scaredycat
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So you go to the woods and enjoy the camping experience ---but what about the bugs? Will ordinary insect repellents be enough to not make the bugs want to bite? Which one is the best brand?
Insect Repellents
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primitivesite
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I am a big proponent of natural solutions. But, I haven't found one that works very well for mosquitos. I've tried many kinds, both storebought and home made. But nothing works like the dreaded DEET unfortunately. If you have a specific recepie that works for you and other forum members can validate that it worked for them too I would really like to hear about it.
oldmangunner
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I often have to get a brand from a store that does not have a natural alternative. But I agree that OFF is one brand that I always try to stay away from. OFF bug spray is a money trap compared to other brands.
At first I was thinking this was in regards to around the house and I was going to say that I have a cat, but thats useless now. 
For natural brands though I have yet to find anything that works that good, most tend to only work for part of the time and reapplying seems to be the biggest issue. Maybe I am using the wrong brands?
For natural brands though I have yet to find anything that works that good, most tend to only work for part of the time and reapplying seems to be the biggest issue. Maybe I am using the wrong brands?
abrisendine
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I have read on a few sites that rubbing dryer sheets on your skin will act as a repellent, as long as your manliness can stand all of the flowery perfumes. Also, Listerine in a spray bottle seems to be mentioned here and there. Has anyone tried these, and if so, yay or nay?
Refrigerator
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I currently use Natrapel with a low dose of DEET. (Using DEET especially full strength can delaminate Gore Tex and other laminated fabrics) I have tried a few Natural 100 percent repellents and had problems not working as well as DEET. I do know there is a study out now about Citronella. An abstract from a flower, sweet and attracts Bears, especially Black bears..they like the smell of Citronella Flowers.
I am always looking for that natural repellent as I nuke myself with DEET.
I am always looking for that natural repellent as I nuke myself with DEET.
The best repellent I've found is one you make for yourself and drink.
It goes back to when Britain was fighting in India, back in the 1860's... the enlisted men were falling victim to malaria, the officers were not. Someone decided to look into why, for some reason, back in the 1970's, and actually found the answer.
The officers were in the habit of quaffing a gin'n'tonic with a citrus twist, once a day at tea, the enlisted men were not. It was the one big difference that no one gave any thought to: it was the drink that was keeping the officers unbitten.
"Real" tonic water is flavored with quinidine; the malaria drug used to treat the illness is quinine. Both are sourced from the bark of a tree, one is derived from the other. That bite that tonic has is from this ingredient, ergo why it has to be "real" tonic water and not artificially flavored.
I haven't encountered to many of anything that cares for juniper, and that's what gin is made from.
We all know citronella candles and lemon smells are a deterrent to the flying nuisances.
So it was an experiment: I don't like gin'n'tonic, but for the sake of the experiment, I agreed to drink one a day, before dinner, and my partner didn't drink any at all.
He was bug fodder, I was unscathed.
Something in that combination does something to the "scent" and "taste" of our blood, and the mosquitoes and other flying pests do NOT like it.
They do, however, really like folks that eat bananas.
It goes back to when Britain was fighting in India, back in the 1860's... the enlisted men were falling victim to malaria, the officers were not. Someone decided to look into why, for some reason, back in the 1970's, and actually found the answer.
The officers were in the habit of quaffing a gin'n'tonic with a citrus twist, once a day at tea, the enlisted men were not. It was the one big difference that no one gave any thought to: it was the drink that was keeping the officers unbitten.
"Real" tonic water is flavored with quinidine; the malaria drug used to treat the illness is quinine. Both are sourced from the bark of a tree, one is derived from the other. That bite that tonic has is from this ingredient, ergo why it has to be "real" tonic water and not artificially flavored.
I haven't encountered to many of anything that cares for juniper, and that's what gin is made from.
We all know citronella candles and lemon smells are a deterrent to the flying nuisances.
So it was an experiment: I don't like gin'n'tonic, but for the sake of the experiment, I agreed to drink one a day, before dinner, and my partner didn't drink any at all.
He was bug fodder, I was unscathed.
Something in that combination does something to the "scent" and "taste" of our blood, and the mosquitoes and other flying pests do NOT like it.
They do, however, really like folks that eat bananas.
Wait a minute, I eat bananas on a daily basis... are you saying I'm making myself more attractive to the flying biters by doing that?
I've always relied on DEET, and even then I seem to be a 'squito favorite. I eat a banana every day, and never thought that something so simple could be behind why they like me so much.
I've always relied on DEET, and even then I seem to be a 'squito favorite. I eat a banana every day, and never thought that something so simple could be behind why they like me so much.
Refrigerator
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Wear light-colored, protective clothing. Loose-fitting, long-sleeve shirts and pants made of tightly woven fabrics are best. Zippers beat buttons. Tuck in wherever possible and seal with duct tape if necessary. Finally, wear a head net.
