What's the best bug repellent?

[EBass]

It's becoming that time of year again, and wondered what people use out there. I like that 3M stuff. No Deet and keeps those skeeters away. But the black flys don't seem to mind it. Dang they bite hard.

Any thoughts out there.

[Fishn'Lady]

I like the 3M stuff too. Ultrathon. I also seen a spray I think "OFF" makes just for the black flies. I don't know if it works, I saw it in an ad for Fleet Farm a few weeks ago.

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Fishn'Lady

[kwkfsh]

Ebass, 3M Ultrathon is 31.58% Deet. Many people express concern that DEET is a toxic chemical and bad for your health and this is untrue. DEET has been in widespread use for many, many decades and has been studied in depth. For complete info on this you can go to www.pesticideinfo.org It is listed as the best repellant to use on children to protect them from West Nile Virus. DEET is considered the gold standard in insect repellants. Simply put to purchase an insect repellant that does not contain DEET is a waste of your money and a risk to your health.

[huskminn]

Ultrathon and/or Deep Woods Off. Both have good amounts of DEET.

[scalescratcher]

My money's on Muskol. The old liquid bottles were 99% Deet (the only PROVEN repellent) and would melt plastic it came in contact with but for keeping the bugs away I've never found anything better.

[EBass]

I'm going to check my can when I get home. I could've swore that it didn't have any.

I still love it even with deet. Muskol is/was my second choice that I didn't mention.

I also thought that deet was toxic. Well thanks for schooling me kwkfsh!

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

You can get 100% DEET in a small pump spray at Wal-Mart....

Skeeters get me really bad, so I''ve found these things help some.

Quit eating Bananas. It's proven they are attracted to people who eat them!

Take Vitamin B1. It stinks to us & them.

Take the "ODOR" Garlic pills.

*** Vicks Vapo-Rub takes away the sting & welt very fast !!! I heard it a few times, thought no way. So I tried it and sure enough it went away quickly !!! Way better than anything else......

Hope this helps...

[Long Gray Line]

Nothing compares to Ultrathon. The military has been using for over 10 years. While it doesn't have the concentration of DEET that other products have, anything above 35-40% is a waste. The big advantage that Ultrathon has over the others is that it's carried on a time release liquid polymer that will realistically (I know!) last over 6 hours. The package claims 8 hours but it'll depend on your activity. If you're really looking for protection, combine Ultrathon with a coating of a permethrin on your clothing. Gander has one called "No More Stinking Ticks" (I think). It'll last for days and multiple washings on your clothing and it actually kills the insects that come in contact with it. I've seen ticks walk across impregnated clothing and fall off dead. Don't spray permethrin on your skin. It's not dangerous but it breaks down within minutes due to the chemicals you give off. The Army says that Ultrathon combined with permethrin is 100% effective against mosquitos, ticks, chiggers, sand fleas (a big problem for them recently!!)and alot more. It even worked last summer on the friendly flies!!!

[Dennis Steele]

I put up with a lot of skeeters being in the river bottoms an awful lot.THe best spry I have found is Deep Woods Off.I have heard the claims of UltraThon and gave it a shot last year.I was unimpressed and very itchy for the next few days.When the skeeters are thick it just doesn't cut it for me.

[united jigsticker]

Just make sure you keep that stuff off your fingers and your jigs. The skeeters don't like it, and niether does the Walleye-Gators and Crappies.

[justfishingaround]

Are insect repellents still good from year to year?

[Surface Tension]

You cant go wrong with Deep Woods Off and I like the spray can for application.
I have small bottles of Bug Stop lotion (100% DEET) that works great on my canoe trips. Ive also got a case of Bug Stop in pump bottles. Darn pump doent work for crap so I end up splashin it on by hand.
I think most brands work some just have to be applied more often and heavier.

Ive heard some kids are very sensitive to DEET. I put the DEET dope on the kids cloths and use the Kid Safe stuff on their skin, think its got sunblock too. And of coarse a layer of light clothing stops the sun and skeeters

Those darn flies that zip around the bottom of the boat and bite ankels are the worst pest some times. Nothing worse then tryin to sit back and relax and you you keep havin to swat flies, and their fast, you cant catchum. That fly is the reason animals have tails. Keeping the boat floor clean helps to not attract them flies. Dug Dope dosent do jack sqwat. You need some Black Flag, it knocks those bugs dead. Its the stuff in the big cans with the roach layin upside down DEAD, by Johnson Wax.

[Steve Foss]

I fished with an old fart once who opened a couple of those no-pest fly strips, the yellow sticky ones you see hanging from the ceilings in cow and horse barns.

He put them in the bottom of the boat. And they worked.

Guess old farts know a thing or two.

Also, on the DEET thing, I believe the active ingredient is absorbed through the skin and is carried around in the blood. Does that mean a person can take a strong concentration of DEET, put it on the insides of his wrists and let his bloodstream do the work, instead of spraying it all over?

My fav for DEET is still the strongest REPEL spray (they come in several strengths). It smells better than the others, and works as good for me.

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"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[Guest]

Try 3-M UltraThon lotion, great Stuff.

Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"

[This message has been edited by Backwater Eddy (edited 06-08-2003).]

[EBass]

Thanks for all the replies. This is great I did check the can of Ultrathon and it didn't say DEET, but it had some other chemical that was probably latin for DEET.

No More Stinking Ticks huh? That's cool cause on Memorial Wkend I had to kill 5 ticks on me.

That fly paper trick is a good idea to. Same with the bananas and vitamins.

Thanks everyone!! Lots of great suggestions and testimonials. (spelling)

I now feel more prepared to battle those buggers!!

One last thing. No one mentioned the good ol Fly Swatter!

[Guest]

Ultrathon. Works wonders.

