Mosquitos

oops, already posted

I've heard of people dying from heat stroke, from using 100% deet on their chest/body when it's really hot. Something to do with the deet clogging pores and not allowing sweating/"breathing" and thus overheating very easily. I'd be safe and put the deet on your clothing, not skin, in the hot summer.

Thermacell works ok in low wind, but it's a PITA and game can smell it just like they can deet. Plus it gives me a headache, so I don't see any advantage to thermacell.

Thermacell

I'm severely allergic to mosquito bites. Mildly allergic to all other insect bites.

My entire life has been a never-ending tribulation of repelling this very insect. I've tried every alternative repellent that has ever been reported, spoken, or rumored. Home brews, all naturals, and secret potions. Garlic, onions, vitamin B, Skin so Soft, citronella, you name it, I've tried it.

They are all bunk.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, has kept mosquitoes off of me other than DEET. Since I was a baby, my parents have been dipping me in the highest percentage of DEET available. If the DEET isn't potent and fresh, I'll get bitten anyway.

Nowadays, they offer higher concentrations than they ever used to. I use whatever has the highest, and it works. If I'm in the field all day, I keep some OFF! Wipes to reapply because it does fade. I'll have to check out Thermacell. Never heard of it.

Also, I've searched the world over for remedies to bites afterward.
I've tried them all too. Nothing but time (a long time for me) heals mosquito bites.

A side note:
For some reason mosquitoes swarm to me more so than others that are around me. I've known about their homing to CO2 all along, but unless I emit more CO2 than others do, I can't figure it out. If you were to ask my wife, she could fill your ear with instance after instance where we both walked through a yard and I got attacked and bitten a dozen times in a matter of seconds and she was left alone. In fact, she rarely uses repellents and rarely gets bit, but I can't mow my lawn without covering myself in it.

I have a little experience with the Alaska state bird and what I do is wear a old cowboy hat with a wide brim and soak the brim with 100% DEET. The skeets get 2 feet away and do a sharp u turn. that and a loose long sleeve shirt. Never on skin. That stuff lifted the stock finish off my mini 14.

CoRoMo-

When you and your wife hold hands, whose hands are warmer?

I've heard body heat cited as a reason for mosquitoes prefering one person over another.

I drink alot of beer the night before and they dont bother me at all. Seriously.

CoRoMo, stay up there, way clear of the gulf coast and the tundra of the arctic in the summer. You probably get nightmares watching those hunting shows in the arctic in Canada or Alaska, skeeters swarming on the camera lens. LOL We have 'em like that in the marshes and after a good rain just about everywhere, even in town where they spray for 'em. If i had serious allergic reactions to 'em, I'd have been dead a way long time ago.

Cigars & DEET; if the cigar fails, resort to bug net.

You know, the funny thing is, they're all into this scent lock and cover scent and scently soap and crap now days. Hell, until December, I'm hunting in Deep Woods Off scent. Why would I worry about taking a shower with suave shampoo the night before?

I've worked up north a lot in Canada and the mosquitoes are real bad. The only thing that really worked was DEET. Just don't spray it on yourself, that stuff melts plastic. At least flagging tape anyways. I found that spraying it on my shoulders and ballcap worked well. On bad days I would put a bandana under my ballcap foreign legion style and spray it also. As for clothes skeeters have a hard time going through that cotton/poly material that they use in workpants and shirts. I use to wear those standard blue workshop cotton/poly coveralls, they worked real good but you got to spray the spots that they can get in. Nylon windpants and jackets work well also.
I was once working geology up north and a coworker found out the most incredible thing. One time at the end of the day he was waiting for the helicopter and he covered himself with the bright orange helicopter flag to try to catch some shuteye. The skeeters would go under the flag and freak out and try to get out. No bites. I tried it and it really worked.
One treeplanter I worked with did the garlic thing. I don't know if it worked against the skeeters but it sure did against other people, he smelled real bad.

i use deet and useally take a overweight friend that i just fed a cheeseburger to for a sacrifice.

MCgunner

Now that the weather is changing up here, this thread crossed my mind, and I never popped back in to reply to any comments about my post.

I used to want to live in Alaska, but you're right, I get the heebie jeebies when I see Tred Barta up in Labrador and he is covered in mosquitoes. Freaks me out man!

Oh, and speaking of your coastal regions... sand flies eat my ankles up something fierce.

+1 for thermacell

I never leave home without one.....

I don't care what anyone uses. Just use something.

I got St Louis encephalitis from mosquitoes, and it kicked my ever living rear end. Two years of a generalized weakness, and sensitivity to light.

Whatever you use, or do, make sure you use it, and do it.

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical

Try anything with Permanone in it. You put it on your clothing and let it dry, NOT on your skin. Also works on ticks, chiggers, and my personal favorite, the black fly.

Oh, and speaking of your coastal regions... sand flies eat my ankles up something fierce.

Click to expand...

Heh, I went hog hunting down at a WMA pretty close to Aransas NWR last month. I spent the morning out there. I'm just now getting rid of the chiggers. Man, they're fierce down there. I've heard wearing panty hose deters 'em, and while there's no one down there to witness that, I'm just not that girly. LOL!

In Alaska, a good bird gun loaded with #9 shot and an IC or Skeet choke is probably your best bet.