Thermacell Patio Shield - Our Summer Miracle!

The mosquito population in Regina this summer is three times higher than usual!  For people who love to entertain in the yard, and cook and eat outside most of the summer, we were a little concerned about how we were going to keep the mosquitoes at bay.  As luck would have it, just as my summer holidays were starting, the people at Thermacell offered to send me a couple of Patio Shields to try out.  I quickly discovered they are the ultimate mosquito repeller.

One of these Patio Shields effectively repels mosquitoes in a 15x15 foot zone.  They were a breeze to put together; there are little pads that slide in at the top, and a small butane cartridge that screws into the bottom.

Then you just turn the bottom of the shield to click it on.  Each pad lasts about four hours, and the butane cartridges about 12 hours.  You don't have to use them all at once, and can turn the Patio Shields off when you're going inside for a while, to prepare your food for the grill for instance, and then turn them back on when you head back outside.

There is no mess, no spray, no open flame, no scent, no noise, and they are DEET-free.  They use the same ingredients that make chrysanthemum flowers deter insects.

We have used them on five separate occasions in our backyard now, and have not been bothered by a single mosquito while they've been on!  We've been able to cook and eat outside well into the evening, and even sat outside close to midnight recently without getting a single bite, and while using no other form of repellent.

 
Needless to say, we are beyond impressed.  We actually just ordered enough refills to last us for the rest of the summer.

We've tried putting the two Patio Shields across from each other on opposite sides of the patio ...

We've put them under the table ...

They've worked perfectly for us no matter where we place them on the deck, as long as we are sitting within the 15x15 foot area. 

Actually, the only time we saw any mosquitoes was when the pad wore out while we were sitting outside.  It takes a couple minutes to let the top cool down so you can switch out the pad, and within those couple minutes the mosquitoes started coming!!  As soon as we got the new pad in, we were smooth sailing for another four hours.

These Thermacell Patio Shields are a summer saver for us, and they will be living on our patio from now on.

Run, don't walk to get yourself one or two; there is still a lot of summer left!

If you are in the United States you can buy your mosquito repeller here.
If you are in Canada, you can buy one here (it's a different style, but same thing).  And the refills from here or here.  Check out the raving reviews people have left on each of those sites as well!

Have the mosquitoes been bad where you are this year?

Are you prone to mosquito bites? 

(They seem to love me, and I react really badly to them too.)

Full disclosure:  The Thermacell Patio Shields were provided to me free of charge.  All opinions are my own.  I just purchased a load of refills, because I am not living without this product this summer.