Bite me.......not!

counsel-of-record · Jun 26, 2001

Just got back from a survival weekend course which was outstanding. But it also brought up some questions as well.
How does one deal with the biting insects such as mosquitoes and ticks from a survival stand point? Are there any plants or techniques I can use? Remember "deet" is not an option, it must be available from the surrounding environment.Thanks
Bill

Bill Siegle · Jun 26, 2001

I know that Native Americans in the northeast used bear grease but collecting that could be worse than swatting flies

. Maybe a smoking fire would help to clear an area for relief. I wonder if a mudpack layer on exposed skin would do any good.

bigvon · Jun 27, 2001

There must be some plant or substance that the indians used, otherwise they would be driven insane. Maybe the mud is the only solution, like the animals in Africa.
Anyone have ideas?

Lord Cthulhu · Jun 28, 2001

I'll be interested to hear if there is anything that is really effective and actually possible to obtain in that situation. I know I've seen various "all natural" alternatives listed in backpacking magazines but I don't think that many of them can be assured of being readily available when you need to find them. Plus, quite frankly if you are used to DEET you are going to be disappointed with their effectiveness.

If I had to guess I would say that in days gone by native Americans, and pioneers too for that matter if they had any sense, simply attempted to make their camps in locations that cut down on the bug problem or designed their night shelters to filter out as many bugs as possible.

We are spoiled to the strength of our chemicals. Ever seen pictures of people in Africa or other nations apparently not bothered at all by the flies and bugs crawling and buzzing all around them? I imagine you get used to what you have to.

Buzzbait · Jun 28, 2001

I've heard a few insect repellent stories that I've never tried out. I'm told that all of the old timers in the Adirondacks swear by Vicks Vapor Rub for keeping Mosquitos and black flies at bay.

My father in law met a fly fisherman in alaska that would eat tobacco. He swore that eating tobacco kept insects from landing on him.

I'm more likely to try out the Vapor Rub.

matthew rapaport · Jun 29, 2001

Aside from mechanical approaches (like nets or covering yourself with mud), insects find you by smell. As I understand it, repellants like DEET and others don't actually repel the bugs at all, they just change your smell so the bugs don't know you are something they can eat.

For this reason, some people are naturally more repellant than others

. I'm sure Ron, Jeff and others can attest to this. they go into the jungles with lots of people and I know they have noticed that some of them get bitten more than others dispite the chemicals used.

Some people claim large doses of vitamin B changes your smell and makes you less appealing to mosquitos. I used to smoke a pipe (tobacco), and kept a ring of smoke around my head when ever I could. That helped, but smoking anything is so un-PC now days, even outdoors.

[This message has been edited by matthew rapaport (edited 06-28-2001).]

Lord Cthulhu · Jun 29, 2001

We did manage to convince one of my friend's rather dim younger brother that coating himself with kool-aid would ward off bugs during a camping trip. We gave him what was apparently, to him at least, a good explination about the food coloring and the sugars making a masking agent so that bugs couldn't smell him. (Told you he was dim)

Ah, to play with those in the shallow end of the gene pool.

FF · Jun 28, 2001

I have noticed the cleaner I am the more they bite, as in the first day or two into an extended stay in a camp or wilderness hike. As campfire smoke and just plain(clean) dirt accumulates on my face and arms, the incident of bites reduce but are always there, just fewer of them. Once the deet, the dirt and natural wilderness "elements-?" all mix together over time, the bites come and go. So is the answer..don't wash-up out there? Not sure. When I'm " naturally dirty", I do not get bothered as often as when I'm "squeeky clean."

This has worked for me when standing around or hiking through a swamp or bog area : I cut small branches with lots of leaf clusters on them. I put the branches behind my neck (into the collar) such that they cover face and head, some of the leaves touch the skin. I'll do the same for the front by placing then into the shirt opening at the neck. THIS WORKS for keeping bites away from the face , head and neck while hiking in a heavily infested area. It does not work well if you are bending or working hard where the neck moves often. It works well...why? Don't know.

I heard the best product to keep a wampus cat away at night is to put mustard behind your ears. Is this true?