biting fly repellents

[John Smith]

Last year my right leg got destroyed by the biting flies of Barnegat Bay. The OFF, with deet, was totally inaffective.

Many on the net suggest mint.

Anyone have anything they've tried that works?

[Paul Girouard]

Vicks takes the itch out , doesn't prevent the bite , but does help with the itch.

Highly resistant flies/ bugs , sort of like lefty's they just keep on coming. :D

[seo]

In Maine and in North Carolina there are some people that say that "Skin So Soft" lotion will repel sand flies, black flies, etc. It's pretty widely sold in outdoors shops in Maine during black fly season.
I haven't found it work terribly well, but better than the alternative. People who garden and fish in real black fly hotspots do the whole headnet/longsleeve shirt/gloves thing.
On a somewhat different note, when I'm worried about deer ticks I put about twenty drops of Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap in a gallon of water, soak socks and shirt cuffs in it, wring out, air dry. Does this help? Well, it doesn't hurt...

[isla]

Here in the UK a cosmetic skin lotion called 'Skin so Soft', manufactured by Avon, is rapidly gaining a reputation for being a great insect repellent. I believe it was first discovered by an army unit on manoeuvres on the west coast of Scotland where the midges are extremely vicious. It seems that they had not been issued with proper insect repellent, so they reluctantly took the advice of a local girl who claimed that this product worked. After a couple of weeks the whole unit agreed that the stuff worked very well. It has become popular by word of mouth, and is now on sale in many outdoor activity shops around the UK. Here is a link. (http://www.alternativeinsectrepellent.co.uk/)

[2MeterTroll]

Last year my right leg got destroyed by the biting flies of Barnegat Bay. The OFF, with deet, was totally inaffective.

Many on the net suggest mint.

Anyone have anything they've tried that works?

wind ;)

[Paul Girouard]

How about some white phosphorus smoke.

[ishmael]

When I work outside in the black fly explosion I've found the Skin so Soft to be a guffaw to the fly population. The only thing I've found that works with a strong population is highly concentrated deet. Comes in a small bottle, you put a few drops on and rub it around.

It's kinda icky, and when I'm done outside I come in and take a shower. I react pretty strongly to bug bites, so that's what I use.

Two cents.

[SMARTINSEN]

What was the percentage of DEET in the bug spray that you used?

Like Ish says, 100% DEET which is readily available, is effective; 5% or 10% solutions correspondingly less so.

[floatingkiwi]

I worked for a number of years in the dark depths of Fiordland National Park in the Southern Alps of New Zealand.Beautiful, pristine,(for the most part), unique, sub tropical rainforest. Very wet. Glaciers visibly hanging in cirques and neves several thousand feet straight up from the valley floors.
You have an enemy.Everyone has an enemy here in Godzone.
Te Namu. The sandflies. Prolific. relentless, wind resistant, hardy,body covering, clouds of the silent, painful, little, sanity testing, droves of blood sucking,nuisances one could ever have the non-pleasure of feeding with their own blood. Newcomers beware. you would be tastier than those of us who had been in the area for a time. Nevertheless, we were not exempt from their onslaught and provision HAD to be made for keeping them off you or there would be no work done. One would literally and without exaggeration, be reduced to continually slapping any bare skin,( or worse, scratching it).
The only thing that I ever saw working effectively was DIMP.
It would ruin paintwork and some plastics and please, do not get any on places like eyelids , under your arms and any higher than the line that underwear would draw or just the screaming would drive me nuts.
I would pour one teaspoon into a palm and spread over both hands ten run mu hands first over my legs ten my arms, rubbing it in. The residue on my hands would be enough to gently pat my face with a scrunched up look goin' on and then run my fingers through my hair to give it that fragrance and dry your hands. It was odourless, once dry, showed zero sign of being there, I never saw anybody have a bad reaction to the stuff,( unless applied incorrectly), and unless I went swimming, would last all day. Amazing stuff.
Get it if you can. All day long one can feel BSSFs landing on you for a millionth of a second and then rolling briefly and satisfyingly down the skin before dropping to the ground to buzz in a small circle for a second or two before.........death.
DIMP. There is no substitute.