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-FNC

"If I had a job... I'd quit it."

[Guest]

Nearly all solvents have been associated with central nervous system disorders, the prevailing wisdom is the less exposure the better.

DEET, (N,N diethyl-M-toulamide), is a strong solvent, it will disolve plastic and ruin watch crystals. DEET will weaken monofilament fishing line. If you think repeated exposure to a strong solvent will not affect your health,

Reuveni, H. and P. Yagupsky. 1982. Diethyltoluamide - containing insect repellent: adverse effects in world-wide use. Arch. Dermatol. 118: 582-583.

well its your health do what you want. DEET doesn't actually do anything to repel insects, it is more of a chemical "mask" so that insects are unable to smell you. DEET has been proven to enter the bloodstream through application to the skin, and while many people use DEET-based products without incident, others have suffered side-effects ranging from rashes and hives to uncontrollable twitching and muscle spasms to death. Children seem especially susceptible to DEET exposure. In 1995 alone, the National Poison Control Center in Washington, DC. received over 6,700 reports of repellent exposure, including one death, and of the 6,700 reports, two thirds occurred in children age six and under.

I will use it when there is no other choice, but things like wide brimmed hats, light colored clothing to see ticks, long sleeves and tall collars seem to do more than repellant. Mosquitos must be attracted to some people more than others, at times I might not be having trouble with them, while others are getting devoured.

Thick wool socks stop the ankle biting flies. We bring fly swatters to the boundary waters, pretty much the only proven effective remedy against biting flies, provides hours of fun while fishing, paddling, or sitting around camp. Flies are not really "repelled" by DEET, and are able to locate you visually.

I have tried some of the botanical preparations, some seem to work better than nothing, some might not do anything. Some have been studied and shown to be effective for up to five hours.

[This message has been edited by coldone (edited 06-09-2003).]

[This message has been edited by coldone (edited 06-09-2003).]

[Aquaman01]

I tried two products last weekend, 'cause I didn't want big human-stink on me while I was catfishing. Off Botanicals - crap. Does nothing. Garden Safe brand - good - works. Get it at Target.

Down south in FL, I used to keep fleas off my dogs by feeding them a clove of garlic a day. No fleas.

Interesting, Coldone. I never thought of DEET as just a strong mask.

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Aquaman
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Peace and Fishes

[Lowe]

Don't ever believe DEET is non-harmful. Pesticides are meant to kill or ward off terrestrial organisms, and we share a lot of similarities with even the lowest animals. Even though DEET relies on its masking properties, it is still toxic (as coldone noted - nice post BTW ) and the reaction of insects to the scent should be proof enough of the nature of the chemical. I believe DEET is classified as slightly toxic, which usually means a diluted sample killed some organisms over a short period of time. If you are putting 100% DEET on your skin you do run the risk of some type of reaction - although you may not notice the effects for days, months, or years. There is little data on the long term effects of DEET. Long term, repeated exposure to some other solvents (acetone, hexane, etc.) have caused neurological complications in some people.

Just something to keep in mind. I use DEET based products myself from time to time, but try not to make a habit out of it. For those of you who feel uncomfortable or unsafe using DEET, consider using a sheet of fabric softener. Simply tuck a sheet (Bounce, etc.) under your hat, in your shirt collar, whatever. It does work, although to a lesser degree than a DEET-based repellant. Smells better, too.

[protrapper]

Where can I get Ultrathon?? I have not seen it anywhere. I called my mother who works for 3M and she says the people who make it have been working tons of overtime, and that most of it is in Iraq. I use Muskol with good results.But would like to try Ultrathon.

[kwkfsh]

.

[EBass]

How ya doing Protrapper?

I got mine (last year) at Cub or Gander.

[Guest]

I see 3-M UltrThon at WallMart and at Fleet farm.

You can get it on-line too. Just do a search and you will find an outlet for it. It comes in a spray too, but the lotion has worked best for me.

Your right, it was initially tested by the Military. It is now the official general issue bug lotion. It replaced the good Ol 100% deet and fuel oil mix that many of us used once upon a time.

Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"

[This message has been edited by Backwater Eddy (edited 06-10-2003).]

[simplefish]

I heard that eating a bunch of carrots will help. Skeeters are attracted by heat and carbon dioxide, they have no eyes, can sense heat, and only the females bite, the males eat nector from flowers and have eyes (know your enemies). I have tried citronella and it doesn't seem to work very well. Skin-so-soft works well, especially for the kids, it also has sunblock in it I think. For me I like ultathon, works great but I get a little itchy afterwords. The fish don't like it so rub a little anise oil or fish oil on your hands afterwords. For ticks: long pants tucked in your sock with camo duck tape around works well, and long sleave shirts. I have also found that wearing a one piece, ultra light/thin, tight fitting, BREATHABLE long underwear type clothing helps alot for ticks, and actually helps keep me cool on warm days and warm on cool days. I also like a two piece Rynoskin outfit. I can wear it without bug repellant and it works. Got the set for like 70 bucks out of a Bass Pro Shop Cat. Cheaper in the long run if you don't have to buy hardly any bug dope.

[Guest]

I have gotten 100% deet from Wall Mart and Target. Very good stuff. look in the camping section.

[Fishn'Lady]

100% Deet is still available, but the experts say you should never put it directly on your skin. If you should decide to use a product with Deet in it you should keep it limited to your clothes and hat.

I've seen the Ultrathon at Cub Foods and Wal-Mart. That is my pick for bug repellent. I've also used Repel brand Sportsman formula with success.

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Fishn'Lady

[simplefish]

I used deet a little last year, and I got a little on my plastic worms. The next time I went fishin' they were melted. I no longer use deet...

[Guest]

got my Ultrathon at Walgreens

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-FNC

"If I had a job... I'd quit it."