How did the American Indians deal with mosquitos?

I have read that in the Northeast, they used bear grease for bug protection. The book also mentioned that the practice is probably one of the main reasons natives were though to be "dirty" from the rancid smell.
 
-Smokey fire
-Moved to windy locations in summer and sheltered areas in winter.
-Mud
-State of mind
-Cedar
-Clothing
 
Hey Guys...

I understand it was bear grease as well...

Not too often do I use any form of insect repellant..Only 1-2 times a year will I put it on..They usually don't bother me too much..
My wife on the other hand..

Holy Smokes,,she gets eaten alive!!

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Unless you are purposefully doing some reenactment, just use DEET-based repellents. Harmless, time-proven, and highly effective.

If you are looking at what is effected for informational purposes, this was published in the Southeast Asia Journal of Tropical Medicine:
In laboratory tests, 0.1 g of each product was applied to 3x10 cm of exposed area on a volunteer's forearm, while in field trials, 1.0 g was applied to each volunteer's leg (from knee to ankle). In the laboratory, the gel dosage form contained 20% clove oil (Gel B) or 10% clove plus 10% makaen oil mixture (Gel E) were promising plant-based repellents against three mosquito species and gave significantly longer complete protection times of 4-5 hours than all other developing products. Therefore, their efficacy in the field was evaluated. Under field conditions, Gel E showed complete protection for 4 hours and gave 95.7% repellency after 5 hours application, whereas Gel B and 20% deet (di-methyl benzamide) provided only 86.8 and 82.7% repellency after treatment, respectively against Ae. aegypti, daytime-biting mosquitos. For nighttime-biting, the 3 repellents under development yielded equally excellent (average 97.1%) repellency for 5 hours against the predominant Cx. quinquefasciatus and Mansonia uniformis, but they gave 89.0% repellency against Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Cx. gelidus.
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10% clove plus 10% makaen oil mixture was roughly able to match DEET in performance against mosquitoes.
 
The mosquitos on the Texas coast are a particularly fierce and wind resistant strain, and the Karanakwa Indians used a coat of alligator grease as repellant.
 
One way to deal with a few, and not clouds of them, is to not attract them. I've found light colored clothing, which the tribes didn't usually have, makes them worse. I used to wear white socks while running along the canals and the mosquitos were bothersome. Dark socks made a big difference. It seemed to be a matter of rapid movement of the light color that attracted them. I've never read that but I'm convinced based on my observation.:) Regards, ss.
 
I've heard that CO2 emmission (exhaled breath) attracts them. Is this true or BS?
 
How did the American Indians deal with mosquitos?
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Why, they traded with them of course.:D

I heard it was bear grease as well.

I have been using REPEL Plant Based Lemon Eucalyptus Oil insect repellent this entire season and it works as good or better than any DEET product I've used. It has not chemical smell, is safe on synthetics (i.e. kydex, nylon, etc.), and feels somewhat like that Pinaud stuff the ol' barber used to put on ya. Backpacker did a comparison a few issues back IIRC.
 
Insects can be a real menace-for some!
I suspect that our natural odour or chemicals in the individual's skin attracts insects or not.Some people are not much bitten or bothered,whereas others(like me) catch hell.Even when I was a heavy pipe-smoker insects plagued me.This year in Scandinavia, a dull wet summer has been paradise for horse and elk-flies and these buggers BITE chunks out of you. I would be interested in any more natural repellants, theories on how our ancestors or native people kept them OFF. I'm frankly dubious about chemicals you spray on your body, safe they all say, yes that's what they said about DDT not so long back!
 
CitizenQ said:
I've heard that CO2 emmission (exhaled breath) attracts them. Is this true or BS?
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That is one way they are attracted to you, along with heat. Not only from breath, but CO2 and heat given off by the skin. The mosquito traps and killers like the Coleman Mosquito Deleto use propane to create this attraction to trap and kill them.

Several other things in the skin can attract them (lactic acid for one), and nailing down which one(s) you are giving off can be much more difficult, if not futile, than than just applying a repellent: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb00/mosq0200.htm
 
CitizenQ said:
I've heard that CO2 emmission (exhaled breath) attracts them. Is this true or BS?
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Thats true for African tsetse flies. A friend was over there working on tsetse eradication through sterilization. I asked him how they did it and he replied that they attracted the flies to the Co2 from cattle, caught the flies in traps and then cut their balls off with tiny machetes. I guess I shouldn't have asked.

GB
 
My wife and I live in central TX. Our property has a large amount of some kind of lemony smelling plants down next to our creek, thick in open areas with lots of sun.

Smells just like citronella.... don't know if it really works, but my wife tells me it has repellant qualities.

Andy
 
I heard mosquitos are attracted to salt. May be the Indians didn't have to worry because they didn't have salt.
 
Around my area we have Vanilla leaf plants, I rub my arms and legs with these as they are well known to repel Mozzies !!! I believe pine needles will also help !!!
 
Most garden herbs are known to be insect repellants. Do a google search and you'll get tons on info. We planted about 20 of them in a garden in our backyard. Didn't really make a difference since I didn't rub the plants on myself, but they look nice. :)

I personally use sprays with Picaridin in them. Does not stink like DEET, and will not melt plastics. It seems to work pretty well, and does not make me feel like I need a shower immediately after applying it.
 
ejes said:
That is one way they are attracted to you, along with heat. Not only from breath, but CO2 and heat given off by the skin. The mosquito traps and killers like the Coleman Mosquito Deleto use propane to create this attraction to trap and kill them.

Several other things in the skin can attract them (lactic acid for one), and nailing down which one(s) you are giving off can be much more difficult, if not futile, than than just applying a repellent: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb00/mosq0200.htm
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They "love" me. :(

I noticed this weekend that they swarmed around the propane stove when t was on -- left when it was turned off. (They were much worse ni daylight! Little, fast buggers with prominent black stripes abound the thorax.)

The lemon eucalyptus repelleant has been approved by the CDC. Just a good as deet-based products but for 25% less time. Certainly my choice due to downside of deet. (Ruined a pair of glasses once.)

Someone posted that lemon balm, a mint, rubbed on his skin kept most of them off for half an hour. Made me wonder about thinks like sage.
 
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