While you may be fumbling with different creams, lotions or sprays to keep mosquitoes at bay, the simpler solution may be as easy as a small electric fan. William Broad, a writer over at the NY Times, witnessed this method at a recent 4th of July barbecue:

On a low table, they set up a small electric fan, perhaps 12 inches high, that swept back and forth, sending a gentle breeze across the grassy area where people were sitting.

That was it. No citronella candles, no bug zappers, no DEET, nothing expensive or high-tech. Yet amazingly, it worked. As far as I could tell, no mosquitoes flew into the vicinity of the simulated wind; nobody was bitten.

This could be something simple to try the next time you’re having an outdoor gathering and want to prevent unwanted guests from ruining things.

Read more about this over at the NY Times’ A Low-Tech Mosquito Deterrent.