Do mosquito coils really work?

The sight and smell of smouldering mosquito coils is a mainstay of summer sensations.

But is all that smoke really keeping away the swarms of mosquitoes and is breathing in the smoke worse than mosquito bites for our health?

The burning of aromatic plant material to keep away swarms of mosquitoes is an integral part of many cultural traditions around the world.

But it wasn't until the early 1900s the distinctively shaped mosquito coil was born, thanks to Japanese entrepreneurs Eiichiro and Yuki Ueyama and their katori senk (mosquito-killing incense).

While traditional coils and sticks were made from a pyrethrum paste, modern mosquito coils now mostly contain either pyrethroid insecticides or plant-derived substances such as citronella.

They're cheap, portable and generally effective at reducing mosquito bites, but do they actually reduce the risks of mosquito-borne disease?

How do they work?

Mosquito coils contain a mix of substances. Along with the products that deter mosquito biting, there are also products that hold the coil together and enable it to smoulder slowly.

Mosquito coils work in one of two ways. Those that contain insecticides will kill (or at least "knock down") mosquitoes while those that contain aromatic substances (such as citronella) will repel mosquitoes or inhibit the likelihood they'll bite.

Mosquito coils and their role in killing or repelling mosquitoes has been well studied. Despite differences between the chemical constituents of products and the ways in which they are tested, they will generally reduce the ability of mosquitoes to bite people.

The following mosquito repellent products are our best selling mosquito coils

Killer Mosquito Stick Incense