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Don’t Let the Bedbugs, Mosquitoes, Ticks, or Ants Bite

It’s almost officially summer, which for a lot of people means the beginning of battles with entomological enemies. I’m very allergic to mosquito bites, which was fine here in Los Angeles until last year when the area got invaded by the ankle-biting, striped Aedes aegypti, potential transmitters of all kinds of diseases. I recently had to fend off some ants that had discovered a drip from the cap of a bottle of honey in my cabinet. And Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness, seems to be striking people I know with more frequency; the CDC says that between 2004 and 2016, the number of reported tick-borne illnesses has doubled.

When allergies and diseases are potentially involved, I don’t take risks with untested essential oils. That’s why I love our approach—science-backed recommendations with real-world testing.

Read the full article by Ganda Suthivarakom on Wirecutter's website here.

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December 3, 2023

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Wirecutter

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Wirecutter’s mission is to recommend what really matters. Each year, we independently test and review thousands of products to help you find just what you need. Our goal is to save you time and eliminate the stress of shopping, whether you’re looking for everyday gear or gifts for loved ones.

We strive to be the most trusted product recommendation service around, and we work with total editorial independence. We won’t post a recommendation unless our writers and editors have deemed something the best through rigorous reporting and testing.

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This repellent is easy to apply and effective without staining clothes.

Eating Well
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Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent uses 20 percent picaridin to protect against ticks, mosquitoes, black flies, gnats, and other biting insects. It provides up to 12 hours of protection, so a little bit goes a long way.

Maggie Slepian

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Sawyer’s 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent delivers long-lasting protection against pesky insects like mosquitoes, ticks, flies, and gnats. Formulated with 20% picaridin — an odorless, non-greasy alternative to DEET — you can count on this spray to provide up to 12 hours of protection against mosquitos and eight hours against other bugs.

Clarissa Buch Zilberman