Effectiveness of different bug repellents

Interesting tidbits:
1. "Natural" repelents such as citronella and oil of lavender are MORE likely to cause allergic reactions and are being phased out by Canadian autorities.

2. Picaridin-based repellents work just about as well as DEET, but they do not repel ticks and actually attract gnats. Bummer.

3. For short-term exposures (less than 2 hours), soy-based and other natural product repellents work as well as DEET and don't need to be washed off upon returning indoors. This is good if your kids are just going outside for a bit after supper or other short-term exposure.

-Blast

My DEET concern is its reputation for eating GoreTex, nylon, etc. unless you are very religious about keeping it away from such things (no spray DEET, wear only natural fibers, and I guess you are not supposed to sweat) and also about washing it off any clothing.

Permethrin is supposed to be a clothes-friendly tick repellant that can be sprayed on clothes and footgear.

Picaridin-based repellents work just about as well as DEET


In my experience, this is wrong, I bought some 2-years ago and found it gave only a few min of protection. DEET is a much better product.

I have tried lots of different products as I naturally attrack mosquitos and have a more than average reaction to them. Nothing works as good as deet. Too bad it kills you.

drink more beer and add more cayenne pepper to your diet, the mosquitoes won't like you as much.

I've always used DEET based repellants and I've never had a problem with it eating clothes.

I put it on my hands first, then rub it into wherever I need protection...then wash my hands.

I also commonly wear a wool base layer even in summer which helps too I think.

Really?

In my experience, it repels black flies (bigger gnats), while DEET basically puts the dinner bell around my neck for the little monsters. And I'm allergic to them, the anticoagulin or whatever it is they inject is like poison ivy for most other people.

It also has one major advantage- it doesn't eat nylon and other plastics.

I watched an adirondack black fly do a splashdown in a puddle of deet on my arm, swim to the bottom, and bite me. I think the black flys are more closely related to wolverines than gnats.

When I was young, I was always told that if you eat a lot of garlic in your food that the bugs wouldn't bother you as much. It seems to work because I am rarely bothered by flying insects and I almost never get ticks and never (for as long as I can remember) chiggers either.
I have also heard the same things about onions.


I love both.

Haha that tends to not only repel bugs, but people too. That can be a good thing .