Deet alone is useless against gnats, no-eee-ums and those nasty biting black flies! Here, it has to be spiked with an additional repellent to be effective.
For DEET products, I’ve got a lot of performance from Sawyer products. I liked their 20% timed-release repellent that was every bit as effective as the 100% for up to 5 or 6 hours. Also, Sawyer’s “Broad Spectrum” - DEET spiked with another chemical - I found to be very effective against those biting black flies.
Dale
Here’s the correct link to Sawyer products -
http://www.sawyeronline.com/sawyer_prod … /index.htm
Dale
I am a mosquito magnet so I am usually desperate for any and all such solutions. My only comment is that DEET is a neurotoxin for people not just bugs. Not typically a problem for adults but I sure wouldn’t bathe in it and the 100% products are not for kids. But I am heading for Minnesota and the boundary waters in the near future so thanks to all of you for listing your experience.
Jim Stocks
Tyler,TX
The bug jacket and hood someone mentioned is called Bug Out. It’s a quality product made in Canada. Works great as a physical barrier, but it reduces the air circulation around your body. I think the CDC website on West Nile says that anything above 40% deet isn’t any more effective than the 40%. I wear sun gloves with the imitation leather palms and spray deet on them. They fish just fine with fly lines as the ends of the fingers are cut out and there is still a good grip on the cork. With the spread of West Nile disease, I’m not as willing to tolerate a few bites.
Ole
Great info, especially about the newer Deet replacement products. Bounce fabric softener sheets are also another option. Wipe a dry one over your exposed skin and stick one in each pocket. If they get wet you can use them to clean bugs off the vehicle, it works in many cases.
The CDC says:
"For many hours outside (over 3-4 hours) and/or where biting is very intense?look for a repellent containing more than 20% DEET. Products with more than 50% DEET do not offer additional protection. "
If that stuff works for you that is good. But you would then be atypical.
The CDC says:
"For shorter periods of time, repellents containing less than 20% DEET, the repellent currently available with 7% picaridin or one of the products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus may provide adequate protection. There are other products available, but they may not protect as long as those named here. "
As far as my fly line. and my waders go. - I can replace them many times for the cost of a bout with West Nile Virus. If you are over 50 West Nile Virus could reasonably be at the expense of your life.
I’ve found that scented soaps attract flies and not showering right before heading to the bush helps as well as washing fishin/bush gear as little as possible. I work in the bush and between work and fishing am out 300+days a year.
MY work gear smells like a dead muskrat (hasn’t been washed since June) but I very rarely even use bug dope. I shower the night before work right after I get home and never in the morning before. And when I do use dope it is high DEET % and its’ mostly on my clothing, and the back of my neck…
-Hillard
I agree with the scented soaps and hair shampoos. Use Ivory soap and you will be much better OFF. I would also recomend pinning a few of the clothes dryer static towels on your hat and the back of your neck. You might be surprised how well the combo works.
Philip
We were camping at about 7,000+ and were attacked constantly by the skeeters. We went through two containers of bug stuff in three days (25-50% Deet, one wipe on, one spray on), and finally went home in a quick flurry of production. I wasn’t bit too bad, but DH and eldest son had bad bites. Some so bad there was swelling that looked more like head injuries and not bites. Youngest son was hardly bit at all. Body chemistry? Blood type? Breath? He’s a huge fan of garlic. He adores anything with garlic, and even eats them raw. I’m thinking, next time, I’ll start ODing on garlic about 48 hours before we go out. Just as an experiment. I have also heard that rubbing yarrow will detour those pesky bugs, but I cannot recall if it’s the head of the yarrow flower or the leaves. (Although I’m fairly certain it’s the wild yarrow, and not the domesticated pastel version, that they’re discussing.)
Basil will keep flies away. (Trivia of the day.)
I fish a lot in the New Zealand back country, and fiordland sandflies have been rumored to carry off horses, such is their size and ferocity(be afraid, be very afraid 
).
I find that many clients say they’re allergic to repellant, and are unsure of the active ingrediants, so I mix up a 50 - 50 solution of dettol antiseptic and baby oil.
This proves harmless to the skin, and thus far has proven effective against the bugs.
try it out… the other suggestion / wives tail is a shot of whisky with kerosene each night a month before thee trip… I think I’ll stick to the baby oil / dettol
chris
Has anybody ever tried the [url=http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0036704319090a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=mosquito+annoyer&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=mosquito+annoyer&noImage=0:88ce8]Mosquito Annoyer[/url:88ce8]. I’m a mosquito magnet and I’m not big on chemical repellants, so this would be great for me if it works. I’d even be happy if it would just neutralize my magnatism, I’m happy to share the mosquitos with those around me.
The other option is to drink 1 bottle of Gin or Vodka each night.
It won’t help in keeping the bugs away - but you will be so hung over you wont care !
