In California the mosquitoes don't wait for dusk anymore. Invasive ankle biters have spread across the Central Valley and Southern California, and they bite in broad daylight, right through summer and well into fall. Mosquitoes smell you. Six essential oils hide that scent. Working in 10 minutes. Lasts up to 48 hours. Pet-friendly. Made in the USA.
How it works
Pour on ground for best results. Our beads mask your human scent so mosquitoes fly by.
Remove lid or pour beads into a dish. Think candles but better!
Pour into mesh bag. Clip it on for on-the-go protection.
From valley rice fields to backyard planters in LA, California gives mosquitoes plenty of places to breed. And a newcomer has moved in that bites in broad daylight. Here's what you're hosting against.
Salt marsh around the Bay, rice fields in the Sacramento Valley, irrigated farms in the desert, and container breeders in backyard planters from Fresno to San Diego. What bites you in Eureka is not what bites you in Palm Springs. Find your region on the map, then meet your mosquito.
From the redwoods to the Salton Sea, each one keeps its own hours and its own kind of water. Knowing which one is in your yard tells you when to pour.
Aedes sierrensis
Daytime, in shady yards and under the trees
Rain-filled holes in oaks and other trees, plus old tires
The main carrier of dog heartworm in California. Common in oak-shaded yards from Redding to Grass Valley.
Anopheles freeborni
Dusk into the night
Flooded rice fields and clear, sunny seepage pools
The species behind California's historic malaria outbreaks. Still thrives in the rice country around Yuba City and Woodland.
Aedes squamiger
Late winter into spring, day or evening
Coastal salt marsh pools filled by winter rain and high tides
A strong flier that travels miles inland from the marshes around San Francisco Bay, into Petaluma and Palo Alto backyards.
Aedes aegypti
All day, at the ankles, indoors and out
Plant saucers, buckets and anything holding a capful of water near the house
Now settled into Fresno, Clovis and Bakersfield backyards, and the main target of the state's invasive mosquito watch.
Aedes albopictus
Daytime, low and fast, often from shady corners of the patio
Potted-plant trays, birdbaths, clogged gutters and lucky bamboo
Took hold in Los Angeles County, starting in the San Gabriel Valley around El Monte.
Culex tarsalis
Dusk and after dark, feeding on birds and people
Irrigated fields, farm ponds, duck clubs and canal edges
The main West Nile carrier in rural California, busy in the farmland around Indio and Coachella.
Debra
I was honestly skeptical at first, but these mosquito beads really surprised me!
They’re easy to use, smell pleasant, and I noticed a significant decrease in mosquito bites while spending time outside.
The Coachella Valley never fully shuts off. Around the Bay, the worst bites come in spring, not summer. Find your region (same colors as the map) and see how much of the year you're actually hosting.
Typical ranges for a normal year. A wet winter or an early heat wave can move the whole calendar. The takeaway: set your space before the color starts, and keep it set through the peak.
Fire-pit nights and long backyard dinners, from San Diego to Sacramento.
No swatting.
Five questions Californians type in when the bites start, with an honest answer to each.
Most years it comes down to water and heat. A wet winter fills marshes, rice fields and backyard containers, and long, hot summers speed up every new generation. On top of that, invasive day-biting mosquitoes keep turning up in new neighborhoods, so a lot of Californians are getting bitten at times of day they never used to.
Most likely invasive Aedes mosquitoes, the ones Californians call ankle biters. Unlike the state's native species, they bite during the day, stay low to the ground and can breed in a bottle cap of water. They glue their eggs to the inside of containers just above the waterline, and those eggs can survive dry for months. So dumping a plant saucer is not enough. Scrub it too. Many local vector control districts ask you to report day-biting mosquitoes when you see them.
California yards hide more water than you'd think. No single trick clears one, but a few habits stacked together do. Here's what actually works.