[stevedwyer]

O.K., you've got me curious. I've never heard of DIMP. What? Where?

[floatingkiwi]

I was gonna get some sent from NZ if I ever really needed it. That time may soon come. Don't be fooled by imitations. I worked in the feild where Te Namu is the worst for a the good part of a decade and then some. I have seen sandflies spreading Deet on skin before....insertion.
Joking of course but I know what I am talkin' about and would carry spare bottles for people as their homemade concoctions made of everything from deisel and suntan lotion, a variety of herbal infused inflammatory liquids to whatever would slowly leave their possession in a variety of sometimes, humourous ways.... one guy would put a teaspoon of kerosene in his coffee in the morning, after hearing that some old timer swore it would work. I assured him it would not.( I had already tried it myself every morning for a week or so before deciding that it did no more than put a strange sheen on the surface of my coffee and made it taste like shit).
I will look around for some.

[TerryLL]

Citronella oil works great on the biting flies in Alaska, known as white sox. Most commercial formulas like Herbal Armor are about 10% citronella, with some peppermint, and cedar oil. Adding some additional citronella extract will really jazz it up. 100% DEET-free.

[clancy]

The Trolling Deer Fly Trap (http://ufinsect.ifas.ufl.edu/deerfly_trap.htm)

[watson1990]

I used to own a huge campground in maine. The mosquitos were the biggest problem there but my brother and I ,along with two friends took a 210 mile long canoe trip through the Canadian Rockies. One of guys was not prepared at all. the other 2 were mildly prepared. I had a product that I sold at my campground ,a product I first learned about from Alaskan fishermen.
its called Hinoki. Made from cedar trees and you really do smell exactly like a Christmass tree. The bugs will come within 12 -15 inches of you ,,or your face but they won't come any closer. here is a link :
http://hinoki.bizland.com/store/index.html
I have no interest in this company other than it works.
The second thought here is that when you do get a bug bite,they itch like crazy. For a different medical reason I always carry a prescription drug called "Bethamethasone Valerate lotion ..usp, 0.1%" what that means is that thetiny little 60 ML. bottle is 99% alchohol and 1 percent medicine. One tiny dab from your finger to a bug bite and the itch is gone instantly ...forever!!!
The one guy on our trip sat down the first night on an empty 5 gallon plastic container wearing shorts.What ever he had used had been washed off and he never re-applied. My brother looked at him and ,with the blood running down both legs from at least 20 different bug bite holes, my brother proclaimed that"Larry ,you look like a goalie for a dart team! The blood was running down his legs in tiny rivers...I fixed him right up and he kept the bottle with him for the rest of the 6 days ,I had to borrow it when I needed it
So,class: Hinoki to keep ALL bugs away and Beth. Val to get rid of any itch..
Oh ,,,by the way . That week on the river i got 6 mosquito bites ... need i say more ?
Oh ,and the Beth.Val stuff is so mild that any doctor will give you a prescription immediately ...no questions asked ..you can just tell the Doc. its for bug bites ...zero side effects !!

you are very welcome !!
Watson

[John Smith]

What was the percentage of DEET in the bug spray that you used?

Like Ish says, 100% DEET which is readily available, is effective; 5% or 10% solutions correspondingly less so.

I was using OFF. Main ingredient DEET, but I don't know the percentage.

On line or off line, where might I look for 100% DEET?

[goodbasil]

Whiskey. More you drink, the less you'll feel.

[Bruce Hooke]

I was using OFF. Main ingredient DEET, but I don't know the percentage.

On line or off line, where might I look for 100% DEET?

http://www.rei.com/product/784606
http://www.rei.com/product/783938

The former is 95% DEET, which is close enough to 100% not to matter. The latter is listed as 100%. Any decent camping store (Campmor, EMS, and lots of other places) should have something similar.

Personally, unless the bugs are really bad I prefer just to cover up. Last weekend when I was working outside in blackfly season I got to thinking that it would be nice to take a bug head net and cut a hole in it to fit a comfortable pair of safety glasses. A bit of tape to joint the two and I'd have a head net that would not obstruct my view of what I am doing...

