As you may know, the Thermacell mosquito repeller creates about a 15-foot zone of protection around you. This invisible zone creates a barrier between you and mosquitos. But what if the wind is blowing really hard, or what if it’s even a little breezy? Will the Thermacell still work?
A Thermacell will work in mild wind, albeit less effectively. It will work better in a slight breeze if you place the Thermacell upwind to the area you want to be protected. In a heavy wind, Thermacells do not function well, but neither do mosquitos.
To fully understand this we must discuss how a thermacell works, how wind affects it, the feeding habits of mosquitos, and how wind affects them.
How Does a Thermacell Work?
Thermacell portable mosquito repellers work by heating a repellent soaked mat. The resulting odor-free repellent is dispersed into an approximately a 15×15 zone of protection from mosquitos. It’s a simple, yet ingenious system and very effective IF the wind isn’t blowing too hard.
How Does Wind Affect a Thermacell?
Obviously, with the movement of air (wind), your zone of protection will also move. In a heavy wind, your zone will be significantly reduced in size, but it will still be there.
With no wind and the continuous flow of heated mosquito repellent, your Thermacell will create a stable dome of very efficient protection. As the breeze increases, your dome of protection is continuously blown away, so the Thermacell creates a weaker, less predictable patch of protection.
In heavy winds, the Thermacell is unable to create the dome of protection at all. The vapors from the heated unit are simply blown downwind too quickly to be effective.
To verify this, I took my Thermacell out in a variety of wind conditions and recorded the results. I also developed some ways to make the Thermacell more effective in winds, especially light ones.
Make a Thermacell More Effective in the Wind
I live very near the coast in North Carolina. Some of the most pleasant times to sit outside are right at dawn and dusk, just the time when the mosquitos like to come out.
Being at the coast, however, there is usually a nice breeze. When the wind is over about 15 mph, I hardly ever have any problems with mosquitos because they just can’t fight a wind blowing that hard.
With a milder breeze, they are out in force at those times. That is when I took my Thermacell out to a grassy patch next to the river. When I sit directly next to the Thermacell (even up-wind) the mosquitos are kept at bay.
When I move about 4 feet in a 5-8 mph breeze, The mosquitos find me. So, what I do is place the Thermacell about 4 feet upwind from where I plan to sit, and, once again, I am protected from their bites.
I have definitely found that, in windy conditions, multiple Thermacells work much better than only using one. On windless days, one is more than enough to protect me as I sit and watch the sunset.
People Also Asked…
1. Are Thermacells Safe?
According to the Thermacell Site, These mosquito deterrents have been approved for use by the EPA. The company does warn you not to directly breathe the fumes that are emitted from the device.
You are also warned not to have open food containers, or uncovered food too close to the device, but they do not say what “too close” is. It is also pointed out that the active ingredient in the deterrent is allethrin, and allethrin is very toxic to bees, fish, and cats. I have a cat, so I make sure he is inside when I am using my Thermacell in the evening.
2. Do Thermacells Work on Gnats? Ticks? Flies?
Being from the coast and living near the Intercoastal waterway, I was particularly interested in whether my Thermacell would work against gnats and “no-see-ums.”
I am happy to report that it does a great job against gnats. In the evenings, just before sunset, I would have to spray myself with tons of deet, and even then the gnats would hover around me. With the Thermacell I turn it on and in a few minutes (even in light wind) I am practically gnat-free. (Mosquito and black fly-free too.)
The Thermacell Portable Mosquito Deterrent is not meant to repel ticks. For that, you would need a Thermacell Tick Control Tube.
These are meant to protect your yard against ticks, as opposed to being a portable repellent.
3. Do You Need More Than One Thermacell?
For most sedentary activities, one portable Thermacell will be sufficient to protect you against biting insects. However, if you need to protect a larger area, it may become necessary to add extra Thermacells.
I have used multiple Thermacells when I go camping with my family and I want to provide protection to a large area that includes the fire area, the dining area with the picnic tables, and the three tents. For this, I use 3, placed in a triangle with the center as an overlap of all three.
4. Do Thermacells Repel Bees?
I could not find an acceptable answer to this on the Thermacell website, so I did a little experiment. I took my Thermacell to a spot by a boat ramp that has a trash can that is always overflowing. There is always an assortment of insects flying around these trashcans, but especially Yellow Jackets looking for the last drops of soda in the discarded cans.
I fired up my Thermacell and placed it on a chair directly beside one trashcan that had many Yellow Jackets buzzing in and out. After about 20 minutes, there was no change in activity that I could determine. The Yellow Jackets would still fly in and out of the space and some would even stop on the top and side of the trashcan.
When I set my Thermacell out on a buggy evening, it only takes a few minutes to clear out most mosquitos and gnats, so from my anecdotal evidence, I would have to say that the Thermacell is not an effective repellent to bees.
Final Thoughts
The Thermacell is a great alternative to smearing deet onto yourself to protect you from mosquitos and some other biting insects. Even in a light breeze, the Thermacell can be effective if you place the device upwind from yourself.
Thanks for reading Y’all.
Now, go get something snazzy or cool like this Thermacell portable repellent.