What's your best Insect repellant?

[kevinmd]

Howdy all,

I am an Army physician with quite a bit of experience with driving the blood suckers (not lawyers, the mosquitoes!)

Anyway... all humor aside.

100% DEET is overkill. It is potentially damaging to clothing, plastics (squirt some 100% DEET onto a vinyl bottle (like a shampoo bottle) and in a few minutes you can wipe away all the print on the bottle. Some people have noted mild neurologic side effects (numbness on lips and eyelids when 100% DEET is used. Thus the military no longer uses 100% DEET. The new formulation is made by 3M and is a micronized formulation. It is 33% DEET and lasts for about 8 hours per application. In the lotion are tiny polymer beads that time release the DEET giving long-lasting protection. Be aware that DEET and certain sunscreens interact, decreasing the efficacy of both, placing you at increased risk for sun burn and bites.

As an aside, premetherin is to be used on clothing only, not directly on your skin. It is useful in protecting yourself from ticks and mosquitoes.

Hope this is kinda helpful!

---------
Kevin King
kevinkingmd@bigfoot.com

 

[vmf]

I worked in the Australian jungle in north Queensland for two years (in fact about 100 kms from the Survivor location) and the best insect repellant that kept everything away was an Australian medicated lotion called "Rid", made by Thorley Laboratories Pty Ltd at http//thorleylab.com.au
It is a DEET, has camomile, and if you get it on plastics, it does funny things!!! If you get it in your eyes - ouch!!!

Regards,

vmf

 

[Starfish]

If you go with the Skin-So-Soft, get it with the Sun Screen +30. The sunscreen makes it a thick lotion rather then an oil slick.

When my Hubby was in the Arkansas back-woods, it was the only thing that kept the chiggers away. He even used it as a hair gel! to keep off ticks. Other people only used the bath oil, and it didn't work as well.

 

[greg somers]

They couldn't have possibly tried to bite someone as lovely as you.....
You know who....

 

[keralucu]

Referring back to Doc Vikingo's comment on the first page about not wearing bright clothing, mosquitoes are actually attracted to the colour black - that is why they will tend to swarm or gather in dark rooms, in bushes or under furniture and seem to dissapate when the lights go on. I don't know about colours and sandflies - nothing seems to deter them, and I am allergic to their bites! Never heard of DEET before, but will look out for it in insect repellant - not that I think I'll find it in Thailand....

Wish I could get hold of some of that cactus juice over here - it sounds perfect. Oh yes, citronella oil is also good for mozzies, but useless against noseeums....

 

[Natasha]

Greg,
Oh My! What a sweet talker. You must want something. Maybe a ticket to the US after your Korea trip?
:sunny:

 

[Louie]

I learned this one when I was in one of the small islands in the South Pacific. The locals swear by coconut oil so I (skeptical at first)mixed three parts oil to one part 50% strength Deet gel. Worked better than everything else I'd tried.
Apparently, the oil makes it physically difficult for the mosquitos to bite and the DEET is the repellent so the combination is quite effective.

 

[keralucu]

Maybe it was the coconut oil and DEET combination, but I would not use coconut oil as a repellant - I've had bites from having a beach massage in Bali where the masseuse was using home-pressed coconut oil and the scent of it seemed to draw out the largets mozzies I had ever seen or felt.... OW!

 

[scubabunny]

Here is a related question...can sand fleas live indoors like regular fleas? We store our dive gear in the house, and it is usually wet (never really has a chance to dry out!). Lately, I've been waking up with little tiny itchy stinging blisters on the back of my hands and on my feet..just like I get when I hang around the beach. Are these from sand fleas, or some other kind of annoying, tropical no-seeum? I don't get these normally except during the rainy season (which just started here), but I don't think they are mosquito bites...they are more like HUGE deformities on the skin!

I thought about bug-bombing, but I have animals (2 cats and a bunny) which are de-flead once a month, and I don't want to hurt them. Will soaking the gear in something besides fresh water kill them better?

Also, is there any kind of vitamin or herb that can be taken to prevent becoming an insect buffet? I've heard garlic and beta-carotine help, but I'm not sure if they really work.

Any suggestions?

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi scubabunny,

Yes, sand fleas/no see ums can happily reside indoors given the proper conditions. However, what's actually biting you can only be definitively determined by an entomological examination of the critter, although a dermatologist savvy in tropical medicine can likely make a very educated guess. And, s/he can assist you in treating it.

In the meantime, bug bombing may well be effective. Just keep your cats away while it's taking place. As for your gear, it should not be bombed. Not only could it damage parts of the gear, but could end up poisoning you. Before bombing, I'd suggest you thoroughly clear the dive gear house of sand, cobwebs, nests, piles of old rags/clothes,etc.

To rid your gear of insects (and microbes, too), soak it in a diluted household bleach solution. The CDC recommends one-quarter cup of bleach to one gallon of water and a soaking time of up to 10 minutes, followed by thorough rinsing. Other disinfectants safe if used as directed include Wescodyne, Santimine & Timsen.

When you soak, you'll want to make sure the disinfectant solution does not work its way back into the regulator first stage. Therefore, keep the reg on a tank with the lines pressurized. If this is not convenient, make sure the first stage remains above the level of the soak.

There are variety of folk remedies, e.g., oral garlic, said to ward off insects, but I wouldn't rely on these.

Best of luck with it.

DocVikingo