[Bruce Hooke]

P.S., As I recall, someone did an actual test of Avon Skin-So-Soft and found that it was absolutely useless at repelling the biting insects against which it was tested -- probably mosquitoes, since those are the most widespread biting insects in the US, which is where I believe the tests were conducted.

[John Smith]

http://www.rei.com/product/784606
http://www.rei.com/product/783938

The former is 95% DEET, which is close enough to 100% not to matter. The latter is listed as 100%. Any decent camping store (Campmor, EMS, and lots of other places) should have something similar.

Personally, unless the bugs are really bad I prefer just to cover up. Last weekend when I was working outside in blackfly season I got to thinking that it would be nice to take a bug head net and cut a hole in it to fit a comfortable pair of safety glasses. A bit of tape to joint the two and I'd have a head net that would not obstruct my view of what I am doing...
Thanks, I'll look for some.

One trip to Barnegat Bay early July last year cost me the entire summer.

There's no in between, as it all depends on the way the wind blows. In one direction; no flies. In the other direction; lots and lots of them.

It would be great if I could just mount a repellent in the cockpit.

my local Harry's army navy has it.

[ishmael]

Just a fun anecdote.

When Huston, Bogart, and Hepburn were in Africa filming "The African Queen" Bogart, who was a heavy drinker, bragged that the skeeters who bit him fell over either drunk or dead.

[Lew Barrett]

This has been a useful and even enjoyable thread, to read. Kiwi's accounting is especially convincing, although Watson has my attention as well.

[Tom Galyen]

Ish,

I take that Bogey would have understood that "McIlheny's" Hot Sauce commercial, where the guy lets the mosquito bite him so he can watch it fly off about a foot or two and then explode in a fire ball!

Tom G. (Seaweed)

[J P]

I worked for a number of years in the dark depths of Fiordland National Park in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. ...

This man knows of what he speaks!

Amazing and beautiful place Fiordland. We did a kayak trip in there and experienced 12+ inches of rain in a 24hr period and 50+ knot winds ... and the BSSF's still persisted. Relentlessly. My partner never took off her wetsuit the whole trip. :eek:



Think I'll try some hinoki for the mozzies this summer.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Years Ago I used DIMP in the Milford Sound, works really well.
Cant find it in Oz though.

Those little biting bugs end up causing a vasculitis, that is a histamine reaction around the small blood vessels in the skin, which is why the rash has hard red lumps, not hives.

Ordinary antihistamines work on the skin receptors (alpha 1 receptors) and are useless for these sorts of bites.

Tagamet and Zantac are antihistamines which work on the vascular receptors (alpha 2 receptors). I use them for sandfly bites, but can't recommend them because it is an off list indication and hasn't been tested.

Of course prevention is better.

[Jon Agne]

GreenHeads don't like Tanquaray Gin. Try rubbing one leg with T and see if they bite. I think you'll be amazed. (It doesn't work if you just drink it.)

[Mrleft8]

I find that a liberal dose of vodka, rubbed thoroughly throughout the mouth, throat, stomach, and liver, works wonders.... Especially when used in conjunction with mint shampoo and soap.

[S B]

Other than taking someone allong who is tastier than yourself, the only way to keep from being eaten by flies is to drown the buggers when they land for a bite. I spent two summers cutting survey lines,in the woods of Newfoundland, where the flies sometimes take a piece back to the tree for a bedtime snack. We wet ourselves with olive or baby oil,( not good if you have a date that night,) it doesn't stop them from landing, is uncomfortable at first, but no bites.

[Mrleft8]

,( not good if you have a date that night,) .

Depends on yer date! :D

[watson1990]

