Want to repel mosquitoes? Don’t use citronella candles

Citronella candles are great for setting a mood, but they’re not so great for the very thing they’re advertised to do: repel mosquitoes. That’s one conclusion from a new study that tested 11 types of repellents on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—the vectors of Zika, yellow fever, dengue, and other diseases. To find out which ones worked best, scientists developed a lab test designed to mimic the conditions on someone’s backyard patio. A human sat at one end of a wind tunnel as “bait,” while scientists measured how many mosquitoes moved toward their target, depending on which repellent was used: one of five sprays, five wearable devices, or a citronella candle.