19 September 2009
To Bug or Not To Bug
Posted by admin under: Equipment .
So, I decided to take some time off of the blog. Could you tell? Got more into helping my wife with her day care business (I now can simultaneously get two screaming toddlers to go to sleep at the proper nap time – the moms know how awesome this ability is) and enjoying the end of the summer with my kids and the four Scouting groups of which they are members. Now I’m getting caught up on my summertime reading and there’s so much good stuff out there. So, expect a flurry of posts as I try to catch up to all of you and what has been going on.
First up, is another article on the Gear Guy section of the Boys’ Life website. I referenced his previous post on how to avoid the mosquitoes, but this time he’s taking the “which spray is best” topic in hand. Short version: DEET.
Mosquitoes really can cramp your style around camp. The good news: There are repellents that work. The bad news: Most aren’t made from natural ingredients.
You’ll hear and see all kinds of advertisements boasting natural repellents and how well they work. They might be somewhat effective for a short while, but if you’re serious about avoiding bug bites, DEET-based repellents are the most effective. The stuff really works (it’s what the Army uses), but it’s also the most toxic for our bodies — it smells very strong, will melt some plastics, and don’t even think about getting it in your eyes!
Repellents are available in different concentrations of DEET, from 4.75-percent to 100-percent. Typically, the higher the concentration of the active ingredient, the longer the protection it’ll provide. For instance, a spray with 4.75-percent DEET would last about an hour or so while repellent with 23.8-percent DEET would be effective for almost five hours.
Do some testing of your own to figure out which is the lowest percentage of DEET repellant that still keeps the bugs away for you. Folks who are very susceptible to bug bites seem to feel like 25 percent DEET is the lowest concentration they can get away with using.
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Still, the only way to be 100 percent free of bug bites is to wear Permethrin-treated clothing and spray DEET on your exposed skin.
There you have it. But there’s more if you click on over to the article. More detail on other substances, some advice by readers in the comments section of the article, and locations of where to get these wonder repellents. So go read it all. The skin you save could be your own or your troops’.
- Skeeter Beaters
- Boys’ Life Backs Alps
- Tick Talk
- Stargazer Bug Netting
- Gear Guy Says to Avoid Crotch Rot
One Comment so far...
Mary Ann Chick Whiteside Says:
23 September 2009 at 12:31 am.
Of course, we noticed you were gone. Welcome back.
