Mangalore: Candles come in all shapes and sizes, adding fragrance and enhancing the ambience of your home. But now they could even help to keep it free of mosquitoes. Doctors of the district AYUSH wing have come up with candles that act as mosquito repellents in addition to providing homes with light when they are plunged into darkness,said sources.

Trials are now being conducted with the two-in-one candles conceptualised by district AYUSH officer (DAO),Dr Sadashivananda.“With the number of dengue and malaria cases on the rise, we came up with the idea of using a mosquito repellent candle to deal with the problem,” he explains.

To begin with a few candles were made on an experimental basis using a mixture of herbal drugs and wax that had a life of about an hour. They were distributed among 10  homes and the  result was  positive.