Kinda interesting: I am an avid fly fisherman. Bugs seem to be a constant problem. In the fly fishing fraternity , we seem to all come together and exchange info in order to combat this problem.
The product that some here have called DIMP is a simple variation of "old woodsman" ,certainly found everywhere in the Northeast.
A few problems with it: While it does keep ALL bugs away ,it is only effective for 4,maybe 5 hours and then needs to be reapplied . The trouble begins when you need to re apply for your 3rd or 4th time that would normally be late in the first day...The woodsman sinks in to your blood stream and after a bit ,you start to taste it .you get heartburn from it.[blah !!] and then it becomes apparent that you are feeling side effects...the worst one is when you have a 1950 Orvis Battenkill Deluxe fly rod and the "ole woodsman " begins to remove the outer coating of varnish from my $2000.00 bamboo fly rod .
The hinoki needs to be re applied every 4 hours also but the stuf REALLY WORKS !..Oh ,and one other point: if you use the Hinoki, remember this: no matter if it was rinsed off in a river or swiming
or it was not washed off at all please remember this.
If you shake it for 30-40 seconds before use,it will work . If you don't shake it for 40 + seconds ,,,it won't
So :
Shake it for 40 seconds before spraying it [pump spray ]
reapply every four hours !!! .rain or no rain ,,swim or no swim
you WILL smell like a Christmass tree.you will not get a single bug bite.
i canoe up around the Arctic circle every second year and I will tell you this from someone who understands bugs...A flyfisherman .
ALL insect life is born at the bottom of a pond,stream,river or bog.I could go on but I think you get my point. I can tell you ,,,,,,simply from seeing an insect, the sex of the bug and the latin name..You flyfishermen out there ,your comments here would be appreciated ..most who are not fllyfishermen will kinda wonder just about now: is this guy really on the up&up or is he blowing smoke up his ...Chimney ..any flyfishermen please help me out here
Anyway,Hinoki works it always works if you follow my instructions
NOw ,let me tell you about my trips up to the arctic ... elk eagles and Grizzly...and that is before the Tundra !!! Ever seen a Musk ox?????..I have not yet seen a polar bear but ,God willing, i will Live long enough to see the polar bear and the NARWHAL ,a small whale with a unicorn about 9-12 feet long .. If you are not familiar with them then you can send me an "IM " or just Google "narwhal "... You will be amazed !
Hey , enjoy,,,please ask questions,,,,,
W

[J P]

We wet ourselves with olive or baby oil ...

and in bear country make sure it's the tastier friend who gets the olive oil treatment. ;)


hmmm ... another plus for smelling like a cedar tree.

[Willin']

Last year my right leg got destroyed by the biting flies of Barnegat Bay. The OFF, with deet, was totally inaffective.

Many on the net suggest mint.

Anyone have anything they've tried that works?

Greenheads breed in the pine barrens. Best to avoid sailing on strong offshore days.

As a young surf rat in Beach Haven I remember those little buggers well and there was no repelent available at the time that would keep them off.

On the bright side, they're so slow you could almost always crush them after they'd done the deed. Very satisfying.

[S B]

and in bear country make sure it's the tastier friend who gets the olive oil treatment. ;)


hmmm ... another plus for smelling like a cedar tree.
Another thing to remember, don't try to out run a bear, out run the fellow next to you.;)

[coelacanth2]

Thermacell bug repeller gizmo. If it works in the Quebec woods in Spring bear season, should work down here. Best in low/no wind situations, though.

[floatingkiwi]

Kinda interesting: I am an avid fly fisherman. Bugs seem to be a constant problem. In the fly fishing fraternity , we seem to all come together and exchange info in order to combat this problem.
The product that some here have called DIMP is a simple variation of "old woodsman" ,certainly found everywhere in the Northeast.
A few problems with it: While it does keep ALL bugs away ,it is only effective for 4,maybe 5 hours and then needs to be reapplied . The trouble begins when you need to re apply for your 3rd or 4th time that would normally be late in the first day...The woodsman sinks in to your blood stream and after a bit ,you start to taste it .you get heartburn from it.[blah !!] and then it becomes apparent that you are feeling side effects...the worst one is when you have a 1950 Orvis Battenkill Deluxe fly rod and the "ole woodsman " begins to remove the outer coating of varnish from my $2000.00 bamboo fly rod .
The hinoki needs to be re applied every 4 hours also but the stuf REALLY WORKS !..Oh ,and one other point: if you use the Hinoki, remember this: no matter if it was rinsed off in a river or swiming
or it was not washed off at all please remember this.
If you shake it for 30-40 seconds before use,it will work . If you don't shake it for 40 + seconds ,,,it won't
So :
Shake it for 40 seconds before spraying it [pump spray ]
reapply every four hours !!! .rain or no rain ,,swim or no swim
you WILL smell like a Christmass tree.you will not get a single bug bite.
i canoe up around the Arctic circle every second year and I will tell you this from someone who understands bugs...A flyfisherman .
ALL insect life is born at the bottom of a pond,stream,river or bog.I could go on but I think you get my point. I can tell you ,,,,,,simply from seeing an insect, the sex of the bug and the latin name..You flyfishermen out there ,your comments here would be appreciated ..most who are not fllyfishermen will kinda wonder just about now: is this guy really on the up&up or is he blowing smoke up his ...Chimney ..any flyfishermen please help me out here
Anyway,Hinoki works it always works if you follow my instructions
NOw ,let me tell you about my trips up to the arctic ... elk eagles and Grizzly...and that is before the Tundra !!! Ever seen a Musk ox?????..I have not yet seen a polar bear but ,God willing, i will Live long enough to see the polar bear and the NARWHAL ,a small whale with a unicorn about 9-12 feet long .. If you are not familiar with them then you can send me an "IM " or just Google "narwhal "... You will be amazed !
Hey , enjoy,,,please ask questions,,,,,
W