It depends on where you live. In the Coachella Valley, mosquitoes breed year-round, with peaks in spring and again in fall. Around San Francisco Bay, the salt marsh mosquito makes spring the worst stretch. In Los Angeles, complaints peak in August and September, and the Central Valley builds through midsummer. Translation: set your space early and keep it set.
Look for an essential oil blend that goes on the ground to mask human scent, not on skin or fur. Ours is six essential oils, including geraniol, citronella and peppermint, on a biodegradable corn base. DEET free, FIFRA Section 25(b) exempt, and pet-friendly.
Outside Together
Six essential oils mask the scent mosquitoes follow to find you. Pour a few minutes before everyone heads outside.
Peak performance on days 1 and 2. Then pour a fresh batch the next time you head outside.*
A spray covers one body. Mosquito Beads cover the whole space, so everyone sitting shares in the protection. Nothing on your skin.
*Results vary with weather, wind, and the size of your space.
Mosquitoes find you by smell. Six essential oils mask that scent, so they fly by. The beads kick in within 10 minutes of the pour. Results vary with weather, wind, and the size of your space.
It kicks in within 10 minutes of the pour. One pour lasts up to 48 hours, with peak performance on days 1 and 2.
Yes. Wind carries the scent, so it can drift away from where you sit. Pour on the side the wind is coming from, so the scent drifts over you. Morning dew and light mist do not affect the beads. Only a hard rain wears the scent down, so pour a fresh batch after one.
Yes. Mosquito Beads are pet-friendly and DEET-free. Nothing goes on anyone's skin or fur.
The Signature jar covers up to 1,000 sq ft, about a 20 x 50 deck. The Sidekick covers up to 300 sq ft. One pour covers your space, so everyone sitting there shares in the coverage. Pour heavier on nights when mosquitoes are bad.
Nothing goes on your skin, so no sticky arms and no chemical smell. No flame to tend, nothing to recharge, and no fog drifting onto your food. You pour it and sit down.
Pour the beads on the ground for best results. On a nice patio, pour them into a dish or bowl, set the open jar nearby, or use the clip-on mesh bag. The beads and oils are biodegradable.
You're covered by our 30-Day Happiness Guarantee. We refund one opened jar per order, with no return needed. Unopened jars can be returned within 30 days for a full refund.
Your patio. Coast to desert. Naturally
Shop Mosquito BeadsNothing on your skin. No smoke, no flame, no stickiness. Just a patio mosquitoes drift right past.
 THE UPGRADEMosquito Beads |
Citronella Candle | Bug Spray | |
|---|---|---|---|
| On your skinWhat touches you | Never | No | Yes, sticky! |
| Smoke & flameNothing to light in fire season | None | Open flame | None |
| CoverageProtected area | Up to 1,000 sq ft | A few feet | Just you |
| LastsPer application | Peaks on days 1-2 | Hours | Hours |
| Holds up in coastal fogMarine layer, morning dew | Fog & dew are fine | Wind & rain out | Sweats off |
| Ways to use | 3 ways | 1 way | 1 way |
| Scent | Pleasant & natural | Strong, smoky | Chemical |
| Natural & biodegradable |
Yes | Varies | Rarely |
Efficacy peaks on days 1–2 when poured on the ground. Shake to reactivate and refresh to keep the zone going.
What's in the jar
Fast oils start strong. Slow oils hold on.
1.75%A floral, citrusy scent that releases slowly. It anchors the blend as the lighter oils fade.
0.25%A deep, warm, spicy scent that holds on after the lighter oils fade.
0.25%A quick burst of mint that starts masking your scent within minutes of the pour.
0.25%The classic summer scent. It gets to work early while the slower oils build.
0.25%A bright menthol mint that backs up peppermint for a fuller first wave.
0.25%A fresh, woody herb that rounds out the six oils into one clean, balanced scent.
All on biodegradable beads. FIFRA 25(b) exempt. Made in the USA.
Pour. Don't Spray.The honest comparison
Stay out past dark — skip the bites.
