Candles That Repel Bugs

Citronella Candles

• Citronella is among the best-known insect repellents. Citronella oil is extracted from citronella grass, which has a mild and unoffensive aroma. Citronella is known to repel mosquitoes and may be effective at repelling some other insects, including bees and wasps.

Scented Candles

• The scents of some chemicals and plants are especially offensive to insects. Mosquitoes, for example, dislike the smell of cedar. Cinnamon is toxic to most soft-bodied insects and they avoid anything that smells like it. Strong-smelling herbs such as thyme, basil and allspice also are natural insect repellents. Rather than trying to gather these items in their naturally occurring state, simply burn scented candles that smell like cinnamon, cedar or herbs. Insects will think the real thing is nearby and avoid the area. Strongly-scented candles are generally the most effective.

Perfume Oils

• Sweet-smelling perfumes attract some insects, especially bees and mosquitoes. However, some candles scented with perfume oil repel bugs. Lavender, geranium and verbena are all effective repellents of many insect species. Perfume oil is typically made from a combination of plant extracts. For best results, use candles scented with organic perfume oil rather than just scented candles. A candle that smells like a geranium to you might smell like something else to an insect, so choose candles made from the actual plant.

Essential Oils

• Essential oils are oils extracted directly from a plant with very few additional chemicals added. This makes them especially effective at repelling insects when used in candles. Try scents such as peppermint, lemongrass, eucalyptus and lavender. Many of these substances are either toxic or offensive to insects in their natural state, so insects avoid anything that smells like them.