Insect Repellents

[JimBarb]

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.

[Erwin]

I never realized their were so many options! I just use OFF deep woods becuase that is what my dad always used, and that was what I was going to suggest.

[Refrigerator]

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.

[Refrigerator]

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.

[Ms. Nibbles]

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.

[Jade]

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!).

[JimBarb]

I don't care for booze no matter the reason or form it takes. I will try the Vitamin B trick, though, and see how that works for me. It's too cold for mosquitoes now, so I'll have to wait til next Spring to give it a kick.