Avoid floral-scented soaps, hair sprays, and deodorants. Biters home in on such smells, as well as sweat, body heat, and carbon dioxide. Pace yourself to avoid breathing too hard, and wear venting clothing to keep perspiration to a minimum.
Be choosy about your campsites. "Mosquitoes tend to concentrate in very isolated areas, especially around marshes and in the deep woods where depressions collect melted snow," says Bruce Eldridge, director of the University of California Mosquito Research Project. Blackfly populations, too, are greater in the vicinity of water-especially near pristine, fast-moving streams. Solution? Whenever possible, stay out of the shadows and steer toward windy areas like ridges and mountaintops. And when you pitch your tent, pick your perch carefully. "Try to camp where it's dry," says entomologist Terry Whitworth. "If you're right next to their breeding grounds, it's gonna be bad."
Build a low-impact campfire if regulations allow. The smoke tends to discourage biters.
Talk to the locals before you go. Biter populations are so variable it only makes sense to chat it up with those in the know. Try hunting and fishing stores, guides and outfitters, and chambers of commerce. In areas where blackflies and mosquitoes can be really heinous (northern latitudes in particular for blackflies), the locals watch the hatch patterns very carefully and often know just where to go to avoid the current crop.
Avoid floral-scented soaps, hair sprays, and deodorants. Biters home in on such smells, as well as sweat, body heat, and carbon dioxide. Pace yourself to avoid breathing too hard, and wear venting clothing to keep perspiration to a minimum.
Be choosy about your campsites. "Mosquitoes tend to concentrate in very isolated areas, especially around marshes and in the deep woods where depressions collect melted snow," says Bruce Eldridge, director of the University of California Mosquito Research Project. Blackfly populations, too, are greater in the vicinity of water-especially near pristine, fast-moving streams. Solution? Whenever possible, stay out of the shadows and steer toward windy areas like ridges and mountaintops. And when you pitch your tent, pick your perch carefully. "Try to camp where it's dry," says entomologist Terry Whitworth. "If you're right next to their breeding grounds, it's gonna be bad."
Build a low-impact campfire if regulations allow. The smoke tends to discourage biters.
Talk to the locals before you go. Biter populations are so variable it only makes sense to chat it up with those in the know. Try hunting and fishing stores, guides and outfitters, and chambers of commerce. In areas where blackflies and mosquitoes can be really heinous (northern latitudes in particular for blackflies), the locals watch the hatch patterns very carefully and often know just where to go to avoid the current crop.
Refrigerator
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Catch a breeze: Stick to windy shorelines, rocky points, and ridgetops. In camp, sit facing the wind with your hood up; the mosquitoes will cloud behind your head.
Tone it down: Neutral colors fool mosquitoes, which are attracted to contrasts of light and dark.
Cover up: Wear long pants (tuck hems into socks) and a long-sleeved shirt with a collar. A head net offers effective protection. Put on a billed cap to keep the netting at a comfortable distance from your nose and mouth.
Clean up: Biting bugs are drawn to the ammonia in your sweat, as well as sweet-smelling soaps. Both are good reasons to enjoy a suds-free skinny dip before dinner.
Hide or flee: Mosquitoes are most voracious at dawn and dusk. Chill in your tent, or if you're out, hike at a brisk pace.
Go nuclear: Slather on the deet, which is still the most effective repellent around. Apply directly to exposed skin and clothing, but beware--deet damages some synthetic fabrics. Don't use it on infants younger than 2 months, or on any child in a concentration higher than 30 percent.
Tone it down: Neutral colors fool mosquitoes, which are attracted to contrasts of light and dark.
Cover up: Wear long pants (tuck hems into socks) and a long-sleeved shirt with a collar. A head net offers effective protection. Put on a billed cap to keep the netting at a comfortable distance from your nose and mouth.
Clean up: Biting bugs are drawn to the ammonia in your sweat, as well as sweet-smelling soaps. Both are good reasons to enjoy a suds-free skinny dip before dinner.
Hide or flee: Mosquitoes are most voracious at dawn and dusk. Chill in your tent, or if you're out, hike at a brisk pace.
Go nuclear: Slather on the deet, which is still the most effective repellent around. Apply directly to exposed skin and clothing, but beware--deet damages some synthetic fabrics. Don't use it on infants younger than 2 months, or on any child in a concentration higher than 30 percent.
Ms. Nibbles
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I like Skin so Soft, but I stumbled on a great remedy by accident. Take a Vitamin B complex tablet every day. Evidently the mosquitos don't like the smell of this vitamin mixture and they will stay away.
Ms. Nibbles, I do believe you've just added to my aresenal. I'm for ANYTHING that works and doesn't have me re-applying horrible-smelling or -feeling stuff onto my skin.
DEET reminds me of formaldehyded piglets, for some reason: that's what my skin looks and feels like when I use it (yes, it does work!).
DEET reminds me of formaldehyded piglets, for some reason: that's what my skin looks and feels like when I use it (yes, it does work!).