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Citronella candles for the patio

Updated: 22 October 2026

Supper is on a British garden table, the flies or midges have noticed, and someone reaches for citronella candles for the patio. A sheltered, still table is the only setting where the plume might sit near the plates, and even then it does not cover food or replace a skin repellent if you are being bitten. Wind, wasps and a Highland dusk are different problems. Prices are in the [anti-mosquito candle comparison](/hub/pest-control/anti-mosquito-candle). Peter F., editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk, used the amazon.co.uk files, GOV.UK, NHS 111 Wales and London Fire Brigade.co.uk files, GOV.UK, NHS 111 Wales and London Fire Brigade on 20 October 2026. There was no patio burn test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Supper is on a British garden table, the flies or midges have noticed, and someone reaches for citronella candles for the patio.

Our top picks

Price's Price's citronella tealights, 25 pack

Best overall

Price's Price's citronella tealights, 25 pack
8.6/10about £3.01
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Zuvo Zuvo citronella tea lights, 25 pack

Best value

Zuvo Zuvo citronella tea lights, 25 pack
8.1/10about £4.90
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Price's Price's citronella garden candles, pack of 4

Alternative

Price's Price's citronella garden candles, pack of 4
7.4/10about £11.95
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On this page
  1. 1.A still patio, not a breezy lawn
  2. 2.Flies, wasps and midges
  3. 3.How to set the table
  4. 4.Before you trust the smell

A still patio, not a breezy lawn

The vapour is a local plume. On a still evening, behind a wall, it can linger near the flame. On a breezy lawn it leaves with the air, and an open tea light often goes out with it. Glass and a metal tin shield the wick. They do not pin the smell once a breeze crosses the table. A seller blog suggests two small candles for about six feet. That is a shop prompt, not a British Standard. Stop if the wind takes the flame. Zuvo’s 25 aluminium cups are £4.90, with 4 hours on the title and 4.2 from 317 reviews. The seller says to cluster them. Reviews of several together have still reported bites and no smell.

Flies, wasps and midges

Flies at a bin are not mosquitoes, and a wasp on the pudding is not either. NHS 111 Wales tells you to cover food and not to swat wasps. A flame at the far end of the table is not a lid. If a wasp is on the food, cover the dish. Waving a candle at it combines a sting with a burn. Midges, especially at a Highland dusk, are a separate insect from the native mosquitoes GOV.UK describes. Nuisance reports in Britain often involve Culiseta annulata and Culex pipiens, and malaria does not occur here.
Price's Price's citronella tealights, 25 pack

Testsieger

Price's Price's citronella tealights, 25 pack
8.6/10about £3.01
View offer

How to set the table

Set the table for fire first. London Fire Brigade says keep the flame away from parasols, clothing, children and pets, on a heat-resistant surface, and do not leave it. A tea light can melt a plastic tray. Use a metal holder or a jar you have checked. One cup in the centre of a table for six is the usual disappointment. Zuvo says to cluster the cups. Two candles for six feet is a wholesaler prompt, not a zone where insects will not land. Hours count only where the listing states them. Zuvo prints 4 hours, and reviews often report about 2.5 to 3, so four hours is a ceiling.

Before you trust the smell

Cover sweet food and notice whether anyone is being bitten before you trust the smell. If they are, a skin repellent matters more than another jar. If the air is still and nobody is bitten, the candle is light and lemon scent for the meal. Put it out at the table, watch the wick die, and only then carry a cold holder in. Leaving it under the parasol while you fetch pudding is how supper becomes a fire call.

Common questions

Will candles stop mosquitoes at a garden table?
Not as a clear table. On a still patio the plume stays near the flame, and people can still be bitten nearby. The 1996 count of 3% candles left bites in place, and these listings state no oil percentage. If you are being bitten, use a skin repellent. If you are not, the candle is light and scent, and you still stay with the flame.
What if it is windy?
The plume leaves with the breeze, and an open tea light often goes out. Glass or a tin keeps the wick alight better than a bare cup, and still does not hold the vapour over the plates. Zuvo and Price’s tea lights are spares for still air. Price’s jars or TTRWIN tins are what you check in a light breeze. If the flame will not stay, put it out. Extra cups in a gale are extra fires.
Do they work on Scottish midges?
Do not plan on it. Midges are not the mosquitoes on the label. A garden-advice page’s figure of about 7 mph is that page’s account of when Highland midges stop flying, not a test of these candles, and the same breeze takes the plume away. BBC Scotland lists candles only beside nets and covering up, as an informal tip. Six Zuvo lights among midges have still been called scentless, with bites continuing.
Will they keep wasps off the pudding?
No. Wasps come for food, and NHS 111 Wales says to cover it and not to swat them. Price’s glass-jar reviews do not show wasps reliably deterred. Put a lid or a cloth on the dish, and keep the candle away from the cloth so the cover does not become fuel. If someone is stung and the reaction is worsening, that is medical help, not another candle at the far end of the table.
What else should I do before I rely on the smell?
Cover food, move the bin, and see whether anyone is being bitten. Bites mean a named skin repellent, with the candle as optional light. Flies on a warm plate mean a cover, which does more than another jar. Then light it on a heat-proof surface, away from the parasol, and put it out at the table. A half-hour head start is seller advice, not a UK rule.

Related pages

Best citronella candles UK

How to use citronella candles

Citronella candle or insect repellent

Anti-mosquito candle

Citronella candle buying guide: hours, smell and tin

Sources

Public UK and study sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these eight listings. Last checked 22 October 2026.

  1. Lindsay and others, 1996, citronella candles (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Müller and others, 2008, indoor citronella candle (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK bite prevention for travellers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Fit for Travel mosquito bite avoidance (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. NHS malaria (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK native mosquitoes (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. HSE regulated biocides (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. London Fire Brigade candle safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)