Mosquito biting.....what to do in "swarm" places?

Joezilla

Joezilla

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having minor in entomology, I got to thinking:

when I was running around doing herpetology research in the everglades this summer I ran into the horrible mosquito swarms they have there.

The worst I heard was Alaska, where there are approx 100 mosquito bites a second, at that rate, in over 2 hours, you lose half your blood, and thus die. I can't remember the exact numbers as to hours and such, but it was a scientific estimate, not an urban legend.

I read in Tom Brown Jr.'s "way of the scout" that he said a natural diet of the wilderness will make it so they don't bite. I haven't heard of that anywhere else yet.

So: Does anyone know of natural methods to counteract these biting flies? Or can they confirm what Tom Brown said?
 
I live in FL now, and yes.. the skeeters suck! (No pun intended) I have a no-see-um mesh hat that coverd from the neck up, and personally, that's the best thing I've found. 4 reside in my BoB because frankly, they're good trade Items if SHTF.

While I've never heard of a anti-skeeter diet, I'd be interested to see what others have to say in that area..

btw, your herp research you were doing down here... have anything to do with the explosive populations of Exotics? I caught a 12' Berm in the glades 2 months ago.
 
100% Deet works very well

or yo can try;

Old Nessmuk's "Fly Medicine"

"Infallible “Fly Medicine” recipe published in Forest and Stream in the summer of 1880 and again in ’83. Three ounces pine tar, two ounces castor oil, one-ounce pennyroyal oil. Simmer all together over a slow fire, and bottle for use. You will hardly need more than two-ounce vial full in a season. Rub it in thoroughly and liberally at first, and after you have established a good glaze, a little replenishing from day to day will be sufficient."
 
Naturally, I use mud, lots of mud and stay close to the fire. Otherwise it is Deet, Permethrine, and lots of Vitamin B. If it gets real bad I have a head net, but I find it annoying to wear. I hate mosquitoes. :mad:
 
Man, I would test this out before ditching the commercial products (DEET, Lemon Eucalyptus ), but eating wild garlic (RAMPS) supposedly makes you mosquito-free. It sure makes you people-free as everyone esle will be running to get up-wind of you.

(I'll stick to a headnet and commercial repellant.)
 
Bens 30 deet,bug net,long sleeves.
For a laugh try WD40 and a bic.Get a big swarm around you then lay on the ground face up and torch the little phuckers!!!!It won't help the bites but it'll make you feel real good about getting even. :D
 
Myakka said:
100% Deet works very well
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Yes, when I was there as a tourist, I called it Alaskan Aftershave. Even then, the biting flies left me with scars that I can still see years later. Strangly, the locals seemed unaffected. I wanted what they were having.

The bugs can drive you INSANE in Alaska. They'll actually crawl up a sleeve or pantleg to find someplace NOT coated with DEET and get you there. They would crawl into my beard and get me there too.



.
 
Spray your clothes and pack with Permethrin and let it dry 2-4 hours a day or so before you go out. This is supposed to last a while (several washings).

Ultrathon by 3M or Sawyer Controlled Release, good stuff

Finally, get a mosquito headnet and mittens, and keep them in your pocket for those buggers if they still keep bothering you
 
In scottish forests you get clouds of midges, which arent as bad as full size mosquitos but its a swarm none the less. The best way I found to deal with them is wear clothes with elasticated cuffs and ankles, and a wide brimmed hat with a mosquito net over it, and plenty of DEET.

I have also heard that eating marmite makes them less likely to bite you but I hate marmite so have never tried it!
 
Along with the other very sensible methods of protection that others have posted, I recommend beginning a course of Vitamin B starting at least 7 days before you head into the wilderness.
Course consists of taking large doses of Vitamin B twice daily, continuing while you are in the bush.
The principle is to build up the body's store of vitamin B which will exude in your sweat, and make you very unpalatable to mosquitos.

