Mosquitos

[chickabonita]

So I just came back from a quick trip to the mid west and I have come home with 11 bites! Any good ways to keep them off aside from spraying myself head to toe in DEET?? :(

[Biciclista]

move really fast?
cover up completely?
I hate mosquitoes too. I have been known to avoid entire states because of them.

[Aggie_Ama]

I use OFF, with friends having caught West Nile in Texas I will take the chemical blocking. According to reports I have read under 30% DEET is considered safe both for humans and by the EPA.

I use OFF Active:
9 oz. aerosol (15% DEET, mosquito protection for up to 6 hours)

There is the Family Care that has a DEET alternative:
OFF!® FamilyCare Insect Repellent II Clean Feel

Contains Picaridin (an alternative to DEET) to provide repellent protection without the greasy feel. It is virtually odorless, so it's perfect for social gatherings.

* Pump-spray (5% Picaridin)

This is what I found on Picardin at greenerchoices.com:
Picaridin is a chemical repellent that’s considered as effective as deet at the same concentration by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When used properly, it’s also considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Our tests found that Cutter Advanced Sport with 15 percent picaridin scored better than two repellents with 7 percent deet. It protected against both mosquito species for an average of almost 3 hours and against ticks for 11 to 12 hours.

The Greener Choices (http://www.greenerchoices.org/products.cfm?product=deet-fre&pcat=homegarden) website has suggestions if you don't want to use bug spray.

[OakLeaf]

Bite Blocker (http://www.homs.com/).

As effective as 7% DEET (note that higher concentrations don't repel any better, they just last longer), completely non-toxic and won't dissolve your clothes and sunglasses.

If there are 200 people in a room and one mosquito, I'll be the one who gets bitten... but not if I have that stuff on. It doesn't smell bad either IMO, although it has a definite scent.

[indysteel]

Thanks for that link, Oakleaf. The little buggers LOVE me. I got attacked once in D.C. after a hurricane went up the Potomac (making the swamp that is D.C. even swampier) and I had, I kid you not, 50 bites per leg. I was miserable for days. The other people I was with had just a few bites. My bites swell really badly too. I'm sort of phobic about them now.

[tzvia]

I hate those things; I'm always getting bit. Worst was at Lake Havasu AZ, right on the Colorado river. I was camping on the shore, and had my Deet on. Didn't see any mosquitoes. Ok, time to take a late afternoon dip in the cool water... Didn't want to put deet back on and have it on my skin all night.

So I hop into the back of the pickup (has a shell) as I am too lazy to open the tent for a one-nighter. I turned on the lamp and (queue the horror movie music) there were at least 30 of those things on the inside windows! I was stuck in the back of my pickup with a hord of hungry mosquitoes! So I grabbed the paper towels and smashed as many as I could see; walls, windows, everywhere. By the time I think I got most of them, there were little red spats everywhere! It was the most sick place I have ever slept. And by mid next day, my legs and arms were covered with welts. They itched so bad. I haven't been back to Havasu since and I am in no hurry to go. And repellent goes with, everywhere. Always have some in the glovebox and some, yes in the back of the pickup.

[malaholic]

Ugh, I *hate* mosquitos. Even with mosquite repellant I'll still end up with bites, and often in the most inconvenient places - forehead, back of knees, tops of toes, etc. Indysteel, mine often swell up too. Not all of them, just some, and they sometimes develop red swollen halos up to 3-4 inches in diameter around the bite. I'm not sure why that happens - if it's just an allergic reaction, why don't all of them do that? It always freaks me out. Doesn't seem to leave any lasting ill effects though.

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, I get great big welts too, that last a couple of weeks. Right now the flies are worse than the mosquitoes here (and they're out during the daytime).

