A few weeks ago, I was listening to Jonathon Brandmeier’s show on the radio, and he was talking about the AgraCo Mosquito Patch. I’d never heard of the product, but the caller on the line with Johnny was passionate about how well it works, saying it is a DEET-free patch that actually does what it says it will do — repels mosquitoes without synthetic chemicals.
I was intrigued. Who doesn’t want to be mosquito-free? The mosquitoes have been especially bad here as of late thanks to the rain the Midwest has received this summer. My boys and I also had two weeks of scout day camp to look forward to this month — they as campers, I as an activity leader. Having volunteered at camp for several years now, I also knew that Boy Scout camp is mosquito heaven — lots of trees, wooded areas, and skeeters.
(Isn’t this exactly the kind of place you’d want effective protection from mosquito bites?)
I ordered the mosquito patches from Amazon, and they’re not exactly cheap. Depending on the size of the package that you buy, each patch is a little over a dollar. Each patch is also supposed to last 36 hours. The patches work by saturating your skin with vitamin B1, which makes your body’s scent unattractive to mosquitoes. I’ve heard of campers and outdoorsmen trying to achieve the same effect by taking lots of vitamin B1 prior to spending time in mosquito country, but I hadn’t heard of a vitamin-based mosquito patch prior to the radio segment.
Still, the thought of keeping the kids and myself bite-free for our days in the woods seemed worth taking a chance on. I bought the 20-pack of patches for $22.49. Amazon reviews of the Mosquito Patch are mixed – there are many positive reviews and a smattering of reviewers stating that the patches did not work for them. This week, we slapped the patches on and headed to camp to see what would happen.
The little guy off to camp with his Mosquito Patch…
The instructions on each patch recommend putting the patch on three hours before heading outdoors. We put our patches on (kind of in the hip/back area so they’d be under our clothes and not affect camp suntan lines!) around 7:00am each day. Camp began at 9:00am, but none of us felt like waking up at 6:00am to put the patches on.
I packed cans of Deep Woods Off in my boys’ backpacks just in case the patches didn’t work as they went about their days at camp. I was stationed in an open-air camp shelter manning the craft areas, so I decided to brave the mosquitoes and tough it out to really test these patches. When I saw my boys throughout their days at camp, we gave each other updates and compared mosquito stories.
I was actually quite surprised how well the patches worked for us. The mosquitoes were thick and all around the kids and leaders at camp. Throughout the day, most of the other boys got many mosquito bites on their faces, arms and legs despite using various bug sprays, citronella wristbands and the like. My oldest son got bit on the leg once in the morning, and I also had one mosquito bite on my arm around 10:00am. My youngest son wasn’t bit at all. Two bites over the course of a day seemed pretty good.
The patches say that they are good for 36 hours, so we kept them on overnight and didn’t apply a new patch on the second day of use (we were trying to get our money’s worth out of those patches!) By late afternoon on the second day, I had a few mosquitoes buzzing around me and landing on my clothing. I swatted them away before they could bite. We decided that it was probably best to plan on using one new patch each day for maximum effectiveness. After switching to one patch per day, guess what — no bites for the rest of the week. None.
If you are sensitive to smells, know that the patch may change the way you smell. The vitamin B1 in the patch is being absorbed by your body to the point that the packaging notes that it may change the color of your urine (really.) I didn’t notice any changes in the way my sons smelled while wearing the patches, but I noticed the change in the scent of my own skin. I’m sure that sounds terrible, but it wasn’t that bad. If you’ve ever sniffed a bottle of vitamins, the scent is something like that — it’s “vitaminy.” Oddly, the scent also reminded me of my parents’ old canvas camp tent. It’s not a bad or offensive smell, but I was definitely aware of it while wearing the patches.
We put our patches on around 7:00am, and around 11:00am I could smell the effects of the Mosquito Patch coming through my skin. On the first night of wearing the patch, I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep and I could still smell the vitaminy scent on me — even after a shower. By mid-morning on the second day of use, I could barely smell the scent on my skin any more, which I took as a sign that the patch was wearing off.
(Bear with my “back selfie” photography skills..! I peeled the patch off, and it’s under the fingers of my right hand. Below it and to the left, you can see the area where I’d stuck the patch on my back. The center adhesive area of the patch did not peel off and was left on my skin.)
After wearing the patch for two days, we also noted that the patches weren’t the easiest to remove. One of my sons had no trouble peeling his patch off. My other son and I found that the patch’s adhesive stuck to our skin after we pulled the patches off, and the sticky residue was also tough to wash off. We didn’t have issues with this when taking the patches off at night after a day of use.
