BuzzSkito Mosquito & Tick Control Specialists · Published July 12, 2026
Jump to the net you actually need — live Canadian price checks:
The one spec that matters: mesh fineness
Every mosquito net is a physical filter, and the only thing standing between you and a bite is the size of the holes. The global standard for bed nets is a mesh of at least 156 holes per square inch (openings around 1.2 mm or smaller). That stops mosquitoes reliably. If your problem is no-see-ums (biting midges) or black flies — the scourge of Canadian cottage country in May and June — you need a much finer “no-see-um” or marine-grade mesh, roughly 500+ holes per square inch. A coarse net that looks fine against a mosquito will let a cloud of no-see-ums straight through, which is why cheap dollar-store nets so often disappoint north of the GTA.
The second thing to check is material. Polyester nets are the most durable and hold their shape; polyethylene nets are softer, lighter, and pack down small for travel. Both work — the mesh count matters far more than the fibre.
Bed canopy vs pop-up bed net
For a permanent bedroom, a rectangular four-corner canopy net is the best sleep experience: it hangs from four points (or a ceiling hook plus a frame) and gives you vertical walls, so the mesh stays well off your face and body. Avoid the pretty single-point cone canopies for anything bigger than a single bed — a cone tapers inward and leaves the corners of a queen or king exposed, and wherever your shoulder or knee touches the mesh, a mosquito can bite through it. A good rectangular canopy runs $30–$70 in Canada. If the mosquitoes are getting in through a door rather than reaching the bed from indoors, the cheaper fix is upstream — a magnetic screen door stops them entering in the first place.
If you rent, travel, or sleep at a cottage where you cannot drill a ceiling hook, buy a free-standing pop-up bed net instead. It has its own spring frame, sets up in seconds, seals underneath so nothing crawls in, and folds flat into a disc for storage. Expect $35–$80. It is also the friendliest option for a child’s bed — no hardware, no drape to pull down. For a crib, skip both and buy a fitted dome crib net ($20–$45) sized to the crib so there are no loose edges a baby can pull in.
A net is the guaranteed answer for the mosquito that has already found your bedroom, but it is not the only one — a fan aimed across the bed works on the same weak-flier physics for a fraction of the setup, and the insect still got in through a torn screen or hatched from water sitting somewhere in the house. Our walkthrough of how to hunt down a mosquito in a bedroom covers finding it, killing it, and closing the route it used.
Head nets and net hats: the best $12 you can spend
A head net — a fine-mesh hood worn over a wide-brim hat — is the single most cost-effective piece of insect protection in existence. For $8–$20 it keeps mosquitoes, black flies, and no-see-ums off your face and neck completely, which is exactly where bugs are most maddening. Buy one with a built-in brim ring or pair it with a stiff-brim hat so the mesh is held away from your skin; a net that sags onto your cheek lets bugs bite through it. For black-fly season in the Canadian Shield, choose no-see-um mesh and a model that cinches below the shoulders so nothing sneaks up from your collar. Every camper, angler, gardener, and cottage-dweller in Ontario should own one.
Hammock nets and stroller nets
A hammock net has to run the full length of the hammock and seal or zip underneath. Short “cap” nets that only cover your upper body are a waste of money — mosquitoes simply come at your feet and your back where the fabric presses against you. The best designs use a ridge line to suspend the mesh well off your body so nothing can bite through. Budget $30–$90 depending on length and mesh grade.
A stroller net is a small universal mesh cover with an elastic edge that stretches over the whole bassinet or seat. It is the safest way to protect a baby too young for repellent — no chemicals, just a physical barrier. At $10–$25 it is cheap insurance for stroller walks at dawn and dusk. Make sure it fully encloses the opening with no gap at the handle end, and never leave a sleeping infant unattended under any cover.