When I'm working in the garden I'll wear a lightweight spun polypro painter's coverall (http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1278566). Looks like a hazmat suit but keeps the bugs off completely, without having to put anything at all on my skin. It can get a little bit warm, but not too bad since it's so light and breathable. It wouldn't work for anything like mountain biking, though, it would just get ripped to pieces. I put them in a lingerie bag for washing, even in my front-loader, since they're so fragile, but they'll last quite a while, and when they rip it's usually along the seams. It can be roughly repaired to work as well as ever, and not look any dorkier than it did to begin with. :rolleyes:


ETA: Heat destroys the mosquito's ... I don't want to call it venom since that's not why the mosquito uses it, but I don't know what the right word is ... Anyway, if I get a heating pad, or a rag soaked in water from my tea thermos - either way, as hot as I can stand without burning the skin - if I get it on the bite within 5-10 minutes before the venom has a chance to spread and before I really start reacting, it will just disappear. I don't often have access to anything so hot when I get bitten, but when I do, this works like a charm.

[zoom-zoom]

Ooh, great, timely thread! I'm running a trail relay in 10 days in an area swarming with mosquitos and deer ticks. Once the sun came up the mosquitos weren't bad, but for the first couple of hours of the race we were really having to liberally spray ourselves to keep from being eaten alive. I'd love to try that stuff without DEET that doesn't stink or feel nasty on the skin.

[chickabonita]

That Bite Blocker stuff looks great, I am going to order some! I've tried the Burts Bee's stuff, and it works ok, but not great. Thanks everyone! :D

[OakLeaf]

I am going to order some!

Look in your natural food store, most of them have it.

[Aggie_Ama]

Look in your natural food store, most of them have it.

I will be on a quest tomorrow, I wonder if Whole Foods has it? I would much rather use something that works great and is environmentally and clothes friendly. When I mountain bike I get bit through my shorts. Seriously how awful is it to end up with an itchy butt from mosquitos? In our area they aren't only nocturnal at least not when you are hiding in the trees mountain biking. :mad:

[chickabonita]

So the bites turned into big welts that have now left scares on my beautiful fair skin :(

[Biciclista]

it looks like that bite blocker is just like smearing grease on your skin?

[OakLeaf]

it looks like that bite blocker is just like smearing grease on your skin?

Not at all. It's very light, lighter than most bug spray, especially including the DEET stuff I used years ago, which I find very greasy and uncomfortable. I don't know off the top of my head whether the base is water or alcohol or a combination, but it doesn't seem greasy to me at all.

[bmccasland]

I use OFF to keep from being biten.

But if you get bit/stung - feed the flying indigenous wildlife, I highly recommend Blue Star Ointment. It's camphor in petro-jelly. Just smear it on the bite area. You may notice skin reddening in the area, but no worries. I'm one of those that swells up with welts from mosquitos, but this stuff takes the itch out in just a few seconds. It even works on fire ant bites - although with these evil buggers, a second application may be necessary. If I had the ointment before I moved here, I wouldn't have scratched myself silly, and now have lots of scars on my legs and arms. I was given a jar of the ointment as a housewarming gift from my realtor when I got bitten by fire ants while we were house hunting (I had bought the house with the fire ant hill).

I also waged chemical warfare on the fire ant hill, and after three years they were killed off.

Blue Star Ointment - good stuff. Frankly I hope it's still out there, I'm almost out of my original pot.

[Biciclista]

Not at all. It's very light, lighter than most bug spray, especially including the DEET stuff I used years ago, which I find very greasy and uncomfortable. I don't know off the top of my head whether the base is water or alcohol or a combination, but it doesn't seem greasy to me at all.

the main ingredients were all oils!

BiteBlocker® is safe in that it contains natural ingredients that are mainly food-grade and listed by the EPA as minimum risk. The basic ingredients are Coconut Oil, Soybean Oil, Purified Water, Geranium Oil, Glycerin, Lecithin, and Vanillin.

[OakLeaf]

the main ingredients were all oils!

But the inert ingredients are 93% of the formula, and the #1 inert ingredient is water.

Really, it's very, very light. I hate greasy skin.

[katherine]

Visit the desert instead of the midwest!

