Keep the Mosquitos Away When Camping

[qwazse]

22 hours ago, mrkstvns said:

I've heard a lot of buzz lately about the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus and how cases of it have been spring up along the east coast (particularly northeast/New England area).  The virus is spread via mosquitos. ...

Reading as I nervously monitor this weekend's bites.

[perdidochas]

On 6/17/2019 at 9:09 AM, Double Eagle said:

In the south, mosquitos were out even in January.  Mild temperatures allow for easy winters and hearty bugs.  While regular sprays work mostly, we used to put Avon "skin so soft" on and it worked great.  I don't know if it is even around any more.  While at a stationary site, a Thermacell is now the going option.  Most campers and hunters in L.A (Lower Alabama) carry these and consider them an essential. 

Permethrin is sprayed on clothes for ticks and chiggers.  Chiggers are the worst.  This yankee growing up in Michigan didn't know what a tick or chigger did until entering Alabama.  For those without this critter, chiggers are the number one evil.  Seed ticks follow, and big old wood/dog ticks are easy. 

As for buying permethrin, as described above, getting it at a tractor supply type store in 16 or 32 oz and mixing it is the way to go.  I have a 3 gallon sprayer that makes it easy.    

 

I have a Thermacell. My problem with it is that it doesn't work well in a breeze, which is pretty common around here (Pensacola, FL). That said, my brother-in-law, who lives in central Florida, and is a major naturalist (and one of his hobbies is collecting bugs at night), and he swears by the Thermacell.  

[mrkstvns]

26 minutes ago, perdidochas said:

I have a Thermacell. My problem with it is that it doesn't work well in a breeze, which is pretty common around here (Pensacola, FL). That said, my brother-in-law, who lives in central Florida, and is a major naturalist (and one of his hobbies is collecting bugs at night), and he swears by the Thermacell.  

Thermacell gets great reviews on the REI site. 

The only downside I see to the Thermacell is that it requires a steady diet of replacement fuel cells, which can add up if you're planning to use the device on  a longer trek (or even a weekend campout).  I'm not really offended by the smell of spray-on repellants anyway, and the much lower total cost of Deep Woods Off will probably keep me away from the Thermacell approach.

Info explaining how Thermacell works:
https://www.thermacell.com/pages/how-it-works 

Order a Thermacell from REI:
https://www.rei.com/product/152928/thermacell-mr300-portable-mosquito-repeller 

 

[Double Eagle]

There are a few hacks people use for thermacell replacements.  Some spray regular bug spray and even permethrin on the exhausted scent pads and reuse them.  There is also the dangerous backyard butane refilling of the fuel cell that no scout should attempt.  There are two alternatives to the small butane fuel: a ""thermacell backpacker repeller" butane fuel canister (8oz or 16oz) some of us use with our tiny pocket stoves, or thermacell "radius zone" now as a rechargeable USB type fuel source. 

[JoeBob]

2 more tips:

Select a campsite with a breeze.  A point on the lake, a ridge in the mountains.

You can make repellent last longer and work better against chiggers and seed tics by spraying the insides.  Before putting pants on, turn them inside out, spray repellent, let it dry, reverse pants, wear.  Avoid repellents that react negatively with your skin.

Edited October 7, 2019 by JoeBob