Mosquito killer sprays are the most lethal, low-cost weapon you can buy. To fight mosquitoes, we must clarify. They work fast, are effective, and make it possible for you to enjoy the outdoors uninterrupted.
The best mosquito killing spray will keep your indoors and outdoors mosquito free without causing harm to your health and that of your kids and pets or damaging your plants because it is gentle. These quality mosquito sprays use tested and approved active ingredients with high efficacy rate to give unmatched results. Read on to find out how you can use mosquito killer sprays to keep your environment free of mosquitoes.
More features: protects from more than 30 pests, for inside and outside
For a mosquito killer spray you can use both inside and outside the house, consider Syngenta A12690A Demand CS. The active ingredient in the spray is Lambda-cyhalothrin, a potent compound that works in as little as 15 minutes. It is packaged in a concentrated encapsulated form which has a long residual. Syngenta promises a minimum of 90 days of control, with protection potentially lasting up to 200+ days. We’re in month 5 post spray and our space is still mosquito free, which means the 200+ days of control probably hold true. What we liked most about this spray is that it is odorless. It doesn’t have that choking, sharp odor found in some sprays that stays with you for days after you spray the insecticide. It comes in an 8-fluid ounce-bottle and comfortably covers 0.3-0.5 acres of spray area. If you have other pesky pests in your yard or house in addition to mosquitoes, you can use Demand CS to control them as well, as it acts on more than 30 pests, including ticks, fleas, scorpions, spiders, and more. The spray is effective across different geographic regions.
More features: water base liquid, can be used on animals, 1-year limited warranty
JT Eaton 209-W Kills uses a water-base liquid to kill mosquitoes and comes ready to use, so you won’t need to do any mixing. The spray bottle it comes in is thoughtfully designed with a narrow neck for easy handling during spraying, complete with a complementary head and nozzle. The active ingredient in this mosquito killer liquid is permethrin, formulated in a 0.5 percent concentration. To use, spray on the infested area, and you’ll see the mosquitoes begin to fall off immediately. You can also spray it on clothes, luggage, and any other surface and leave it outside for 24 hours to dry, especially if you’re treating your home against other pests, not just mosquitoes. If you’re spraying it on clothes you’ll wear to a mosquito-infested place, you’ll just wear the clothes after 24 hours without washing them. It offers up to 6 weeks of protection, which means you’ll need to respray regularly. It’s safe for use on pets. Just spray it on your dog, and you can count on it to keep things like ticks away. This spray is available in a one-quart bottle that you can use to spray a 10,000 square foot area—equivalent to 0.2 acres. It comes with a 1-year warranty.
More features: for 235 listed insects
In Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer, you have the best mosquito killer spray for yard use. Ortho Home Defense uses bifenthrin and zeta-cypermethrin as their two active ingredients, two of the most potent and effective mosquito insecticides on the market. Both are pyrethroids that work by attacking the central nervous system of insects and are activated when the mosquito comes into contact with the insecticide or ingests it. It has a residual effect and offers protection for up to 3 months. The spray is designed for outdoor use only, and you can spray it on your outdoor plants—including fruit trees, vegetables, and ornamentals—on the lawn, and around your perimeter fence. It’s formulated as a liquid concentrate, so you must dilute it with water before use. The instructions on how to mix the insecticide are indicated on the label. The only thing you may not be excited about is the fact that you have to find your own hand or backpack sprayer since it doesn’t come in a sprayer. But given the efficacy of the product, many of us don’t mind doing this. Plus, if you’ve used an insecticide spray before, we’re pretty sure you already have a sprayer in the house. Well, if you don’t have one, you can buy one at a home improvement store or convenience store near you. It comes in a 32-fl ounce-bottle with a coverage of 5,300 cubic feet, which should last you a long time.
More features: outdoor use only, not use on plants
Cutter Backyard Bug Control is an outdoor fogger that kills mosquitoes on contact. It has 2 active ingredients—tetramethrin and phenothrin, both of which work instantly to finish mosquitoes and other bugs. You don’t have to wait before using the space where you’ve sprayed it. You only have to be careful not to sit or stand in the path of the fog while you spray the pesticide. The same goes for your pets. You should also avoid spraying it directly onto plants as this could see them drying up or otherwise destroyed. This product comes in an easy to spray bottle; just aim and press down on the nozzle to release the fog. It’s available in a duo pack of 16-fluid ounce-cans, which makes economic sense because you’ll need to respray regularly since the insecticide does not have residual effect and only protects you for a few hours at a time. But be careful to only use it once a day as using it more frequently than this could have a harmful effect on you and any pets you may have. Each 16-fluid ounce-can will treat an area of up to 1,200 cubic feet. Use this to determine how long a can will last you depending on how much space you need to treat.
