ThermaCELL Insect Repellent

For several years I've seen folks carrying around these ThermaCELL insect repellent gizmos and, well, to be honest, I figured they were crazy spending so much money on something that probably doesn't even work.

Well, last Saturday myself, my wife, and my two teens went to a graduation party at a neighbor's house deep in some woods. When we got there at noon we sat a patio tables out on the driveway and the mosquitos were HORRIBLE. I'd forgotten to bring spray and figured we just wouldn't stay long.

The neighbor brought out ThermaCELL lanterns, put one on each table and lit them. Within maybe 5-10 minutes the mosquito were noticably less. Within 15 minutes they weren't even around. Actually I'd see one fly by overhead, but not come close to me. It was absolutely amazing! Two hours later I asked how long the thing was going to last. The husband said they lasted for 4 hours. Well, about 4 pm we decide it was time to head out, and still no mosquitos.

I have to tell you I was stunned, amazed, and flabergasted. Monday morning (yesterday) I ordered two of the portable ThermaCELL gizmos (their company site had a Camper Starter set for a really good price). Wish they had them in a brighter color so they don't get left behind - maybe orange or bright blue - but not as outdoorsy I suppose. They are kind of expensive, but I hate DEET sprays. Recently I've used Cutter Advanced w/o DEET with OK results, but still get bit.

http://www.thermacell.com/mosquito-repellent

Just wanted to share my experience. -- Ken

I have two. They work great.

Very interesting. I read on the ThermaCell site that "repellent is a synthetic copy of a substance found in chrysanthemum flowers". That rang a bell, as IIRC permethrin (which is a synthetic) shares similar chemistry to compounds in chrysanthemums. Turns out that is the case after all.

So it seems like the ThermaCell folks have developed a way to use permethrin for treating a volume of space, instead of only a fabric surface. Glad to see it.

I am very sensitive to airborne chemicals. Any idea what (if anything) these do to people if exposed long term?

I think you would go broke before suffering any long term effects. It's kind of spendy to run these things, when compared to bug spray. But they are super effective and worth it to me.

I had one, but it seems like if there is the slightest breeze it isn't that effective.

I thought about one, but never considered buying one until I recently saw it advertised as part of the membership bonus for the provincial Anglers and Hunters organization. I like their monthly magazines and think they do good work in terms of conservation. That bug zapper might be the deciding vote! Thanks for the recommendation!

Is this a common experience for ThermaCELL owners? I'm considering buying one myself, but if a breeze kills it, it doesn't seem worth the expenses.

If you google "thermacell reviews" the top item is Bass Pro Shop with 111 reviews. All but a few loved it - I suspect for most of those they didn't have it running (hot) based upon my experience. I can see how wind would limit its effectiveness though. My favorite is the one that was happy to find that its not a wild hog-repellent.

BTW, I bought ThermaCELL's Camper's Starter Kit that comes with their standard holster, but I'm not too thrilled with the holster that came with it.

It has a 3/4" strap on it that I thought was more of a shoulder strap, but it turns out that its designed to wrap around tree branch 7-8" wide - as someone who is in a tree stand might do.

My problem with the holster is that the strap kind of hangs around when not in use, which is a pain. I noticed they also have a holster with a plastic clip, which seems better. I think I see a thin line in the picture that might be able to wrap around a tree. It might be a newer replacement version.

They've sold something similar in Europe since at least the 1980's. You place a small tablet of permethrin on a warmer plate that plugs into the wall. Thernacell's portable device is just a much more expensive version of something that costs a couple of dollars. Still a neat device though.

A friend of mine just sent me an email that Listerine keeps mosquitoes away. I have used it for ants, but never thought of mosquitoes.

Sue