Does Citronella Repel Wasps and Bees?

Citronella has a well-established reputation as a mosquito deterrent, and it earns that reputation within a specific range and under specific conditions. Its reputation as a wasp and bee deterrent is considerably less well-supported by the available evidence, and homeowners who rely on citronella candles or torches as their primary defense against yellow jackets at an outdoor gathering are likely to be disappointed. This guide separates what citronella actually does from what is frequently claimed about it, and explains where it fits appropriately in an outdoor insect management strategy.

What Citronella Is and How It Works

Citronella oil is an essential oil extracted from two species of lemongrass, primarily Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus. Its repellent activity is driven by several volatile compounds, principally citronellal, citronellol, and geraniol, that interfere with insect olfactory receptors used to locate hosts. The repellent mechanism is olfactory masking and receptor interference rather than toxicity: citronella does not kill insects, it makes it harder for them to detect the chemical cues they use to find food or hosts.

When burned in a candle or torch, citronella oil volatilizes and creates a localized zone of repellent vapor. The effective radius for this repellent effect is small, typically one to three feet under calm conditions, and wind disperses the vapor rapidly. In any outdoor setting with a light breeze, the effective zone shrinks to essentially nothing beyond the immediate vicinity of the flame.

What the Evidence Says About Citronella and Mosquitoes

Citronella has documented repellent activity against several mosquito species in laboratory and close-range field settings, and it is EPA registered as a mosquito repellent for this reason. However, field studies consistently show that citronella candles provide meaningful mosquito reduction only within about one to two feet of the flame, and that the reduction is substantially less effective than DEET or picaridin applied to skin. A citronella candle on a table reduces mosquito biting rates for people sitting immediately adjacent to it, but not for people at the same table if there is any airflow.

What the Evidence Says About Citronella and Wasps

The evidence for citronella as a wasp repellent is considerably weaker than for mosquitoes. Wasps locate food through visual cues and the volatile chemical signatures of food sources rather than primarily through the host-seeking olfactory pathways that make mosquitoes susceptible to citronella. Published research on citronella and wasp behavior does not establish a reliable repellent effect at the concentrations produced by citronella candles and torches in outdoor conditions.

Some homeowners report empirical reductions in wasp activity near lit citronella candles during outdoor meals, but this is difficult to separate from the effect of smoke itself (wasps generally avoid smoke, which is why beekeepers use smokers), the temperature effect near a flame, and the simple fact that wasps are foraging insects that come and go from food sources regardless of ambient chemical environment.

What the Evidence Says About Citronella and Bees

Citronella applied directly to beehive entrances is used by some beekeepers as a colony deterrent and is documented to be somewhat aversive to honeybees in close-range application. The geraniol component of citronella oil in particular is known to be repellent to honeybees at higher concentrations. However, the concentrations produced by a citronella candle or torch in an open outdoor setting are far below what produces behavioral changes in bees, and there is no practical evidence that outdoor citronella burning meaningfully reduces bee visitation to a garden or patio area.

Given that bees are beneficial pollinators and that most homeowners asking this question want to reduce wasp activity rather than bee activity, the distinction between citronella’s limited effect on each is largely academic. Neither effect is reliable enough at candle-burning concentrations to serve as a practical control tool.

Where Citronella Fits in an Outdoor Insect Strategy

Citronella is an appropriate tool in a narrow but real role: as a close-range mosquito deterrent in calm outdoor evening settings, particularly in combination with other deterrents. A citronella candle on the table, combined with DEET or picaridin applied to skin, provides meaningful supplemental mosquito reduction for the people immediately adjacent to the candle. As an alternative to personal repellent, it is much less effective. As a wasp or bee deterrent, it is not reliably effective and should not be relied upon for that purpose.

For effective mosquito control in an outdoor living area, a combination of standing water elimination, a BTi larvicide treatment of any water features, and a pyrethrin or permethrin barrier spray applied to surrounding vegetation in the two weeks before outdoor events is significantly more effective than any candle or torch product. That full mosquito yard control protocol is covered in our mosquito control guide.

For managing wasp activity near outdoor dining areas, reducing food and sweet-drink odors that attract foraging wasps, covering food and beverages when not actively eating, and treating nearby nests during the lower-risk early-season window are the effective strategies. Citronella candles and torches are a popular addition to patio fire features for their aesthetic and partial mosquito-deterrent properties, and the full range of fire-safe patio accessories including fuel types and placement guidance is covered in our patio fire features accessories guide.