Tips to stay bug free.

[rcsenn]

<p>What I'm asking for is to see what people use to stay bug and breakout free. I know about the various insect repellants, but I'm looking for a little more. <br>

I have a small piece of property that backs up on a creek in the Outer Banks of NC. It's great for wildlife, but I want to get in the reeds and such at times. I wear long pants, long sleeves, hiking boots, and avoid white clothing but what else do I need to do? What else have you done that worked?<br>

I have some buddies that are military and/or law enforcement that swear by wearing pantyhose or lycra items to keep the ticks and chiggers from getting through to the skin. <br>

I know that a cup or so of bleach in the bathwater helps relieve the itching I get from poison oak/ivey. <br>

Rich</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Shirts and pants with bug repellent built in work for me, but unfortunately they are quite expensive. During a trip to Brazil 2 years ago, a few of us wore those clothing and we agree they do keep the bugs out.</p>

<p>Maybe you can spray repellent on your clothing and get a similar effect.</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>Richard, I feel your itch. :-) In the '90s, I worked as a wilderness ranger for the Forest Service in Southern California for several seasons, and I think I've been bitten by every critter out there except mountain lions and rattlesnakes (many close encounters there, but that's another tale.) Also, I started out with an immunity to poison oak but quickly learned that immunity decreases with exposure. I now believe that the only single item that would protect you from all those hazards is a space suit. But, I did learn a few things that help:</p>

<p>Wear gaiters. These are short leggings that basically cover your boot tops and your pants cuffs, closing the gap between the two so the little a**holes can't crawl in. They also keep out the rocks and twigs that always get into your boot tops and immediately head down your socks to the most sensitive part of your foot. Check at REI (rei.com) for availability - mine are made by Outdoor Research. Also, definitely wear a hat, maybe with a built in mosquito net. It would probably be a pain in the butt when shooting, but worthwhile between shots. You're on the right track with clothing, otherwise. I don't know about the pantyhose, etc., but remember that heat is also an issue from now through summer. You'll want to wear the least amount of clothing that works.<br />I had heard that tying fabric softener cloths to your clothing near your head helps keep some insects away. I tried it once but it didn't seem to work for me.</p>

<p>When you get bitten, hydrocortisone ointment can help reduce the itching. For poison oak, one thing I found that really helped was hot water, as hot as I could stand it for as long as possible. The itching went away for quite a while afterwards.</p>

<p>Have fun out there!</p>

[jeff_bloom2]

<p>Most of the clothing items with insect repellent built into them use Permethrin as the active insect repellent. You can buy Permethrin inexpensively at any outdoor store. Spray your clothing with Permethrin (but not while you are wearing it!), including socks and hat. That will help. <br>

You can also buy shirts and pants made of netting material. You can find them on sale quite often. Those are not bad in warm weather, as the air can get through them.</p>

[pvp]

<blockquote>

<p><em>I know about the various insect repellants, but I'm looking for a little more. ... I wear long pants, long sleeves, hiking boots, and avoid white clothing but what else do I need to do?</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Beyond basic means of physically keeping the bugs away -- long sleeves and pants; I'm not convinced that clothing color matters because the bugs we're most concerned with follow chemical traces to find us -- there is only chemistry. </p>

<p>In the realm of anti-bug chemistry, there is only DEET.</p>

[michaeljlawson]

<p>Be careful with some of the repellent sprays. I had someone hand me a can while we were out and I must have had a drop on my thumb, smeared the labels on the zoom in\out buttons of my XTI.</p>

[stemked]

<p>Michael is 100% correct, I once melted the plastic on a lens after touching it with my deet-covered hands.<br>

I thought light colors were generally better than dark clothes.<br>

Unfortunately mosquitos are attracted to Carbon Dioxide more than anything else. You generate even more CO2 if you drink alcohol or if you are doing heavy exercise. So you might be able to reduce mosquito by avoiding alcohol or heavy exercise, but as an organism that undergoes respiration you will never be able to eliminate them. .<br>

On a trip to Costa Rica I treated much of my clothes with Permethrin. It actually can go through the washer a couple of times and still remain in the clothes. I'd recommend spraying it on and letting it dry overnight. We didn't have a lot of bug problems on the trip, but that's rather unscientific.</p>

[chris_madison]

<p>A very useful non-DEET repellant is Cutter's Advanced. Contains Picaradin, synthesized from almonds or some such. Doesn't last as long as the DEET, but quite effective for an hour or so. Comes in handy 1 oz spray bottles for hiking. Non-poisonous as far as I know.<br />Another tip is to put a drop or two DEET under your hat brim or on your clothes, thus avoiding skin contact.</p>

[steve_thompson]

<p>I eat lots of garlic and have very few bug problems. For that matter people problems either. :)</p>

 

[greg s]

<p>My primary solution for chiggers in Costa Rica was to wear what I call my 'jungle pants' (Columbia wear with the zipper for turning them into shorts, which I never use) and tucking them into long socks. Then I spray just my shoes and the socks. Minimized the bites to almost zero, and also minimized the amount of repellant. The arms are a different matter. I like wearing off-white pants, shirt, hat... because it allows me to see stuff like ticks.<br>

For posion oak in San Diego county I just became super aware of its identity, almost without thinking about it after a few years (just a fact of life). The 1st time I got a dose was the last, because I avoided contact. -g-</p>

[Two23]

<p>Go to Walmart sporting goods, look for some REPEL brand permethrin spray. I think it comes in an orange & blue can. You spray your clothes, let it dry, and it will kill any tick or chigger that tries climbing on it. It will also keep the mosquitos from biting through clothing. I don't think DEET does anything to chiggers & ticks, just mosquitos. When black flies and mosquitos get really thick (such as in the Arctic,) I wear a headnet and mesh gloves too.<br>

Kent in SD</p>

[SteveH]

<p>I've tried taking extra Vitamin B1 - it seems to help keep the mosquitos away for me. But that could be just psychotherapy. I have a broad brimmed hat that I spray with permethrin and let dry, and then spray it with a DEET spray when in use. Also spray permethrin on shirt - this combo does a nice job keeping the bugs off my face. Bug netting. Spray permethrin on socks - this keeps the tics from crawling up. Be careful with 100% DEET - it will dissolve gortex and the rubber seals in your camera - if you must use it, just put it on the backs of your hands. As a last resort I found some New Zealand Army bug repellent and sunscreen that contains DEET, Permethrin and sunscreen - works pretty well in desperate situations. Cheers....</p>

[rcsenn]

<p>Thanks to all. I think the gaiters are something I'd definately overlooked. I'll probably keep with the lycra underrwear stuff I use for sailing and spray the outer layers with the repelents. Mainly I don't want to have to dig a tick out of the nether regions!<br>

Many thanks again!<br>

Rich</p>

 

[fd photo]

<p>Up here in NY's Adirondacks the black flies get pretty thick. NOT wearing deoderant, after shave, cologne, etc. seems to make you less of a target for them. This is also an effective strategy for repelling people :)<br>

The main thing I've found with ticks is to wear pants and keep the leg openings sealed as others have mentioned. Also look yourself over carefully after each outing as you can often find them before they get latched on.</p>

[charleseagan]

<p>William - Do the gaitors protect against snake bites?</p>

[chelsea]

<p>I take vitamin B1 during blackfly season, helps to repel most of them, but I haven't found it useful in warding off mosquitoes. A couple of people have told me that B3 is supposed to slow down mosquitoes, but you have to be REAL careful with the doseage of B3, it's a vaso-dilator and taking 100 mg can give you a horrible uncomfortable tingly hot feeling throughout your body. (I've used B3 to combat migraines.)</p>

<p>The email going around last year said that Listerine is supposed to ward off mosquitoes, but I didn't have much luck with it. Just freshened their breath as they bit me. Drier sheets: I've tried them, didn't work. Just looked silly with white flags hanging off my hat. Some of the guys I worked with down in Florida swore by Avon skin so soft. I found it worked well against blackflies but it didn't stop the mosquitoes. Catnip is supposed to be good, but I never found if you make a tea of it, wear it, or what. Probably just end up with a bunch of happy cats following you around. "Mosquito plants" are good in an enclosed space, I keep a couple in small pots and bring them into the bedroom at night during the height of mosquito season. Some people swear by eating lots of garlic, but then you end up smelling of garlic. I may get some of the garlic pills anyway this summer, I'm tired of being chewed upon.</p>

<p>Things to avoid: bananas and beer, puts a sweet smell in your blood. As mentioned earlier, sweet or perfumed soaps, shampoos, aftershaves, etc.</p>

[fd photo]

<p><em>William - Do the gaitors protect against snake bites?</em></p>

<p>You can get "snake gaitors" from outdoor shops (Cabela's, Bass Pro, etc.) that are made for snake bite protection. Regular gaitors may offer some protection but I wounldn't count on it, especially since there is such a large variety of materials and heights offered.</p>

[gregory_logiodice1]

<p>Anyone ever try this stuff? <a href="http://www.bugband.net">www.bugband.net</a>. It uses geraniol - a geranium oil concentrate - as the insect repellent. It comes in bands you can wear on your wrist or an oil you can spray on clothes. It has no deet, so contains no solvents. I bought a pair of wrist bands but have yet to try it out. Was wondering if anyone had any experience with this product.</p>

[jason_thurman]

<p>I don't like all those chemicals on me, so I just run the whole time I'm taking pictures, the bugs can't keep up. You just need a really fast shutter speed and a quick eye. If you're using a tripod, you can just leave it where you want it and hit the shutter release while you run past. As for ticks, I cut out the middle man and just wear peanut butter or vaseline all over my body from the start. Why wait until they're on you to use these remedies?</p>