Theoretically you cannot overdose on Vitamin B, as your body will excrete any surplus, but as with anything you ingest, I won't recommend a dose size in a public forum. I suggest you have a talk with your doctor to find a suitable dose level for your build and size.

Mosquitos bite at any time, but are most active at dawn and dusk, these are the times to take extra care in covering up and DEETing.
 
My brother's father-in-law swore for years that he'd never been bitten by a mosquito, and that his secret was to eat one banana every day. He claimed that it put enough potassium in his blood to sour the taste.

However, the rest of us suspect it had more to do with the cigars he continuously smoked around the clock. He never went outdoors without a cigar, and well... he never got bitten, either.
 
Watchful said:
However, the rest of us suspect it had more to do with the cigars he continuously smoked around the clock. He never went outdoors without a cigar, and well... he never got bitten, either.
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Its amazong what a small amount of smoke will do to clear biting insects. I was working on the yard earlier in the year and being eaten alive so I lit a handful of charcoal in the bottom of the barbecue and didnt have a problem after that. Not so useful if youre on the move however unless youre going for the cigar, or maybe an incense burner...
 
Watchful said:
My brother's father-in-law swore for years that he'd never been bitten by a mosquito, and that his secret was to eat one banana every day. He claimed that it put enough potassium in his blood to sour the taste.

However, the rest of us suspect it had more to do with the cigars he continuously smoked around the clock. He never went outdoors without a cigar, and well... he never got bitten, either.
Click to expand...

I have noticed that cigar smoke works really well too. Even better than cigarette or camp fire smoke.
 
HK2001 said:
btw, your herp research you were doing down here... have anything to do with the explosive populations of Exotics? I caught a 12' Berm in the glades 2 months ago.
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yeah when we were down there we caught 2 berms, each 7 ft long, and a bunch of other stuff. It was one of the best herping trips of my life! We also went down to the keys and caught 7 day geckos (exotics!) and a few iguanas for fun, among other things. Its great about the exotics, no one cares if you keep em or take them back to sell them, it is actually helping the ecosystem out.

I've used cigars to keep the sweat craving gnats from getting in my eyes when they are bad in the sandhills.
I tried the cigar trick in florida, and mosquitos would even land on the cigar, and everywhere else. Even when we made a fire in camp, as close as we could get to the fire and as smoky as it was, they were still coming in strong. Those salt marsh mosquitos are the most suicidal and stubborn insects I have ever encountered

Our tent held up really well though, we became masters of tent flap manipulation, jumping in and out like we were escaping fire or something. You can actually hear the buzz of a thousand mosquitos outside the mesh...it is quite astonishing when you first hear it.
 
commandojoe said:
You can actually hear the buzz of a thousand mosquitos outside the mesh...it is quite astonishing when you first hear it.
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"Actually"? How could you not?! In bad areas, the little vampires thud into the sides of the tent, screaming in blood lust. Sounds like a very light rain and drives me nuts.
 
My brother's father-in-law swore for years that he'd never been bitten by a mosquito, and that his secret was to eat one banana every day. He claimed that it put enough potassium in his blood to sour the taste.
Click to expand...

Back when I was younger, I've read that eating a banana increases your chance of getting bitten by a mosquito. One of those "did you know" fun books for kids.
 
Burncycle said:
Back when I was younger, I've read that eating a banana increases your chance of getting bitten by a mosquito. One of those "did you know" fun books for kids.
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Wouldn't surprise me. Makes you smell tastier.

By the way, cigars are great when dealing with bees, hornets, and wasps. You don't even need to smoke it... just light it and hold it in your mouth when working around him. They totally fear smoke, and start fleeing the hive.
 
the smoke covers the alarm pheromone of the bees, making them unable to locate the source of disturbance. It "calms them down" as us beekeepers say. It won't prevent them from stinging you, and too much smoke is also bad, cause it just pisses every bee off in the hive and they start getting uneasy

I've been accused of being too smoke crazy with my smoker
 
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