Do Soap Bubbles Really Repel Mosquitoes?
Eleven years ago, we published a brief account of a bizarre trick: Turning on a baby bubble machine is said to repel mosquitoes. And this weekend I saw the same idea go viral on TikTok . But does it really work?
Snopes, by the way, is at an impasse . There is no reason to believe it will work , they conclude, and I partly agree with them. For example, soap bubbles are not listed on any health organization’s mosquito prevention tips. Soap also does not have much power against mosquitoes; Snopes was more specific about this. But I think I see what’s going on here. A key component of any bubble machine is the blower .
If you are not familiar with these gadgets, then this is just an automated version of what you do with a bottle of soapy water and a portable stick. The machine has a small fan that blows air out and spinning bubble sticks that are dipped in soapy water and passed in front of the fan. (It’s like the wacky invention you see in a cartoon , only it works.)
This means that if you sit right in front of the bubble machine, you may be bombarded with bubbles, but you will also be surrounded by a gentle current of air. I doubt this is enough to provide significant protection against mosquito bites, but it gives some credibility. If we’re betting, I expect a bubble machine to work better than a citronella candle, which I expect barely works.
Fans help because mosquitoes are notoriously bad fliers. Not only is it difficult for them to fly against the wind, they also rely on scent to detect their prey (us). This works best when we are surrounded by our personal clouds of carbon dioxide and body odor. Strong winds disperse these clouds, making it harder for mosquitoes to find us and get to them.
I’m not going to sit on my front porch with a bubble machine and watch how many bites I get (especially since the local mosquito population seems to have already begun its seasonal decline), but I suspect it will provide some protection. However, you will have to sit right in the bubble stream to reap the benefits. At this point you are better off running the machine without the bubble solution and just let the fan be the fan.
After all, the airflow from a bubble machine is quite weak compared to the power of a good sized box fan. As we recently pointed out (and with better scientific evidence than bubble machine rumors), a box fan and an EPA-registered mosquito repellent are the only two things that will reliably keep insects out while you enjoy. some beer on the porch on a late summer evening.