Patio and deck: pop-up screen rooms
If you want to protect a group — a picnic table, a hot tub, a deck dinner — a net for one person will not cut it. A pop-up screen house or mesh gazebo room ($60–$200 at Canadian Tire, Home Depot Canada, and Costco) gives you a bug-free enclosed space for the evening. It is bulky and takes a few minutes to set up, but for entertaining it beats spraying everyone with repellent. The trade-off is obvious: you are protecting one tent-sized footprint, not the yard. For the full range of patio enclosure options — screen houses, screened gazebos, magnetic doors, and clip-on curtains — see our patio mosquito screens guide.
Where a pop-up room gets packed away after every dinner, a proper screened gazebo stays anchored on the deck for the whole season with zip-around netting walls — the step up worth making if you eat outside most evenings rather than a few times a summer.
Permethrin-treated nets: worth it?
Insecticide-treated nets are the reason bed nets are credited with preventing hundreds of millions of malaria cases worldwide — the permethrin kills mosquitoes that land on the mesh, so even a net with a small hole still protects you. For adults and older kids, treated nets and bug shirts are considered safe (permethrin bonds to the fabric and is not readily absorbed through skin) and are registered for sale in Canada. Two hard rules: permethrin is highly toxic to cats and fish until it dries, so keep cats away from freshly treated gear and never apply it near an aquarium or pond. For a crib or a stroller, most Canadian parents just use an untreated fine-mesh net — the barrier alone is enough. If you are outfitting for hiking or cottage country, our bug-protective clothing guide covers permethrin-treated shirts, pants, and full bug suits available in Canada.
Where a mosquito net stops helping
A net is a barrier around a bounded space, and that is exactly its limit. Here is what a net cannot do:
- It does not clear your yard. The moment you step out from under it, you are unprotected. For same-day, whole-yard usability you need barrier spray on the vegetation.
- It does nothing for ticks. Ticks crawl up from grass and leaf litter onto your legs — they do not fly into a net. Tick protection comes from treated clothing, a yard perimeter treatment, and tucking pants into socks.
- It fails if it is not sealed. An untucked bed net, a stroller net with a gap, or a hammock net with an open zip is an open door.
- Skin against mesh gets bitten. Keep the mesh taut and off your body — a mosquito will happily probe through fabric pressed to your arm.
Net vs repellent vs barrier spray
| Tool | Protects | Cost | Tick coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mosquito net | One bounded space (bed, hammock, head) | $8–$200 | None |
| DEET / icaridin repellent | Your exposed skin, a few hours | $8–$20 | Partial (on skin) |
| Professional barrier spray | Your whole yard, 21–30 days | From $99 / treatment | Yes — full coverage |
They are not competitors — they are a stack. A head net and repellent for the trail, a bed or stroller net for sleeping, and barrier spray to actually reclaim the backyard at home. If you are trying to decide what to put on your skin, our Ontario mosquito repellent guide breaks down DEET vs icaridin vs the natural options. Still weighing netting against a professional treatment for the yard itself? Our netting vs barrier spray comparison runs the full cost-and-coverage math.
Related Reading
- Mosquito Screens for Your Patio (Canada) — Buyer’s Guide
- Mosquito Netting vs Barrier Spray — Which Is Better?
- Bug-Protective Clothing in Canada — Treated Shirts, Pants & Suits
- Best Mosquito Repellent in Ontario 2026 — DEET vs Icaridin
- BuzzSkito Professional Mosquito Control Service
- Book a Free Yard Assessment
- More BuzzSkito mosquito & tick guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best mosquito net for a bed in Canada?+
For a fixed bedroom, a rectangular four-corner canopy net (hung from a ceiling hook) gives the most usable interior space and looks tidiest — expect $30–$70 in Canada. For a room where you cannot drill a hook, or for travel and cottage use, a free-standing pop-up bed net sets up in seconds and folds into a disc — $35–$80. For a crib or toddler bed, buy a fitted dome crib net ($20–$45) rather than draping an adult net. Look for a fine mesh (156 holes per square inch / roughly 1.2 mm openings or smaller) so no-see-ums and small mosquitoes cannot pass. All three are stocked at Amazon.ca, Canadian Tire, Walmart Canada, and outdoor retailers like MEC and Cabela’s.