More features: toxic to fish
Summit Mosquito and Gnat Barrier uses permethrin, a pyrethroid, to kill mosquitoes. It attacks mosquitoes on contact and ingestion, essentially covering all bases, which is what makes it so effective. It is designed for outdoor use, and you can spray it anywhere on your lawn, fence, gardens, and plants. It won’t harm your plants, so you shouldn’t worry about your plants getting destroyed if they come into contact with the insecticide. It’s gentle on pets, too, with the exception of fish, which it has been found to be toxic to. Cats may be a little sensitive to permethrin so be careful with them, especially when spraying large spaces. You’ll need to wait for the treatment to dry before you can use the spaces where you’ve sprayed it. The product comes in a one-quart bottle, with the capacity to treat an area covering 5,000 square feet. The spray is made in a ready-to-use formula, so you won’t need to do any mixing. The bottle is covered in a hose-end cap, so you will need to attach a hose to it to spray the insecticide. It has a residual effect that lasts up to 4 weeks, which is good enough for most people.
More features: outdoor use, hose-sprayer included
The active ingredient in SPECTRUM BRANDS HG-61067 is the highly effective Lambda-cyhalothrin, which has been used to control mosquitoes over the years to great success. It introduces toxicity when the mosquito comes into contact with the insecticide or ingests it. It also has mosquito repellent properties. Combined, the two techniques work to keep your backyard mosquito free. The insecticide is designed for outdoor use and is available in the form of a concentrate that is ready to use, so you do not do any mixing before use. The spray has a residual effect that lasts up to 12 weeks. That’s a whole 3 months before reapplication, which is remarkable. However, you must also take into consideration things like humidity and wet conditions, which can affect how soon you respray the insecticide. It comes in a 32-fluid ounce-bottle, with a coverage of 5,000 square feet of space. The bottle has a sprayer with a hose attachment, where you can attach a hose if you want to spray a large area. With the hose attached, you can easily and quickly spray the lawn, backyard, and other outdoor spaces. It’s safe for use on plants and ornamentals.
With the right mosquito killer spray, you can say goodbye to mosquito irritation for good. In this buying guide, we’ll discuss the properties that define an effective mosquito spray and how to go about choosing the best one for your environment, both indoors and outdoors. We’ll also touch on how mosquito killer spray works and the best time to use the product.
Mosquito killing spray efficacy can be via contact or ingestion. The sprays work by primarily attacking different organs in the insect. Some will attack the central and peripheral nervous system, some attack the circulatory system or the respiratory system, and some attack a combination of two or more internal body systems. For instance, Type I and II pyrethroids attack the nervous system by delaying the closure of the sodium gating. While two compounds may affect the insect in a similar way, their action times may vary due to their unique chemical composition. We see this in the pyrethroid example we’ve just mentioned, where Type II pyrethroids keep the sodium gate open for much longer than Type I pyrethroids and, as a result, are more toxic and lethal than Type I.
Mosquito killer liquid is best used in dry weather, and you can spray it at any time of day or evening. Try and limit your spraying times to non-windy moments to minimize the risk of aerosols drifting in the wind and getting inhaled by people and pets within the vicinity. It’s not advisable to spray mosquito insecticide in wet weather due to the high risk of pesticide runoff.
Spray mosquito killer liquid on the infested surfaces in the dosage and frequency recommended by the manufacturer. Some mosquito killer sprays come ready to use. For this type, you only need to press the sprayer and spray away. Some require you to mix them in the recommended concentration. In this case, measure out the right quantity and mix it as instructed, then pour it in a sprayer and apply to infested areas. If the spray does not come with a sprayer, you need to find one. A hand sprayer is sufficient for treating small areas, but for larger spaces, it’s best to use a backpack sprayer.
