Whats the best insect repellent

C

Cyblade

Joined
Aug 16, 2001
Messages
1,221
I live right in the middle of the flood area in south Texas and need something to keep the pests away while I'm cleaning up the mess.
 
DEET!!!

I normally carry 100% deet, Uncle ben makes some, Repel makes some, and some other brand names distribute it. I like the sprayable stuff, though lotion is also available.

As I understand it, the primary benefit if 100% deet is size. Obviously, a can of 33% deet will be three times the size of a can of 100% deet. I do not believe one works better than the other, especially since the low percentage stuff is generally applied much more liberally than the high percentage stuff.

Personally, I still avoid bug spray whenever possible. I use a head net when feasible, and netting when I sleep. I have considered other bug proof clothing, but have not yet bought any.

Stryver
 
Agreed, DEET is the key ingredient. The higher concentration of DEET the longer it lasts, I also use the 100% stuff, got mine at REI Do a search there for DEET or Jungle Juice.

Note: DEET can eat thru nylon and some other modern fibers, so dress accordingly and be careful with cordura sheaths etc....
I apply the DEET lotion to the BACK of my hands and rub it on my neck, arms, etc...this keeps me from eating DEET every time I grab a sandwich or wipe off a thermos.
 
DEET is the best. Johnson's baby oil also works well. But if you sweat a lot, you have to reapply.
 
DEET is the best chemical insect repellent, in my experience. Permethrin is supposed to be pretty good--I've never tried it. Avon Skin-So-Soft lotion works pretty well. In my experience, citronella doesn't really work. Neither do those high-pitched-noise emitting electronic devices.

I try to minimize use of DEET, and use the true best repellent: a headnet, long-sleeved shirt with tight cuffs, pants with tight cuffs, gloves and socks.
 
Used it on the King's river this weekend...two types, both 95%, both made the bugs go away 'right then'

A (very) little goes a long way...look at your $5 purchase as a '10 year' supply, and use it accordingly.

BOL,

Mel
 
If you want somthing that actually works go with DEET. If you like following silly fads try some of the "herbal" repellants or most of the "home" remedy type suggestions. My experience is that the effect of herbals and "naturals" is negelegable if indeed present at all.
 
Yep. Just go for the highest concentration of deet you can find. I like Deep Woods Off. It keeps the bugs off. The only thing I've found that is remotely close to deet is Off Botanical lotion. It works well, but needs to be reapplied more often than deet.
 
So how much DEET is applied when needed? I usually spray it on like I would a light film of sunscreen. Would a spot application work as well so that I can avoid having that much chemical all over me?

Can you just apply it to the clothing?

Burton
 
DEET with all of its shortcomings. We're lucky in northern BC that the bugs aren't a problem at night because it gets cold.
Mosquitoes, especially, like shade. Go into thick brush and you find out just how many there can be. I use a coffee can with holes punched in the bottom and a small fire in it. Just add leaves to make smoke. You don't need to be choking with the smoke in order to have enough to keep bugs away - works well - especially on the bugs that DEET doesn't deter.
 
Deet is the second best thing to keep the insects away. The first??Move!!! I'm like Jimbo, no need to worrie bout bugs. Been only bite by 3 skeeters sofar all season.
 
I've used 33% DEET and it seems to work ok but haven't put it thru a tought test yet.
I have tried a potent made of cedar oil, but it is only a marginal performer at best.
I have also seen a product made from prickly pear cactus for $5 bottle selling in Academy. Has anyone tried any of the cactus stuff yet?
 
www.cactusjuicetm.com

I was just reading a few weeks ago about some African nations using prickly pear extract as a bug repellant and then see it last week in Academy.
If anyone has used it report in! It sounds interesting, but I'm like the others, from my experience DEET works, all the natural stuff is marginal at best.
 
DEET has always worked well for me, but I have also heard that if you swallow some white vinegar it keeps the bugs away for hours as it evaporates out of your pores. I'm not sure as to just how effective it is.
 
I have been under the *understanding* that brewers yeast works on blood-suckers in general, but I confess that I have no personal experience with it. My mother uses it sometimes and seems to be unbothered while the rest of us are swatting skeeters. I do know that, like fleas, mosquitos can smell you and are attracted to some chemistry types and not to others. Maybe the brewers yeast would come into play there?

The best environmental (as opposed to topical) repellant that I have found is bay leaves. When I was still living under my parents' roof my bedroom was terribly infected with fleas from the dog. I would get 5 or 6 on my legs within a minute of entering the room. There were also moths constantly flying around the light and mosquitos dive-bombing me in my sleep. I made a candle with bits of dried bay leaves mixed into the wax and would burn it every night before going to bed. I would also burn one or two leaves whole, like incense, and fan the smoke around the room. After one week of doing this I quit to see what would happen. I slept with the window open (no screen). For at least two weeks I never once saw a moth flying around the light, I was not bitten by any mosquitos, and I have NEVER had probems with fleas in that room again. I have since used bay to fumigate a cabin that had tons of spiders (great results) and to rid our house of ants (marginal results).

Not all natural or herbal remedies are second-rate.
 
RokJok asked:

"Would brewers yeast, which makes your blood taste funny as outlined in thread linked below, keep mosquitoes and other bugs from biting you?"

I've never purposely tested brewer's yeast as a mosquito repellent; however, I have eaten plenty of brewer's yeast while camping out in mosquito-heavy conditions. (I prefer nutritional yeast for my cooking, these days, but they're both good. Try making pasta, and then using extra-virgin olive oil, hot sauce, black pepper, garlic, and yeast for the sauce.)

I'm not sure what kind of conclusions can be drawn from my experience, but I'll convey my experience to you. On the one hand, I always got far fewer mosquito bites than my lover. For whatever reason, she attracts a lot more mosquitoes than I do, probably in the range of 10:1. On the other hand, the mosquitoes were still biting me--en masse if given the opportunity. So brewer's yeast is obviously not entirely effective.

Now, camping with and staying near someone whom the mosquitoes like better, who will draw them all away from you--that might be the way to go.;)
 
Brewer's yeast didn't work for me. I started eating it a couple of weeks before the trip and still was a tasty treat for the insects. :(
 
I would surmise that the kinds of food you eat and if you are someone that uses perfume/cologne would be contributing factors to attracting mosquitoes.

Most women do wear perfume or some sort of beauty product (hairspray, make-up, cleansers, smelly soaps, etc).

I think one's unique body odour would be a factor too.
Besides, women smell better in general...I tend to see women get bitten more than men.

Burton
 
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