Still, I think the effectiveness of the patches were worth enduring the stickiness and scent issues — they actually worked for us. With West Nile cases confirmed in Illinois this season, we plan to use them for camping trips too or any days that we’re outdoors for extended periods of time.
The AgraCo Mosquito Patch is available online. I purchased the patches for our family’s use and chose to write about our experience. This post has not been sponsored by the manufacturer.
Additionally, if you’re headed to the Caribbean on vacation and haven’t read or heard about Chikungunya (also known as CHIKV), it’s a nasty mosquito-borne disease that’s sweeping the Bahamas, Caymans, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and many other Caribbean countries. Jamaica has declared a state of emergency with Chikungunya. While the Caribbean Public Health Agency says it’s “rarely lethal,” there is no cure for the disease, and its painful effects on one’s body and joints can last for years.
I first learned of Chikungunya when two of my former neighbors contracted the disease on a Jamaican vacation last year. They shared their story with the Daily Herald — they’re from Elgin, Illinois — and the whole thing just hit too close to home for me. Our family has vacationed in the Caribbean several times too, and the Chikungunya outbreak has scared us enough that if we travel that way again, we’ll definitely bring these mosquito patches along (as well as traditional repellant sprays for extra measure!) to try to reduce the risk as much as possible.
Perhaps I’m overreacting a bit, but strange diseases without cures terrify me. (I also have an irrational fear of dying of a Naegleria fowleri infection — the”brain-eating” amoeba — but that’s another story…) I also hadn’t heard of Chikungunya at all until my old neighbors came down with it, so since I’m already on the topic of mosquitoes, I figured I’d pass the knowledge along.
hwendt12 says
Hmmmmm…I might have to give these a go! I just wish that I saw them BEFORE the 4th, lol!
Shelby says
My brother-in-law works at a gold course and here is a spray that they use for mosquitos:
15 drops of Lavender oil
3-4 T. Vanilla Extract
1/4 C. Lemon Juice
Put mix in 16 oz. spray bottle and fill up the rest of the way with water and shake. You can buy Lavender oil at a Health food Store. They suggest using a glass bottle because of the oil. They sell a small glass bottle at the Health food store if you can’t find anywhere else.
Al says
U can also use this formula on domestic pets ( use after their bath, work it in to skin n let dry naturally), n on curtains/drapes n carpet/furniture to deter fleas, ticks, bed bugs but make sure u test a small area first for staining…
Coupon Maven says
No kidding. We were eaten ALIVE watching fireworks on the 4th, despite the Deep Woods Off, citronella candles and even wearing long sleeves to combat them.
I should have added above that the kids wore t-shirts and shorts all week to camp – I wore my stylish camp counselor tee and capris. We definitely had enough skin exposed to potentially be bitten. I really was surprised that these patches work because I was skeptical..!
I want to share a couple of these with my dad too and really put them to the test if he’s willing. Whenever our extended family is together, my dad is the first one in the family to get bitten by mosquitoes– the first. I don’t know what it is about him, but he must smell irresistible to mosquitoes! (Research notes that blood type and other factors actually increase some people’s attractiveness to mosquitoes.) If Dad agrees to put the Mosquito Patch to the test, I’ll report back.
cbear34 says
Jill,
I also heard of these patches from Johnny B and have been using them for over 3 years.
They work for me and my kids also. My kids go up to northern WI for the summer and use them and have been mosquito free for the most part. They get so busy on the water they forget to change them. The huge plus is you can swim and they are still effective. They are on a lake in the woods.
I do have the effects of darker colored urine. The smell is exactly what you have said of being vitamin like.
2 years ago my Aunt contracted West Nile and was hospitalized for over a week. She had to go through rehab to get back on her feet. Very nasty virus! She was out of work for more than 3 months. She lives in CO. She has fully recovered. I sent her these patches and she has been using them.
I figure anything that is pretty much natural and can work in water was worth the try.
Jeanette says
I am one of those people that get bit….a lot!! There could be 400 people out and I would be the only one with mosquito bites. I’m going to keep these in mind next time I need bug spray.
hwendt12 says
just a note…if you do have trouble with the adhesive staying on you, rubbing alcohol should take take of the residue for you
Coupon Maven says
Thanks – it wasn’t just the adhesive, it was part of the patch too — some of the gelatinous part that has the vitamin B in it pulled off of the plastic part of the patch. I just used soap, water and a washcloth to get them off (and should have thought of rubbing alcohol – thanks!)
derson125 says
Easiest way to remove adhesive I found, is use Eucalyptus Oil. It INSTANTLY dissolves any adhesive (as well as tar, oil, grease without the oily residue).
Coupon Maven says
Thank you for that tip too — that’s great to know! Do you know if it’s available in stores (GNC, drugstore, etc.) or look online?