Before buying any mosquito killer spray, consider these factors:
This is the primary agent responsible for killing mosquitoes. Some mosquito killing sprays will have only one active ingredient, while others may have two or more active ingredients. The active ingredients determine the spray’s attack mechanism. Some are activated when the mosquito comes into contact with the insecticide, while others act when the mosquito ingests the chemical. For maximum efficacy, a good number of sprays use both tactics. Some of the most common active ingredients in mosquito killer liquid are permethrin, Lambda-cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, zeta-cypermethrin, tetramethrin, and phenothrin.
The coverage area refers to the amount of space the packaged mosquito killer spray can cover. Compare the indicated coverage area with the size of space you want to treat to know whether the spray will be enough for your use. Most mosquito killer liquid covers 5,000-10,000 square feet depending on how small or big the bottle is. Some smaller bottles cover less than 5,000 square feet of space. You may need to buy a couple of extra bottles or cans if a single spray bottle won’t suffice. Or you may want to check whether the spray you’ve chosen comes in a bigger bottle that could better serve you. Alternatively, you may want to consider choosing a different brand which has packed its sprays in large quantities.
Some of the components used to make mosquito spray can be harmful to humans, pets, and plants. They could be gentle on pets, but be harmful to plants. Or they could be gentle on all plants and pets, except cats or fish. Always consider the toxicity level of each spray you plan to buy and its effect on living things. And try as much as possible to choose the product with the least amount of toxicity, because such a product is also likely to carry the lowest risk of harm and damage.
How much product is available in the spray bottle? Does it need mixing or does it come ready to use? If the product requires mixing, then a small volume goes a long way since you end up using a little at a time. If it comes ready to use, it means you’re going to spray it as it is. In this case, choose a higher product volume, bearing in mind also its proportion to the space you want to treat.
Mosquito killing spray is commonly sprayed in the form of a mist, because the spray is formulated in liquid form. Some brands use fog, a good example being Cutter Backyard Bug Control, but majority of these sprays emit mist and aerosols. For both types, you apply the liquid through a sprayer, where the spray comes out through a nozzle. If spraying on a small surface, you can use a hand sprayer to apply the insecticide. If treating a larger space, however, consider a backpack sprayer, which will be faster and more efficient. Some bottles, such as the Summit Mosquito and Gnat Barrier and SPECTRUM BRANDS HG-61067 can be hooked to a garden hose if spraying a large area.
For many mosquito sprays, you must wait until the spray dries before inhabiting the spaces you’ve sprayed. Drying times can vary greatly between sprays, with some taking as long as 24 hours and others as little as one hour. Take note of the drying time so you can plan your spraying times well. Go for a spray with a short drying time if you’re prone to making spontaneous outdoor plans.
It’s hard to know the efficacy of any mosquito killer spray without trying it. But you can rely on other users’ experiences to gauge whether a product is good or not. The reapplication frequency given by the manufacturer, too, will tell you how effective the spray is. An effective spray does not need to be reapplied frequently. It has a lengthy residual period and works so well that you won’t have to deal with mosquitoes between applications.
Mosquito killer sprays are largely affordable, with a quart going for $10-14. Like with most things, some brands will sell theirs at a higher price than others, but with $20, you can expect to get a sizable bottle that you can use for a while. Larger bottles tend to be cheaper than smaller ones, so consider buying these to see some savings, especially if you plan to use the spray regularly.
Because of the delicate nature of pesticides, it’s a good idea to only buy a mosquito-killing spray that has been certified by the EPA and state environmental agencies. In addition, it should have public health certification. Different states have different regulations for pest control, so check with your state and ensure that the spray you’re about to buy meets all the stipulations.
Our top choice is Syngenta A12690A Demand CS, an all-round odorless mosquito spray that you can use both indoors and outdoors. We like that it has a long residual period, and that you can use the 8-ounce bottle to treat up to ½ an acre of space.
Our second best mosquito spray is JT Eaton 209-W Kills, which we like for its quick action and ready-to-use formulation, which means you won’t need to mix it prior to use. We like the easy-to-handle spray bottle it comes in and how easy it is to use. Best of all, we like it because it is safe enough to spray on pets.
Our third best mosquito killing spray is Cutter Backyard Bug Control, which stands out for its fast, effective action. Combined with its affordable price, this makes it an attractive choice when traveling. We also like the easy-to-use bottle and the fog spray it gives.
