Cedarcide
Cedarcide PCO Choice Cedar Oil Concentrate
Larvicide · FIFRA 25 minimum-risk exempt
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Pros
- Target-specific, safe for fish, pets, birds, bees, and wildlife
- Active ingredient concentration disclosed
Cons
- Source control only, so it lowers the future mosquito population rather than stopping tonight's bites
- Works only where you can reach standing water, and needs replacing about every 30 days
The full review
Cedar oil concentrate from Cedarcide built on cedarwood oil, sold with a claimed mode of action of contact suffocation and desiccation that the maker says melts eggs and larvae. Unlike Bti or methoprene, it carries no EPA registration number and no EPA-reviewed efficacy, because it is a FIFRA 25(b) minimum-risk exempt product that is not required to undergo efficacy testing. It is primarily an adult yard and repellent spray rather than a registered larvicide, and there is no field or extension evidence that it controls mosquito larvae in standing water at labeled rates. Cedar oil is a broad essential-oil biocide, so any surface oil film it leaves on water can also affect non-target aquatic insects. A quart costs enough to treat about an acre of yard, which works out to more per treatment than proven Bti dunks. Read the regulatory status and evidence notes below before choosing it as a larvicide.
Scorecard
Expand any pillar to see exactly why it scored what it did.
Effectiveness45%0No published larval-control figure is on file for this larvicide, over about 43560 sq ft of water per unit. It stops larvae before they become biting adults, thinning the next generation of mosquitoes around a breeding site. Scored on that larval-control efficacy, discounted only because it reaches the standing water you can find and treat and not the mosquitoes breeding elsewhere (lower confidence).
No published larval-control figure is on file for this larvicide, over about 43560 sq ft of water per unit. It stops larvae before they become biting adults, thinning the next generation of mosquitoes around a breeding site. Scored on that larval-control efficacy, discounted only because it reaches the standing water you can find and treat and not the mosquitoes breeding elsewhere (lower confidence).
Evidence & honest claims25%45Cedarwood oil is well-supported by published evidence, weighted by how close its concentration is to the studied effective dose (base 56). Of 4 marketing claims audited: 0 strong, 1 moderate, 3 weak, 0 unsupported (-11).
Cedarwood oil is well-supported by published evidence, weighted by how close its concentration is to the studied effective dose (base 56). Of 4 marketing claims audited: 0 strong, 1 moderate, 3 weak, 0 unsupported (-11).
Safety15%84This is a biological larvicide. Its active (Bti) targets only mosquito, black fly, and fungus gnat larvae and is documented safe for fish, pets, birds, bees, and other wildlife by the EPA, WHO, and CDC. It is designed to be placed directly in standing water, so there is no dermal exposure and negligible non-target hazard. A non-Bti active here carries some aquatic caution.
This is a biological larvicide. Its active (Bti) targets only mosquito, black fly, and fungus gnat larvae and is documented safe for fish, pets, birds, bees, and other wildlife by the EPA, WHO, and CDC. It is designed to be placed directly in standing water, so there is no dermal exposure and negligible non-target hazard. A non-Bti active here carries some aquatic caution.
Transparency15%85This product names its active ingredient (+30); discloses the strength of every active (+35); publishes a concrete coverage figure (+20).
This product names its active ingredient (+30); discloses the strength of every active (+35); publishes a concrete coverage figure (+20).
Every pillar is scored from published rules. Read how we score.
Larval control
This is a larvicide: it kills mosquito larvae in the standing water you treat, stopping them before they become biting adults. It lowers the local population over time but does not stop bites from mosquitoes bred elsewhere.
Mosquitoes
None- Treated water
- ~43560 sq ft of water
No larval-control figure is assigned because this cedar oil larvicide has never been reviewed by the EPA for efficacy, and there is no field or extension evidence that it controls mosquito larvae in real standing water at labeled rates. It is registered as a FIFRA 25(b) minimum-risk product, which means it is exempt from EPA registration and from the efficacy testing required of proven larvicides like Bti or methoprene. Cedarwood oil does show larvicidal activity against mosquitoes in laboratory studies, so the idea is not baseless, but in-vitro results at research concentrations do not establish that this product works in a rain barrel or pond at its labeled dilution. It is primarily marketed and used as an adult yard and repellent spray, not as a validated source-control larvicide, so we do not carry a larval-control number through here.
Ingredient disclosure
This product names its active ingredient (+30); discloses the strength of every active (+35); publishes a concrete coverage figure (+20).
Only active ingredients are disclosed. The full ingredient list (inerts/carriers) is not published, so this may not be the complete formula.
- Cedarwood oilActive
Active larvicide · 84.7%
Claims audit
What the marketing says, versus what the evidence supports.
“Melts eggs and larvae, eliminating the next generation of insects.”
EfficacyWeakIn-vitro cedarwood oil is larvicidal, but there is no field evidence at labeled dilution and it is not EPA-reviewed.
“Directs treating any standing water, and notes rain enhances performance.”
EfficacyWeakImplies larvicidal standing-water use, but the product only carries lawn area-coverage rates, not a validated water-dosing rate.
“EPA Minimum Risk Pesticide, safe for pets and kids.”
SafetyModerateAccurate that it is FIFRA 25(b) exempt, but minimum risk means unreviewed by EPA, not proven safe or effective.
“Kills and repels mosquitoes at all life stages.”
EfficacyWeakAdult-repellent activity of essential oils is short-lived, and all-life-stages larval control in the field is unsubstantiated.
Safe around dogs & cats?
Worst case from this product’s active ingredients. Do not apply this or any human repellent to your pet.
Mainly from Cedarwood oil.
Mainly from Cedarwood oil.
Not veterinary advice. Full guide to repellents around pets →