I will agree, DIMP will remove paint and varnishin liquid form but when applied to the skin, is odourless, unless your nose is touching their skin and it certainly doesn't make one sick.Not me or anyone I have given to use.I have used it a lot.

[ishmael]

What the heck is DIMP? Asked before, but I'll ask it again.

[SMARTINSEN]

Eat it to beat it?[/b]

Many people believe you can repel sandflies or mosquitoes by swallowing garlic or vitamin B (for instance in t
he sandwich spread Vegemite), or drinking beer from a flagon to which a capful of kerosene has been added. But there is no evidence that anything taken orally works against these insects.


(http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/InsectsAndOtherInvertebrates/SandfliesAndMosquitoes/3/en)
http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/InsectsAndOtherInvertebrates/SandfliesAndMosquitoes/3/en


I don't know why all this discussion when you can simply beat the bugs by eating VEGEMITE!!! If only I had known.

The worst bugs that we have ever encountered were, as has been already noted, were on Milford Sound, but I do not believe that DIMP is available in the U.S.

[Flying Orca]

Having lived for many years in the arctic, where the mosquitos were even fiercer than those I've encountered in the north woods, I have to say very strong DEET does the job. Don't bother with anything under 95% though.

Oh yeah, the SkinSoSoft stuff is pretty useless, at least for the mozzies around here.

[Milo Christensen]

I'm surprised that there's been no mention of the DEET based products that also contain the fly repellent R-326. Look for Sawyer Products (http://www.sawyerdirect.net/item.cfm?prodid=SP728)composite repellent that contain R-326 and MGK synergist. I think it's 30% DEET but the synergist makes it work like a higher percentage and the R-326 really does repel biting flies. I would like to find a product approved for human use that is just R-326 because there's a lot of times I don't need DEET. R-326 is routinely used for large animal fly control.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

The skin-so-soft is fairly effective - so is pennyroyal - but nothing beats horizontal sleet.


Deet has a nasty reputation for destroying fly fishing lines - this may not be a consideration.

[HappyJack]

I have twenty years experience as a forester in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Spent almost all of those on research projects in the bush starting as soon as the snow left and leaving after the snow fell.

Best option I found was Deep Woods Off in the pump. It has approximately 20% deet. I used to use Off's 96% deet but started to get a bad reaction to the "full dosage". I found the Deep Woods Off to be good - just re-apply every couple of hours. Of course I always wear long-sleeve shirts and pants.

I worked with a gentleman (and I use the term loosly) who swore by Watkin's bug repellent. I have some lotion - its pretty good too although I have yet to test it long term. It has 28% deet but doesn't have that oily bug spray feel or smell.

Scotty

[Ron Williamson]

When I use Muskol and such,I squirt it onto the backs of hands,not my palms,minimizing the cross contamination onto my face and easily damaged plastic stuff.
Kenny S.,my old neighbour, let me in on a logger's secret that works pretty well.
Spread a bit of chain oil on your hardhat.The bugs fly around your head and stick in it.
R