Annie Burdick is an Amazon Commerce Writer at Dotdash Meredith, covering a range of lifestyle products, from fashion picks to home essentials for sites like People, InStyle, Food & Wine, and others. For the past several years she's worked as a freelance writer and editor, covering a wide range of topics, including—on many occasions—commerce, and developing a passion for lifestyle content. In this time she also wrote five nonfiction books on topics like gardening and unconscious bias, for two publishers. Before entering the freelance world, she worked for two years in publishing, as a nonfiction book editor in Minneapolis. When she's not hunting for Amazon deals or writing about them, she's attempting to read through her overflowing bookshelves, running around outside with her dogs, or inventing something in the kitchen.

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With the heart of the summer comes plenty of fun. But what's also inevitable arrives is perhaps our one universal nemesis as humans: the mosquito. Those who live in mosquito-loving areas and spend any time outside know well the pain and itching of an encounter with the pests. They've also probably tried dozens of sprays, zappers, and candles to keep them at bay.

But if you haven't tried Murphy's Naturals Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks, it might just be the thing to finally make those warm nights outside bearable and free from blood-sucking bugs. It's also the perfect time to try them, since they're on sale at Amazon for just $1 apiece.

The sticks are formulated with natural ingredients and utilize a unique blend of mosquito-repelling oils: rosemary, peppermint, lemongrass, citronella, and cedarwood. Together, as the sticks burn, these oils keep mosquitoes out of your space. Each stick burns slowly for about 2.5 hours, giving you plenty of time for a drink on the deck or a backyard dinner. Even if you do need more time, just fire up another one and the effects will carry on.

Buy It! Murphy's Naturals Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks, $11.98 (orig. $14); amazon.com

Fully protecting a 12-foot radius around the burning incense stick, this isn't the solution for keeping your entire backyard mosquito-free, but it is the perfect way to create a nice, pest-free bubble for yourself and your loved ones while you enjoy the warm evenings. And reviewers call them "magic for repelling bugs," so it's safe to say they work.

Using an incense stick is simple: Just light for 10-20 seconds and then blow out the flame. Place the smoking stick in a bowl of sand or rocks so it stays upright, or in a glass or vase where it won't tip over. Let the gentle smoke (totally natural and chemical-free, by the way!) drift around your space and warn mosquitoes away.

Plenty of other solutions smell like harsh chemicals or use toxic ingredients, but this alternative is safe for the environment and for the people using it. It really only deters the one creature you want to stay far away!

Shoppers are loving the natural option, with one reviewer attesting that "mosquitoes hate these" sticks, which is exactly what you want. "They work much better than the other cintronella sticks.They are shorter and thicker but burn longer," they added.

Even skeptics, who remarked that "none of the other non-topical mosquito repellent products have worked," raved about this solution. "I can't believe this works but it does. I've sat outside at dusk with an incense stick burning and zero bites," they wrote.

We never think of fighting mosquitoes as a peaceful task, but now it can be. Though this reviewer isn't the only one who remarked on the experience, they summed it up best: "I could light one, stick it in a flower pot, and be enveloped in a scent that not only reminded me of Japanese temples, but it kept those nasty mosquitoes away from me."

Grab a 12-pack of Murphy's Naturals Mosquito Repellent Incense Sticks while they're still $1 apiece on Amazon.

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