Thermacell helps keep mosquitoes away the natural way
I remember the good old days when mosquito bites were just an annoyance, but now we have to worry about West Nile and Zika viruses that are spread by mosquitoes.
At our house, there’s a can of mosquito repellent with DEET right outside our back door.
The rule is if you go outside, you spray yourself.
DEET is very good at keeping mosquitoes away, but it does so with an odor and a bit of stickiness.
If you’re out and moving around, spraying yourself is great, but what if you just want to sit on your deck and enjoy the evening? Or eat dinner outside? Spraying down with DEET isn’t exactly appetizing.
For the times when we are just sitting in one place, I like to use my Thermacell Portable Mosquito Repeller, which I reviewed a few years back.
Thermacell does not use chemicals to repel mosquitoes. The active ingredient is allethrin, a synthetic version of a naturally occurring repellent found in chrysanthemum flowers.
Thermacell has a few new products designed to keep mosquitoes away from your patio, pool or campsite. One is familiar, and one is a brand-new design.
Thermacell Patio Shield
The Patio Shield ($24.95, Amazon, REI) is a traditional Thermacell repeller.
The allethrin is soaked on a repellent mat that is heated up by a tiny flame fueled by a butane cartridge. The flame is enclosed, and the Patio Shield’s design keeps the flame well away from your hands.
The flame warms the pad to the point where you might see a bit of smoke rising, which is the allethrin forming its protective bubble. The protection should cover a 15-by-15-foot area, depending on how windy it is outside.
Unfortunately, wind really reduces the effectiveness. The Patio Shield works best when the repellent can stay around you to keep the bugs away.
The device is about the size of a can of soda. A butane cartridge will last about 12 hours, and the pads need to be replaced after four hours. There are slots to store extra pads inside the Patio Shield around the butane cartridge.
The Patio Shield has a built-in igniter to start the flame, and you can make sure the flame is lit through a small sight glass on the side.
Screw in a new cartridge, slide a pad in place and twist the bottom to light the flame.
Then just set it down in the middle of the area you’d like to remain mosquito-free and enjoy. It takes about 15 minutes for the protection to kick in. If there is wind, try to place the Patio Shield where the wind will bring the zone of protection toward you.
Pros: Inexpensive, can run continuously, good coverage.
Cons: Wind reduces effectiveness.
Bottom line: Tried-andtrue technology works well to keep the pests away.
Thermacell Radius Zone
The Radius is the first new product from Thermacell that does not use a butane cartridge to warm a pad.
Instead, Thermacell researchers have figured out a way to lower the temperature to activate the repellent, so they can use a rechargeable lithium-ion battery instead of a tiny flame.
The Radius Zone ($49.99, Amazon, REI) uses the repellent in liquid form instead of a pad. The repellent liquid is sold in drop-in cartridges that allow for 12 to 40 hours of active repelling.
The internal battery can power the Radius for six hours on a charge, and it can be charged from any USB port in about two hours.
Like the Patio Shield, the Radius creates a 15-by-15foot zone of coverage, and it takes about 15 minutes to get warmed up.
Pros: Rechargeable battery, no butane cartridge to change out.
Cons: You have to recharge the battery every six hours.
Bottom line: New technology means the same protection is a bit easier to use.
Which one to buy?
Both of the Thermacell units do a good job at keeping mosquitoes away when the conditions are right — very little wind — which is pretty often in my backyard.
The cost of running each is also similar.
A $21 refill kit with pads and butane for the Patio Shield provides 48 hours of protection. The 40-hour refill for the Radius costs $20. So the Patio Shield is cheaper to run.
You have to decide whether you’d rather change out pads every four hours or recharge a battery every six hours.
The butane-powered models can run all day. You’re down for a few hours to recharge the Radius’ battery.
Either way, the mosquitoes will find someone else to bother.