Mosquito-repellent products buzzing on demand surge

BEIJING — As night falls, the packaging area of a mosquito-killer appliance factory in the city of Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province, is ablaze with lights.

Workers hustle to skillfully pack electric mosquito swatters labeled in Korean, English and other languages into boxes before loading them onto trucks.

As summer continues with temperatures rising in many parts of the world, overseas demand for mosquito-repellent products has surged, leading Chinese-made electric mosquito swatters, coils, zappers and anti-mosquito bracelets to become top-selling commodities.

Hangxiao, an electric appliance company, is located in Dongyang, which is administered by Jinhua — a city that is home to some 2 million business entities. Hangxiao specializes in mosquito-control products such as mosquito killers and electric mosquito swatters. In the first half of this year, the value of the company's exports increased by over 20 percent year-on-year.

"June and July are peak months for mosquito-repellent exports every year. We anticipate continued order growth over the next two months," said Fan Yanjun, foreign trade manager of the company, which primarily exports to countries and regions in Southeast Asia and South America.

According to statistics from Jinhua Customs, the total export value of mosquito-repellent products from Jinhua exceeded 45 million yuan ($6.26 million) in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 65.1 percent.

Demand for mosquito-repellent products continues to grow globally, driven by multiple factors, including the expansion of tropical climate zones, increasing need for products that prevent dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases, and improved living standards.

Across multiple regions around the world, the El Nino phenomenon has triggered high temperatures and excessive rainfall. In tropical zones like Southeast Asia and Africa, hot and humid conditions have accelerated mosquito reproduction, driving significant growth in imports of Chinese mosquito-killer products in markets such as Cambodia and Mozambique.

The booming outdoor economy in Europe and the United States has also sparked a surge in overseas orders for Chinese-made anti-mosquito products.

A China-Europe freight train loaded with various mosquito-repellent products recently departed from Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, for Germany under the supervision of Zengcheng Customs, a subsidiary of Huangpu Customs in Guangdong.

Since the beginning of this year, a Guangdong-based international freight forwarding company has seen its exported mosquito-control products, including mosquito lamps, electronic repellents, and mosquito nets, gain remarkable popularity in European markets, thanks to their superior product quality and exceptional cost-performance.

"Exports to Germany alone have exceeded 4.8 million yuan, with substantial additional orders scheduled for shipment," said Li Pan, deputy manager of Customs affairs of the company.

In response to the surge in summer mosquito-repellent product exports, Zengcheng Customs has continuously optimized operational procedures, reducing overall Customs clearance time for freight trains by one to two days to ensure timely delivery to overseas markets.

Data show that the export value of mosquito-control products such as mosquito nets and electric mosquito swatters supervised by Zengcheng Customs nearly doubled year-on-year in the first half of the year.

According to a market development report on China's mosquito-repellent industry from 2025 to 2030, the industry's market scale is projected to grow from 7.86 billion yuan this year to 12.43 billion yuan by 2030.

With continuous advancements and innovations in technology, consumers are paying greater attention to product safety, efficacy and living environment, leading to increased demand for high-quality and high-value-added mosquito-control products, Fan said.

New anti-mosquito products such as smart devices and plant-based solutions continue to emerge, creating fresh growth opportunities for the market, the manager added.

"Over the years, the mosquito-control industry has undergone a green revolution, with biodegradable materials and physical elimination methods gaining strong market acceptance. Our company is also developing and launching chemical-free mosquito traps and zappers," said Yuan Senming, general manager of Hangxiao.

Benefiting from the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, and supported by trade facilitation measures in Customs clearance, the company has successfully expanded its range of mosquito-control products to emerging markets across Africa and the Middle East, Yuan said.

"Securing a firm foothold in international competition hinges on sustained investment in innovation and technological accumulation," said Zhu Dengyun, head of Huangshan Lishen Daily Necessities Co Ltd.

Based in Huangshan in East China's Anhui province, the company focuses on products such as electrically heated mosquito-repellent liquids and insecticidal aerosol sprays. In recent years, it has invested over 20 million yuan in intelligent workshop upgrades and allocated more than 100 million yuan to launch a project of biological pest control products, significantly enhancing both production capacity and market competitiveness.

"Our company's patented flagship product, the auto-activated electrothermal mosquito repellent, has gained significant popularity in overseas markets by successfully integrating high-efficiency mosquito control with eco-friendly properties," Zhu said.

In 2024, the company's export value exceeded 50 million yuan, and in the first half of 2025 alone, it reached 30 million yuan.

Xinhua