:oops:
I use Ben’s 98% DEET and it works on everything except deer flies. My Buzz Off socks, hat, shirt seem to work but not quite as well as the Ben’s. Ultrathon works well for me but wears off faster than Ben’s. Consumer Reports mag did a comparison and 98% Deet worked best followed very closely by Ultrathon. Nothing else came close. All were DEET products in the test. I think it was last year.
My ‘Ultrathon’ shows 33% deet, not 25%. Do you have some new product? And, so far, I haven’t found anything that works as well. I have never tried the pure Deet, or even close to it because this seems to keep ‘nasties’ offa me… Even Doctor-flys in the Bahamas and tiny no-see-um types there and in Canada. I wonder, please no offense, if it’s just you? My mother had terrible problems with bugs. I don’t think she ever found anything that really worked. Perhaps a doctor may have some ideas for you?
Spay the Deet on the outside your clothing the night before you will wearing the garments (light coating is enough). Apply light application of insect repellent to hands, then lightly coat expose skin (including hair on head), avoid area around eyes and mouth.
Do not use deodorant, or scented soaps or shampoos. This mostly for the bugs other than mosquito’s.
Mosquito’s track in on you by your carbon monoxide, so do not breath, and they will not bother you (joke:D).
JC,
I checked the can again and it still says 25%…so, I wonder if they make it in varying doses? I have no idea. We were out golfing last night and the bugs were chewing on the kids so I had to whip it out. It appears to work for them.
We purchased some of the Sawyer Brand 98% Deet and I used that. I didn’t get bit the time we were out. I just hate using that strong of stuff but whatever works!!
I actually started thinking that about my pre-fishing habits. For breakfast I had a smoothie made with, you guessed it, bananas. I “dress up” for work, including perfume (Opium), smelly shampoo (Pantene), hairspray. So…duhhhhh…I had a blinding flash of light that maybe it was all the “smelly” grooming products I use. However, I can’t work at the hospital smelling like something dead…I think administration would frown on that.
While guiding, I encounter a lot of bugs also. Nothing like the swamps you guys have.
I do wear the BUZZ-OFF appearal and a B-O bandana.
But I also use Ultrathon 12hrs cream or Off “Active” spray which is nice cause I can avoid the palms. My sister sent me these little battery powered repellers about the size of a bic lighter that put out a hi-pitch whistle that seem to work great also.
My mistake, I use the cream that says 33. Might be some difference.
From WebMD
It’s true. Mosquitoes do exhibit blood-sucking preferences, say the experts. “One in 10 people are highly attractive to mosquitoes,” reports Jerry Butler, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of Florida. Incidentally, it’s not dinner they’re sucking out of you. Female mosquitoes – males do not bite people – need human blood to develop fertile eggs. And apparently, not just anyone’s.
While researchers have yet to pinpoint what mosquitoes consider an ideal hunk of human flesh, the hunt is on. “There’s a tremendous amount of research being conducted on what compounds and odors people exude that might be attractive to mosquitoes,” says Joe Conlon, PhD, technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association. With 400 different compounds to examine, it’s an extremely laborious process. “Researchers are just beginning to scratch the surface,” he says.
Scientists do know that genetics account for a whopping 85% of our susceptibility to mosquito bites. They’ve also identified certain elements of our body chemistry that, when found in excess on the skin’s surface, make mosquitoes swarm closer.
“People with high concentrations of steroids or cholesterol on their skin surface attract mosquitoes,” Butler tells WebMD. That doesn’t necessarily mean that mosquitoes prey on people with higher overall levels of cholesterol, Butler explains. These people simply may be more efficient at processing cholesterol, the byproducts of which remain on the skin’s surface.
Mosquitoes also target people who produce excess amounts of certain acids, such as uric acid, explains entomologist John Edman, PhD, spokesman for the Entomological Society of America. These substances can trigger the mosquitoes’ olfactory sensations, or sense of smell, causing them to launch their “landing” onto unsuspecting victims.
But the process of attraction begins long before the landing. Mosquitoes can smell their dinner from an impressive distance of up to 50 meters, explains Edman. This doesn’t bode well for people who emit large quantities of carbon dioxide.
“Any type of carbon dioxide is attractive, even over a long distance,” Conlon says. Larger people tend to give off more carbon dioxide, which is why mosquitoes typically prefer munching on adults to small children. Pregnant women are also at increased risk, as they produce a greater-than-normal amount of exhaled carbon dioxide. Movement and heat also attract mosquitoes.
So if you want to avoid an onslaught of mosquito bites at your next outdoor gathering, stake out a chaise lounge rather than a spot on the volleyball team. Here’s why. As you run around the volleyball court, the mosquitoes sense your movement and head toward you. When you pant from exertion, the smell of carbon dioxide from your heavy breathing draws them closer. So does the lactic acid pouring from your sweat glands. And then – gotcha.