Anti insect sprays

A lot of the effectiveness of deet is going to be how fast you sweat it off, and how thick you apply it. just like sun-block, the lab guys probably put it on much thicker. In heavy sweat, even 99% is gone in a couple hours.
 
As a Florida Native I'll 2nd Tallahassee comments. Mosquitos and other critters LOVE me. Within a few minutes of being outside dusk/dawn/after rain I will be covered in bites if I do not take precautions. I use deet on exposed skin and also hike with clothing I've treated with permethrin or purchased clothing that was commercially treated. I've hiked in swamps and through forests in the hottest days of summer and had no troubles with insects. Bears were another matter. I was out again today over 10 miles through a forest and past a pond and again no ticks or troubles with other insects. So far I have not had to use a net. The commercially treated clothing is effective longer. Take care if you have cats/fish and treating your own clothing. Permethrin when wet is very dangerous to them.
 
Zappers have worked pretty well for me. They reduce, but don't completely eliminate the population. Mine definitely traps a lot of mosquitoes in addition to other unwanted guests. Locating one with its debris radius in mind is a good point.
Both REPEL and ROUNDUP make water based sprays you attach to a garden hose and spray your landscaping plants with. Very effective at knocking a skeeter population down and keeping it down for weeks per treatment. Very inexpensive and effective. This and the zapper make outdoor Florida possible.
Citronella candles and incense by definition rise straight up & blow away from where you want them. A pump citronella spray that settles wherever sprayed can be effective in a localized area.

Hello Clipper! +1000 for following instructions when using Permethrin, & under no circumstances let it get on your skin while treating your clothing/gear.
The old time Florida pioneer settlers used to keep their long sleeve shirts buttoned at collar and cuff no matter how broiling hot the weather, year round. Good protection against mosquitoes and ticks.
 
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I found that using a bush remedy worked a treat .
Onion lilly or bush onion , the bulb crushed up / cut up fine and either boiled and let cool or soaked overnight .. the water left over is good for treating burns , sun burn , bug bites , specially the bugs the biting flies north of Katherine , infected cuts and bruises . It takes away pain and swelling , fast , real fast . It promotes healing , burns that I expected to take weeks to heal took days to disappear . Thats the limit of my experience with it . Its recorded widely enough as simply a wash to treat infected skin with .

When I noticed that bugs dont go back to bite areas its been splashed onto , I soaked the brim of my hat with it , and beautiful , no more bugs in my face , like wearing an invisible fly veil .

I travel in the north mainly in the dry season to avoid tourists , but also its when the mangos are ripe , the lilly pillys are falling off the treas , the stinky cheese fruit is ... stinking .. it taste OK tho , regardless , the coconuts are that delicious green that the milk is sweet and the meat is jelly that you eat with a spoon .. you know what I mean if you been there :)

I used bush onion when I go , I NEED a deterrent for bugs , but after years of working in a workplace so saturated with chemicals aimed at making mineral extraction from ore bearing rock easier , my boots and trousers would grow crystals over night , I have a certain intolerance for most chemicals perfumes and bug sprays .

The liquid from the bush onion smells a little like old boiled potatoes , till it dries off anyway , then I dont smell it at all , the bugs do tho .

If you try it , do NOT ingest it . wash hands after using it . It is a powerful localised pain killer and disinfectant , it is really strong medicine and its probably abusing hell out of it to only use it for bug repellent properties , but , it works better and for longer than anything else I have known .
 
I sweat alot, even in colder weather
I have tried them all but none of it lasts too long on me
gadgetgeek said:
A lot of the effectiveness of deet is going to be how fast you sweat it off, and how thick you apply it. just like sun-block, the lab guys probably put it on much thicker. In heavy sweat, even 99% is gone in a couple hours.
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I guess that you have never been to Canada
We may not have tropical insects but we have mosquitoes, horse flies, black flies, midges ect
Our northern bogs and tundra areas are insect invested
Try telling your Alaskan friends that they know nothing about biting insects
I am sure they would laugh at your comment as much as I am
Tallahassee said:
Canada as an authority on tropical insects seems like Florida U. as an authority on frostbite.

That said, forty years of skeeter experience from The US to Africa to Asia has taught me that Deet concentrations below 25 to 40 % on adults have little to no effect. At 5 to 10% you might as well be applying tap water.
YMMV, but that's my experience.

Since it was mentioned, there's also a growing concern about exposing children to Deet. Personally, I wouldn't.

Neurotoxicity is a real concern, especially long term. That's why I use the REPEL lemon oil- eucalyptus alternative. Works great for me. My .02.
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