Seriously how awful is it to end up with an itchy butt from mosquitos?
Really really awful! :DLOL!:D

[bmccasland]

Visit the desert instead of the midwest!

I've been mosquito bitten in Phoenix. Big evil monsters.

[katherine]

It's the golf courses, they breed mosquitos. Tucson has them too. It's unnatural.

[MyRubyE]

Just curious - has anyone ever heard of skin-soft being a good mosquito repelant? Years ago, it was much talked about, but I don't see or hear people talking about it anymore. On occassion I still use it, but not sure if it's all in my mind. I swear it works... Or, at least I think it does.

[itself]

Oakleaf,

Thanks for the link to BiteBlocker. I feel your pain, as I too have the same problem, one mosquito, two hundred people, they aim for my juicy veins!

I'll check Whole Foods for it...thanks again!

[Cataboo]

I spend too much time kayaking in salt marshes or other places where mosquitos are godawful.

Deet works about 10 mins in such situations and then the mosquitos are back eating you alive.

I've switched to picaridin based bug sprays, which is not as nasty feeling, doesn't melt plastic like deet does, and is an awful lot more effective at keeping the mosquitos at bay.

You do have to spray it on your clothing, because very persistent mosquitos will swarm your clothing and try to bite you through it - and depending on the fabric and how tight it is, they can manage to bite through clothing.

Ex officio buzz off brand clothing is also good, but is basically pemerthrin soaked clothing - and you could just soak your clothing yourself if you can still buy the stuff.

[alexis_the_tiny]

Where I live, little bloodsuckers really come out in full force during monsoon season, doesn't make for pleasent mountain biking. Plus, there'd be like 10 people in my group and they will all come bite ME.

I find that repellents sold in stores aren't all that effective for me, and they smell toxic. There's a citronella repellent I used to buy in Thailand that's dead effective. In the absence of that, I use lavender oil, sometimes neat, sometimes diluted with some carrier oil. It has the added advantage of being able to treat bites from mosquitoes that refuse to be repelled. And it smells much better.

[chickabonita]

Got a tip from a family member, he said don't eat a lot of sweats. He said they like sweet blood, so stick to salty, spicy or sour. I am not 100% sure that is true as he may have been pulling my leg, :confused: but I guess it's worth a try.

[Biciclista]

mosquitoes are attracted to your scent and your body heat. Not sure avoiding sweets is going to do me much good

[NbyNW]

Just curious - has anyone ever heard of skin-soft being a good mosquito repelant? Years ago, it was much talked about, but I don't see or hear people talking about it anymore. On occassion I still use it, but not sure if it's all in my mind. I swear it works... Or, at least I think it does.

They actually DO market it as a bug spray now: http://www.avon.com/1/1/3735-skin-so-soft-bug-guard-plus-ir3535-expedition-spf-30-aerosol-spray.html

Mosquitos love me. Sometimes I'm the only one in the room who gets bit!

I find eating lots of garlicky food can help ward off the suckers. :p

[Biciclista]

saturday i was rubbing dirt on my arms since i didn't have repellant! :eek::eek:

[shootingstar]

Admittedly it's one of the drawbacks I don't like about long summer hiking in the woods or camping: mosquitoes. My bites seem to swell up bigger than some other people's.

It is real frustrating that I am the one the mosquitoes go after and take some bites. Whereas they hardly touch him (dearie) at all.

I have great respect for painters who do their artistic creations outdoors in certain areas where there are many mosquitoes.

[Crankin]

Skin So Soft doesn't do s**t, in my opinion.
I'd be willing to try the stuff Oak recommends, but for now I use Off. I don't get bitten a lot and tend to stay out of the woods at this time of year, but today I did go for a hike in the local conservation land. I sprayed my clothes and legs/arms, and no bites. I did get swarmed by these little fleas that were buzzing around my head. Don't know what these suckers are, but they have been around for a couple of weeks. I guess I need to spray my head, but I had just come from getting my hair colored and I thought one chemical was enough!