Mary says
I used them after hearing about them on JB’s show, last year and they worked great for me. I told my niece about them she bought and tried them but said they didn’t work for her. Go figure….
Coupon Maven says
Mary, that’s why I want to see if my dad will try them. If they work for him, I would be really impressed — mosquitoes just seem to love him. :(
MichelleJ says
I am very interested in these! Mosquitoes leave other people to bite me. I apparently have a scent that makes mosquitoes think, “Smorgasboard!” I have also had allergic reactions to certain types of mosquitoes and have had to take medications after the bites enlarge and become inflamed. I joke about it, but it makes being outdoors miserable and sometimes dangerous. We have also had issues with West Nile in our county. It would be nice to stick a patch like this on my skin and not having to worry about bathing in either Cutter or Deep Woods Off every time I go out the door.
Renee says
Do you know if you can wear these patches in the water and they still be effective? My boys also go to a camp but swim thru out the day.
Thanks.
Coupon Maven says
Yes – they are waterproof, and someone else in the comments below said they wear them while swimming/camping at a lake.
jane says
You can also try Avon’s Skin So Soft bath oil to remove the sticky stuff from your skin. It works for everything it seems!
hwendt12 says
Because I didn’t have time to wait for an Amazon order, I went to our nearest health food store & got ‘”Don’t Bite Me” patches. I was totally thrilled with the results!!! I was at a local water park from 7-9 pm & got TWO BITES!! The other cool thing about the ones I used is that they also have an anti-inflammatory in them, so the two I DID get were gone VERY quickly.
I’m usually very skeptical about these type of things, but I was PLEASANTLY surprised this time! :)
(Btw, the clerk advised me to use 2 patches if a. You weigh over 200# or b. If you’ll be drinking alcohol while using them, fyi)
Coupon Maven says
That’s amazing! It is nice to know we have a couple brand options too for these — glad you found they worked for you.
I too am the biggest skeptic when it comes to this stuff, but I continue to be pleasantly surprised by these.
Dave ohl says
I was curious about these patches so I talked to an entomologist (PHD in bugs) at Iowa State University about them. He said “Vitamin mega-doses do not change your attractiveness to mosquitoes” and they don’t work.
Coupon Maven says
I think you would have to try it – it’s not like taking a vitamin mega-dose internally (which I’ve heard mixed results about.) The patches absolutely do work for us, and they do change the scent of your skin. I can smell the difference on us when we’re using them. We used them all last year while camping and they were amazing.
I guess you’d just have to try them and see. :)
Al says
I’ve never tried these, but this is a different take on the Mosquito Patch. I personally, don’t want to smell like vitamins, and I wouldn’t want to put one on my baby’s skin.
SHANE says
Thanks for the great review. The pictures of Scout Camp brought back great memories for me, and as someone who has the sweet salty blood mosquitoes love, I’ll take any help I can get in cutting down the swarm. It’s nice seeing a non-commercial review of these and how they worked. Out of curiosity have you used them consistently since then or experimented with other types of these “patches?” Would be curious to see if repeat experiences have held up.
Thanks!
Coupon Maven says
Yes, we have! I originally wrote this post two summers ago, and we have continued to use these each year. We use them during any extended duration of time that we’ll be outdoors. They have gone to several scout camps, overnight camps, and long camping trips. They have worked well for everyone in our family, kids and adults. What I really like about them too is that they stay on in the water, so our kids can pretty much stay mosquito-free if they remember to put a new patch on each day.
We have not tried any other brands because this particular brand has worked so well for us. I had originally heard several testimonials on the radio for this brand, and it wasn’t part of an ad — when Jonathon Brandmeier’s show used to be on the radio here in Chicago, there was one show where listeners were calling in with their mosquito-beating methods. This AgraCo patches were mentioned by one caller, and then several callers agreed, so we ordered some. Still using them, still love them :)
Natalie Smoot says
Did it end up working on your dad?
Coupon Maven says
You know, I will have to ask him. He was skeptical when I gave it to him, and I don’t know if he ever tried it..! We have continued to use them each summer, especially while camping, with lots of success.
shan says
Yes I agree these patches are great I also tried another brand they worked well too love them both my kids are mosquito magnets as am I so these are perfect. Now we can stay out at night time for camping or go hiking with peace of mind!
here is where I got mine.
https://amzn.to/2uNj9fn
Carrie says
Thanks for trying them to begin with, for posting about them, and…especially for the follow-up verification. I have been searching and searching for information about research tests, or even just “back yard” trials (or Scount Camp, lol) and I have not really found much, so I appreciate the time you took to share the information about your trial and continued usage.
