Which Insect Repellents are the Best?

It stands to reason that the "best" insect repellent product is one that protects you from getting bitten by mosquitoes, ticks, or other insects without any (or at least minimal) unpleasant or unnecessary side effects. What might be considered "best" by you may not be so for your neighbor. With that in mind, let's dig into some of the insect repellent specifics. 

The vast majority of consistently effective insect repellent products on the market today contain either DEET, oil of lemon-eucalyptus, or picardin as the repelling agent. While DEET continues to set the standard in mosquito protection, the other products have tested comparatively favorably. Both DEET (up to 30%) and Picardin products have been approved for use on children beginning at 2 months, but Oil of Lemon-Eucalyptus is restricted to use on children over the age of 3 years.  

All-Natural insect repellents have seen an emergence in popularity, along with insect repellent wristbands and ultra-sonic devices. Because these types of products are not not regulated quite the same way as other products, their actual effectiveness need not be (and often has not been) proven or established. A 2018 article by Consumer Reports titled 5 Types of Insect Repellents to Skip sheds some additional light on this important topic. Several independent studies have determined that many of these all-natural insect repellent products have limited comparative effectiveness.

Pest Control Everything provides access to some of the most effective and widely used insect repellent products on the market.