes in yards with or without bug zappers. Penn State Extension says to avoid bug zappers, because research has shown that they kill few mosquitoes. More in [do bug zappers work](https://longsleeve.com/blog/bug-zappers).

On ultrasonic devices, the CDC Yellow Book says wearing sound-emitting devices is ineffective. A 2007 Cochrane review of electronic mosquito repellents by Enayati, Hemingway and Garner found that all ten field studies it included showed no difference in the number of mosquitoes caught from the bare body parts of participants with or without one. [EPA](https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/pesticide-devices-guide-consumers) classes ultrasonic repellers and hand-held bug zappers as devices, and says device manufacturers generally do not submit their claims or efficacy and safety data to EPA before selling. Details in [do ultrasonic mosquito repellers work](https://longsleeve.com/blog/ultrasonic-repellers).

On plants, University of Maryland Extension says there are no plants that have been scientifically found to keep mosquitoes away. The citrosa plant has been claimed to repel mosquitoes within a 10 square foot area; in a paper published in 1996, Matsuda and colleagues found no significant difference between citrosa-treated and nontreated subjects, and in a paper published in 1994, Cilek and Schreiber observed no significant differences in the number of mosquitoes landing on people's forearms where plants were present compared with areas without plants.

The CDC says we do not know the effectiveness of non-EPA-registered insect repellents, including some natural repellents, and [EPA](https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/regulation-skin-applied-repellents) says unregistered repellents, made from ingredients such as citronella oil, cedar oil, geranium oil and peppermint oil, have not been evaluated for effectiveness. Oil of citronella and catnip oil do appear on EPA's list of skin-applied repellent ingredients, with a few registered products each. The evidence on the oils is in [do citronella candles work](https://longsleeve.com/blog/citronella-and-plant-repellents).

## About Longsleeve

Longsleeve is an EPA-registered insect repellent lotion with 20% picaridin (EPA Reg. No. 101457-1). It repels mosquitoes and ticks for up to 14 hours, is fragrance free, and goes on exposed skin as the label directs.

## Common questions

**What smells do mosquitoes hate?**

The agency sources gathered here do not list smells that keep mosquitoes away. The CDC says we do not know the effectiveness of non-EPA-registered insect repellents, including some natural repellents, and EPA says unregistered repellents, made from ingredients such as citronella oil, cedar oil, geranium oil and peppermint oil, have not been evaluated for effectiveness. What mosquitoes are attracted to, NPIC says, is skin odors and the carbon dioxide we exhale.

**What can I put on my deck to keep mosquitoes away?**

A fan. University of Maryland Extension says to use fans to keep the air circulating when sitting outside on a porch, deck, or patio, and the American Mosquito Control Association calls a large fan on your deck a low-tech solution. EPA says yellow bug lights tend to attract fewer mosquitoes than ordinary lights but are not repellents, and the extension says citronella candles, mosquito lamps and butane-powered repellers do not protect areas their smoke or vapor does not reach.

**When are mosquitoes worst on a patio?**

It depends on the species. The CDC Yellow Book says mosquitoes bite throughout the day and night, that peak biting for Aedes aegypti is after sunrise and at sunset, and that peak biting for Culex quinquefasciatus, a vector for West Nile encephalitis, is typically after sunset, usually between 10 and 11 p.m. The American Mosquito Control Association suggests scheduling activities to avoid the times mosquitoes are most active, usually dawn and dusk.

**What repellent should I set out for guests?**

One that is EPA-registered, with an active ingredient the CDC lists: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, PMD or 2-undecanone. The CDC says to look for the EPA registration number on the label, and EPA says to use a product with a protection time that fits your activity.

**How long before guests arrive should I spray the yard?**

The CDC says to keep people and pets out of the area you treat until the product has dried, usually about an hour, and to follow label instructions, including not applying more product than recommended. Penn State Extension does not recommend residential spraying or fogging, and says eliminating or treating standing water is easier and more effective.

**What is a mosquito's worst enemy?**

Predators help only a little, on the evidence here. University of Maryland Extension says fish, spiders, beneficial insects, bats, and birds all feed on mosquitoes and provide some natural control. The American Mosquito Control Association reports that mosquitoes have made up less than 1% of the gut contents of wild caught bats, and no more than 0 to 3 percent of the diet of martins.

## Related reading

- [Standing Water and Mosquitoes](https://longsleeve.com/blog/standing-water-mosquito-control). The weekly yard checklist.
- [Mosquito Repellent Candles, Torches and Coils](https://longsleeve.com/blog/mosquito-repellent-candles). What works and what the label says.
- [Do Bug Zappers Work on Mosquitoes?](https://longsleeve.com/blog/bug-zappers) What field studies found.
- [Permethrin-Treated Clothing](https://longsleeve.com/blog/permethrin-clothing). How often to re-treat and how long it lasts.
- [Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People More](https://longsleeve.com/blog/why-mosquitoes-bite-some-people). CO2, odor, heat, and color.

## Sources

1. CDC, Preventing Mosquito Bites. [https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/prevention/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/prevention/index.html)
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Last reviewed 2026-10-02 · every claim on this page is sourced above