When mosquitoes swarm, these repellents test best

Many North Carolinas are talking about the mosquito invasion that has occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, and according to state health experts the populations typically continue to increase for up to two months after a hurricane.

Posted 9:15 p.m. Oct 8, 2018 — Updated 9:59 p.m. Oct 8, 2018

Monica Laliberte

, WRAL executive producer/consumer reporter

Many North Carolinians are talking about the mosquito invasion that has occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, and according to state health experts, the populations typically continue to increase for up to two months after a hurricane. Consumer Reports says with mosquito- and tick-borne diseases on the rise it's important to use a repellent that works.

At a minimum, buzzing mosquitoes are annoying and ticks are creepy. Both are potentially dangerous.

Some of the diseases they can carry are: West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The risk of a serious illness is what spurred volunteers participate in Consumer Reports test of bug repellent. When conducting the tests, experts made sure the 200 mosquitoes used were disease-free.

Total Home CVS Woodland Scent Insect Repellent and Off Deep Woods Insect Repellent Eight Dry received the highest ratings from the Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports also highly rated the 30 percent Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE) repellent, and the 20 percent picaridin repellent. Research suggests both are safe, although Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE) should not be used on children under three years old.

From their testing, Consumer Reports found that repellents that provide protection from mosquitoes also provide protection form ticks. The top repellents contain DEET levels of 15 to 30 percent.

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If you are concerned about using DEET on your children, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says products containing 30 percent or less are safe when used as directed, even for kids and pregnant women.

However, adults should apply repellent and children should not handle insect repellent themselves. Both children and adults who plan on being in grassy or wooded areas should wear long sleeves, pants tucked into socks and closed-toe shoes. Repellents should be sprayed on clothing.

Many people are concerned about DEET, especially for children and so they prefer to use natural repellents.

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Based on Consumer Reports testing, most natural repellents don't repel very well with the exception of Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE). But Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE) should not be used on children.

Some other ways to help keep mosquitoes away are: