Sometimes I hike to stop. What would you consider for area bug repellant?

[Richard May]

Sometimes I hike stop. It’s just nice to hang out in one place for a day or two and soak up the environment with a book. I take my chair, kindle, and a larger tarp. Maybe even binoculars and a bird guide.

But there’s the mosquitos. In Louisiana there’s tons of ’em. A quick search brings up tons of DIY Mosquito traps, and I’m thinking of adding to my “Hike to Stop” kit.

They’re all basically the same:

Just wondering if anyone has any other ideas that I could consider.

[Paul S.]

Could carry a solo net and hang it above you. Or wear clothes that protect you.

[David Thomas]

A friend had 6 squirrels in the his yard.  They bury hickory nuts that grow up into saplings in the lawn, so he decided to shoot all 6 squirrels and be done with it.  After he shot 43 squirrels, there were still 5 left.

From the Consumer Reports reviews of those area-wide, propane-powered mosquito traps (the huge, $200-300 ones), I suspect it similar with mosquitos: while it’s satisfying to kill a bunch of them, you really haven’t made a dent.

CO2 triggers them to go into hunter-seeker mode.  IR from warm bodies guides them your skin.  Mosquito “repellent” actually just blinds them to your IR.  They are hovering, looking, but not “seeing” you.

I’ve tested eucalyptus oil and DEET side by side and found the eucalyptus oil to be noticeable more effective (counting landings on each leg).  Others, and some published reviews found likewise.  But even with a perfect “repellent” (really just stopping them from seeing you), they are still buzzing around which I don’t find very relaxing and a few always get through.

If I want to relax somewhere, read a book, and look at the scenery, I’d bring a mesh tent or a tent with a mesh inner and leave the rain fly off during the day.  Or a few yards of mosquito netting and drape it from the trees.

If I’m active but not hiking (cooking dinner, fishing), then I want a mosquito headset, long sleeves and long pants.  And, if really bad, gloves or wearing my sleep socks as gloves.

[David Thomas]

Another friend also always had squirrels in her yard until she married Diane and gained 5 cats.  No more squirrels.  Which suggests that we should bring dragonflies with us.

[Richard May]

I don’t know why I didn’t think of a bug-net. Doh.

And that squirrel story is pretty poignant. :)

 

 

[Jim C]

I’ve half joked that I dream of having hiking goats one day. And one day, mark my words, I will have hiking goats! In the meantime, maybe I should look into getting some hiking dragonflies.

[Golly G. Willikers]

Bring a brimmed hat and a mosquito net for your head only.

Use repellent on your arms, hands, legs, and feet. Don’t use DEET. Use Icaridin aka Picaridin aka hydroxyethyl isobutyl piperidine carboxylate. It has these advantages:

• as effective as DEET
• less of a toxin or irritant that DEET
• does not dissolve plastic (e.g., expensive clothing) like DEET does

Lastly, wash/soak your shelter, bug netting, and some of your clothing in Permethrin. Don’t use on skin (but you can wear Permethrin-treated clothes next to skin).

I suppose in a really thick cloud of biting bugs I would just go inside my shelter, or come prepared with more clothing made of bug netting. In a pinch, I would put on my gloves/jacket/wind pants etc., but the compromise would be being overdressed for conditions, so one discomfort would be replaced by another.

I have seen people use a swatter that electrocutes bugs when it touches them. Maybe worth a shot in terrible clouds of bugs, especially larger bugs, if you do not mind possibly causing suffering, and devoting your time and attention to swatting.

In the end, bugs are a part of life, and you will not succeed in excluding all of them from your space, so you might as well just relax after doing as much as possible to deter them. Taking a macro lens for your camera (or using macro mode on your point-and-shoot) can yield some fascinating close-up “bugwatching”, as well.

[David Thomas]

“I have seen people use a swatter that electrocutes bugs when it touches them. “

Those tennis racket style mosquitos killers are great around the house, especially for kids.  I’m not sure they actually reduce the mosquito population very much, but emotionally it very satisfying to eliminate dozens of them.  Kind of a real-life video game with light and sound effects because they arc and pop when you hit them.  $5-8 at any store in my town.

Their highest use though is to take out that one last mosquito that got in the house and is buzzing around as you’re trying to get to sleep.

[DAN-Y/FANCEE FEEST]

I have one these bug baffler shirts and it works well.

http://www.gardeners.com/buy/bug-baffler-adult-hooded-bug-shirt/30-632+++++++++L%2FXL.html?utm_campaign=PLA&utm_medium=googleshopping&utm_source=google&SC=XNET9593&gclid=CMfBlImW4dMCFYsAaQodJ2EKIw&kwid=productads-adid^92861478158-device^c-plaid^221210005478-sku^30@ADL4632%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20L%2FXL-adType^PLA

The skeeters in Louisiana are almost as big as dragonflies LOL. In Mississippi, there are so many skeeters the dragon flies eat so well they get as big as humingbirds :-)))

[DancingBear]

Has anyone else tried the mosquito coils (active ingredient pyrethrum).  I’ve had pretty good luck with them.  I break them into 2″ lengths at home to make packing easier.  Mine go into a repurposed clamshell box (I think it held screws or something originally) along with 4 of the stamped metal burners.  In camp I arrange the burners in a rough rectangle around the area we’re hanging out.  The short lengths burn about an hour or so, and seem to keep the bugs at bay.

Walt

 

[Richard May]

I’ve wondered about the coils too. I now have a list of things to play with

• Box of dragon flies or, maybe bats :)
• DIY Mosquito Trap
• Mosquito Coils
• Bug net condom:

[jscott]

I think mosquito impermeable clothing is the most effective and simplest way to go. Nylon pants, sun shirt, broad brimmed hat covered with wide spaced netting that doesn’t impede your view (much). Sun grubbies or an equivalent to protect the back of your hands, possibly lightly spritzed with deet. I prefer this to hand nets, which are awkward. You can then remove sun grubbies when you eat or prepare food.

Sun Precautions has a neck drape hat with a large drape that covers your neck and can be pulled all the way up over your nose if needed. It’s made for sun but is impermeable to mosquitoes. This is great while hiking if you don’t like netting to impede your view. You can easily velcro it up in a cloud of mosquitoes and then undo it when you’re free of the little bast….ds.

Deet gives me a headache so I avoid it as much as possible; certainly on my face. I suppose you might spritz your sock tops to complete an invincible barrier.

[Golly G. Willikers]

Jeffrey, definitely give Picaridin a try instead of Deet. Much less noxious.

[J-L]

Has anyone tried the Thermacell Backpacker Mosquito Repeller thing?

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/thermacell/backpacker-mosquito-repeller/

[jscott]

Re: Thermacell mosquito repeller, from the manufacturer:
“In general, Allethrin has low toxicity for humans and birds (but can be toxic to fish and cats).”

I’m not quite sure what that means. Also; “wind might impact the effectiveness…” ya think? Of course you want wind when mosquitoes are around.

But no I haven’t used it.

[Ross L]

When I go up to northern BC in the summer, I use a combination of Bens 30% Deet along with clothing pretreated with Sawyers Permithrin. I use a headnet as well cause some of the local blood suckers just dive bomb you regardless of the chemical cloud of repellent.

Read this for some science based opinion….

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/insect-repellent.htm

 

[Richard May]

When I lived in Latin America we used mosquito mats every night for years. They look a lot like those mats. They are very effective. As a kid I’d literally watch mosquitos stop flying and fall mid-flight (okay, maybe just once or twice… but I swear it happened!). A little scary now that I’m older and think about what I was breathing every night.

The active ingredient in the Baygon version is Pallerthrin. Word on the street was that it worked by clogging a mosquito’s skin and prevented them from breathing. It’s one of those things I haven’t bothered to look up and took for granted. Maybe it’s time I verified that.

 

[Ken Thompson]

Big net enclosure,

http://us.hilleberg.com/EN/shelters/mesh-box/

Cattails. Smoldering seem to keep the bugs away.

[BlackHatGuy]

“Has anyone tried the Thermacell Backpacker Mosquito Repeller thing?”

Yes, just tried it on a car-camping trip. Took awhile to get the damn thing lit, but it seemed to work. Was hard to tell since by the time we got it lit it was getting dark when most mosquitos are headed to bed anyway.

[Author]

Posts