Do mosquito nets actually work?+
Yes — a mosquito net is one of the few control tools with decades of hard evidence behind it. The World Health Organization credits insecticide-treated bed nets with preventing hundreds of millions of malaria cases, and the physics is simple: if the mesh openings are smaller than a mosquito and the net is intact and tucked in, mosquitoes physically cannot reach you. The catch is that a net only protects the bounded space it encloses (your bed, your hammock, your stroller) — it does nothing for the rest of your yard. Nets fail in practice for three reasons: holes and tears, gaps where the net is not tucked or sealed, and skin resting against the mesh (a mosquito can bite through fabric pressed to your skin). Keep it taut, tucked, and hole-free and it works essentially 100%.
Where can I buy a mosquito net in Canada?+
Bed canopies, pop-up nets, head nets, and stroller nets are all widely stocked in Canada. Amazon.ca has the deepest selection and the fastest shipping across every category. Canadian Tire and Walmart Canada carry head nets, stroller nets, and pop-up screen houses seasonally (May–August). MEC, Cabela’s Canada, and Atmosphere stock the outdoor-grade gear — head nets, permethrin-treated bug shirts, and hammock nets. Home Depot Canada and garden centres carry pop-up gazebo screen rooms in spring. Dollar and discount stores sometimes stock cheap stroller and bed nets, but the mesh is often too coarse for no-see-ums — check the hole count before buying.
What is a mosquito head net and when do you need one?+
A head net (also called a bug net hat or mesh head net) is a fine-mesh hood that fits over a wide-brim hat and cinches at the neck or shoulders, keeping mosquitoes, black flies, and no-see-ums off your face and neck. At $8–$20 it is the cheapest effective insect protection you can buy. You need one for cottage-country evenings, hiking and fishing in the Canadian Shield, camping in black-fly season (May–June is brutal north of the GTA), and any yard work at dusk during peak mosquito weeks. Choose a net with a brim ring or a hat built in so the mesh stays off your face — mosquitoes bite through mesh that rests against skin. Marine-grade or no-see-um mesh (about 500+ holes per square inch) is worth the extra dollar or two for black-fly country.
Are permethrin-treated mosquito nets safe for kids and pets?+
Permethrin-treated nets and bug shirts are considered safe for adults and children when used as directed — permethrin bonds to the fabric and is not readily absorbed through human skin. Health Canada registers permethrin-treated clothing and gear, and treated bed nets are the global standard for malaria prevention including for infants. The one hard rule: permethrin is highly toxic to cats (and to fish) until it fully dries. Keep cats away from any freshly treated net or garment until it is completely dry, and never apply permethrin spray near aquariums or ponds. For a crib or a baby’s stroller, most Canadian parents simply use an untreated fine-mesh net — the physical barrier is enough and avoids the question entirely.
What size mosquito net do I need for a hammock or a bed?+
For a hammock, buy a full-length net that runs the entire length of the hammock and zips or seals underneath — a short "cap" net leaves your feet and the underside exposed, and mosquitoes bite through the fabric wherever your body presses against it. Ridge-line hammock nets that suspend the mesh off your body work best. For a bed, match the net to the mattress: a single/twin bed needs a canopy roughly 200 cm long, a queen needs about 200 x 150 cm of floor coverage, and a king needs a wide four-corner rectangular net rather than a single-point cone (a cone over a big bed leaves the corners exposed). Always buy a net taller than you need so it tucks fully under the mattress with slack to spare.
Mosquito net vs bug spray vs professional barrier spray — which is best?+
They solve different problems and work well together. A mosquito net protects one bounded space perfectly (a bed, hammock, stroller, or your head) but nothing beyond it. Repellent (DEET or icaridin) protects your exposed skin for a few hours wherever you go. Professional barrier spray treats the vegetation across your whole yard so mosquitoes that land on the leaves die for 21–30 days — that is what actually lets you use the entire backyard, not just the net-enclosed spot, and it also handles ticks (nets and sprays on skin do not). For a Canadian household the smart stack is a head net and repellent for travel and cottage trips, a bed or stroller net for sleeping, and barrier spray to reclaim the yard at home.
