Garlic-based bug repellent made on P.E.I.

A new Charlottetown company says it can keep mosquitoes away with a garlic-based repellent.

Lorraine MacAulay, president of Insectrol, personally makes the product.

"The sulphur compound in the garlic is what repels mosquitoes. And once you put that up around your property, it essentially throws up a barrier."

MacAulay said the product, called Comfort Zone, can be sprayed on lawns, decks and fire pits.

Comfort Zone is sold at Canadian Tire stores across the country for about $20 per bottle.

The spray is made of garlic oil, water and other food products and has no artificial chemicals.

"Comfort Zone is DEET-free," said MacAulay.

MacAulay started production in January, after a six-year process to get certified by Health Canada. Right now, the business employs one other person.

Comfort Zone is the first commercial garlic-based mosquito repellent made on P.E.I., but it's not the first time it's been used on the Island.

Some provincial parks have been using a similar product — made in the U.S. — for the last three years.

Duncan Crawford runs a mosquito-control company on P.E.I. and decided not to carry another garlic-based repellent  a few years ago.

He said when his clients tried a garlic spray, they had mixed reactions.

"Either people didn't see the results, it was too costly, or the smell of garlic.… I eat a lot of garlic, it doesn't seem bother me, [but] some people who don't are really sensitive to the smell," said Crawford.

Despite those reservations, MacAulay said her business is expanding and she plans to offer even bigger bottles of her garlic spray next year.