Does TikTok's Bubble Hack Really Keep Mosquitos Away?

The beauty, ease, and lighthearted qualities of summer make it a favorite time of year for many of us. Resting in the garden at golden hour, inviting your children's friends over for a pool party, or having dinner and drinks with friends on the patio — summer is magic. But one annoyance is the constant whine of mosquitoes circling your tasty arms as they look for their next meal. Well, now there are bubble-blowing machines making the rounds on TikTok that are being touted as impossibly cute mosquito repellents. But do they really work?

We're willing to consider it because mosquitoes are beyond a mere annoyance. Most people are allergic to their saliva, which is what causes itching and redness. But mosquitoes can be dangerous as well. The worst-case scenario is that they cause malaria or the viruses dengue, Zika, and West Nile. They can unfortunately also affect dogs and horses with viruses and parasites. The bottom line: Let's use everything we've got to reduce the possibility of mosquito bites. And while we're at it, let's repel horse flies and their friends by using a sage bundle to keep other types of bugs away too.

Bubble blower, bubble maker, bubble blowing machine — by any name, it's a party in your backyard that you can enjoy even if you don't have kids. With their iridescent spheres releasing Wizard of Oz-level enchantment, a steady stream of bubbles creates a fun ambiance. Some people swear by a bubble machine's capacity to keep mosquitoes at bay. Well, maybe, but not so fast.

Floyd Shockley, Ph.D., an entomologist at the National Museum of Natural History, shared with 13NewsNow reporter Ariane Datil: "There's no particular reason why bubbles of any kind would have a particular impact on mosquitoes." And apparently, some bubble makers infuse the soap with a flowery scent that sends more of a come-hither message than a warning to stay away. Dr. Shockley does contend though that a machine's fan rather than the bubbles themselves might be a deterrent: "Mosquitoes don't like flying in wind. They're not very good at it. And so that has been shown to sometimes reduce the number of mosquitoes in a particular area."

We've assembled an anti-mosquito toolkit. Now, if you're ambitious and want to use your design skills to add a romantic-looking physical barrier, consider rigging the mosquito netting you'd normally find around a bed in malaria-prone areas. Hang it around your outdoor dining table and chairs.

Some other anti-mosquito tools include, of course, burning candles, especially citronella candles. Or you might want to invest in a Thermacell zapper. It turns out there's a specific plant color that repels mosquitoes from your backyard. And while skin-safe chemical mosquito repellents are always an option, we like reducing chemicals where possible. Have a peppermint party instead: If you grow fresh mint, invite everyone to rub mint leaves on their exposed arms and legs. Or you could slather yourself in either lavender or peppermint essential oil, one or the other. Just make sure you first drop your essential oil into a palm-sized amount of carrier oil, like almond oil or unscented massage oil, before putting it on your skin. And an important recommendation — eliminate any sources of standing water in your garden.