Roshani Patel says
I tried the AgroCo patch and the citronella bands in Puerto Rico by the water at sunset. The bands did not work for me at all. 14 bites in one night but the patch worked great. Only problem is now I have a really bad itchy rash that has lasted a week since I used the patch. At another site I applied one, the skin under the patch is now darker and stained is the best word I can think of. Anyone else have these problems?
Coupon Maven says
I wonder if you had an allergic reaction to the adhesive :( We’ve never had that problem. Sometimes the adhesive sticks to skin after you peel the patch off, but I usually just use vegetable oil on a paper towel to wipe it off. I’ve never heard of it staining skin as it is a clear patch :( Did you try emailing the company?
TB says
I’ve been using the patches all summer & they work pretty well for me, but last two time I used the patches I had a itchy, red, bumpy rash where the patches had been. I’m going to switch to lemon & eucalyptus spray by Cutter.
Jethmal says
You mentioned that you can make a mosquito repellent using Lavender essential oil, and 3-4 T. VANILLA EXTRCY and 1/2 C. Lemon juice. Can you tell me what this ‘T’ and ‘C’ stand for.
Natalie Smoot says
I would imagine Tablespoon and Cup.
Sharon Shepherd says
That was a really great review. Thank you for being so thorough. We live in AZ and get bit occasionally but because it’s so dry here, mosquitoes aren’t a huge threat. Still, they do come and I think it’ll be worth looking into these little patches. I have one grandson who used to get bit ALOT at his other gma’s house and we learned it was because he ate a lot of bananas. I guess bananas make your skin excrete a chemical that mosquitoes are attracted to. I’m just curious if these patches are as effective if they are worn on your clothing. My husbands skin is paper thin and I would be afraid to put the patch on his skin.
Coupon Maven says
Sharon, they do have to be on the skin. There is nothing in the patch itself that repels mosquitos — it works by transdermally influsing a bunch of vitamins that smell bad to mosquitos INTO your skin. In fact, the patches themselves smell like a vitamin bottle. If you’ve ever opened a bottle of vitamins and taken a whiff, that’s exactly what they smell like — and then, after a day of wearing them, that is also what your skin smells like.
They work because they spread throughout your skin to make your entire skin smell bad to mosquitos.
As far as thin skin, the patch really could go anywhere. My kids have worn them on their lower back, upper thigh, bicep. Maybe find a place where the skin is thicker (foot, perhaps?) It doesn’t really matter where it goes, but it has to be in contact with skin to work.
Chad says
Yes, Bodyguard mosquito patches does work. it is natural ingredients products and is very helpful and effective to use.
Natalie says
Do you and your kids know your blood type? Being type O, mosquito favorite, not sure I want to spend money on these if they’re working for other blood types but not for O. Thanks
Coupon Maven says
I do – I am a type O! Kids are A’s. We have all used these successfully though :)
Adam Conrad says
The patches look very cool! never used these. Alway rely on natural organic sprays. Would these work on dogs? I usually camp with my dogs, and worry about mosquito borne diseases in dogs like heart worm disease :( These patches would be less bulkier to travel with compared to my other mosquito repellent options.
Coupon Maven says
I would not use them on dogs – I have no idea if they would work, but the adhesive is pretty strong and at times rubs off on skin. I think it would be really painful for a dog!
Fanta says
If the patch uses B1 and it changes your skin’s aroma, then wouldn’t sprays counteract what the patch accomplishes?
Coupon Maven says
When we are actively using the patches, we have never used mosquito repellent — that’s the idea. You don’t need it.
Nancy says
Hi, Thanks for your review and followups. Did your dad have any success? I actually tried these many years ago and forgot about them. Since then, I’ve been doing every conceivable non-Deet bug spray, B1 pills, garlic pills, bug suits, mosquito yard treatments, etc, etc. They either smell bad, feel greasy or don’t work. I’m so tired of applying stuff on my body every day. It’s been a miserable summer in TX with all the rain and the mosquitoes are really bad. I get bit even when doused in bug spray. Mosquitos just find me delectable. My husband gets 0 bites, while I get bitten to death when we are standing next to each other. It must be my “scent” that makes me so attractive to them. I remembered these patches made me smell vitaminy, so I looked them up again. They were very hard to find.
I’ve been wearing them for 2 days but am scared to stop using bug spray. I have at least 30 bites on me at this point, and they take forever to heal. It’s funny that it works for some people, but not others. It may very well be the blood type factor. Too bad that no real studies taking into account blood types or variables between people have been done. All the scientists say they don’t work, but there are obviously people that these do work for. Your account of how successful they can be is believable since you were not sponsored by the company. Agraco has the highest percentage of B1 compared to other patches, which is why I think they work so well (for some). Other patches have about 75mg while these are 300mg