The Cheap Way To Help Rid Your Garden Of Insects, Courtesy Of Dollar Tree

We love getting the friends and fam over for a big cookout, with a hunk of meat in the smoker and a range of goodies cooking on the grill, even including peaches and watermelon! That's not the only excuse we need to get outside, especially in the warmer months (who else is eagerly checking their sage plants for hummingbirds?), but if insects are stopping you from enjoying everything from the great outdoors to your tiny patio, consider heading to the Dollar Tree. Once there, pick up some citronella incense sticks from Dollar Tree's Garden Collection and add them to your arsenal to help banish those bugs!

These are a total bargain at just $1.50 for a pack of six, and while warehouse shipping is not available at the time of writing, it's worth checking your nearest outlet to see if they're in stock. Each bamboo stick is generously covered in lemony-scented citronella powder, which, when lit, releases a smoke that is pleasant and refreshing for humans, but which bugs — in particular mosquitoes — cannot stand. The incense sticks have racked up an impressive 4.9 out of 5 on the product page, with users saying they were better than sprays or candles at repelling mosquitoes and even reportedly kept bees at arm's length (though many sources recommend also using an insect repellent for the most complete coverage).

Dollar Tree's citronella incense sticks can help to deter bugs wherever you are. It's worth stashing a few packs in the camper van or RV, so you're prepared the next time you hit the road. They're also ideal for slotting into even the most crammed backpack, so flying critters won't ruin a camping trip or day in the wild.

While these won't replace a dedicated insect repellent, they can help, and citronella is anecdotally pretty good at keeping several kinds of bugs out of our business within the immediate range of the lit stick or candle. It works by blocking some of a mosquito's chemical receptors it uses to seek out prey (though, again, not quite as many as an insect repellent). The aromatic citronella grass, and the oils and other products made from it, contain several chemicals — including geraniol, citronellol, and citronellal — which are naturally repellent to several insect species. Top of the list is mosquitoes, as the lemon-scented grass prevents them from getting a whiff of our tasty human scent. Citronella incense smoke also may help repel house flies, midges, and gnats.