Best Bug Spray?

[.ghoti.]

100% Deet.

[Kyhokie]

Bear grease. Works amazing but does nothing for your complexion.

[Oregon Native]

Have been using a product from Sawyer with 20% Picaridin.  Have used this for the last couple years with very good success and I'm a bug magnet!!!  I do not like deet and what it does to fishing tackle and such.  This stuff doesn't smell bad either.  Hasn't been out that long from what I understand.  Good luck

[A5BLASTER]

If there is no wind the Thermcell is the way to go.

 

Any kind of wind and I put on deepwoods off and wear long shelf shirts and pants.

 

But it's hard to beat the Thermecell, grew up duckhunting the marsh's and swamp's of swla and let me till you we got some mean needle nose blood suckers down there aka September teal season and the thermcell keeps them off better then anything I have ever tried.

[RyneB]

I use stuff called the Original Vanilla Bug Spray. It's made an hour from my house. It is safe for kids and smells great. It actually works. I fish the Mississippi river and backwaters, spend a decent amount of time in the north woods of Wisconsin. It's the only stuff I have ever used that actually worked. 

[RUSS9999]

One more for thermocell if there is little to no wind. I bow hunt creek bottoms in September and they are a most have. Great for decks and camping. Have 2 and would not be with out them.

[MittenMouth]

On 5/22/2017 at 11:10 AM, Finesse Wayfarer said:

My cologne wasn't helping so I ditched that and only wear it on special occasions.

off topic but I would love to hear the list of what qualifies as a "special occasion".

 

 

 

[gim]

It depends on what kind of bugs your dealing with.  A common retail brand of OFF works pretty good for mosquitoes and gnats.  I haven't found a repellent that works for deer flies.  I even tried using repellent that was 100% deet.  Not effective.  There is nothing that repels deer flies and when they bite you it HURTS.  They're nothing but a curse upon mankind

[NYWayfarer]

51 minutes ago, MittenMouth said:

off topic but I would love to hear the list of what qualifies as a "special occasion".

 

 

 

 

Funny what people get curious about on a fishing forum 

 

short list would be parties, weddings and date nights with the wife.

[MickD]

Themocells work if you are stationary, will little breeze (mosquitos, I don't know about black flies).  Deet works too.  It's a great destroyer of the bite and anything plastic or rubber it comes into contact with.  And it keeps bugs away.  Sounds like there are many options that don't included Deet.

[tcbass]

On 5/22/2017 at 1:20 PM, wdp said:

Invest in a Thermocell. I've had good results with mine even on hot summer evenings at dusk when the skeeters get really thick. 

 

I always have bug spray with around 40% DEET as backup tho. ?

 

 

Works great......if it's not windy. 

 

 

Also, DEET eats plastic. 

 

 

I know because it ate the face of my favorite and only watch. 

[RoLo]

 

For hunting and fishing, I've always used "100% DEET" insect repellent, and with excellent results.

Several years ago I tried "Sawyer’s 30% Picaridin’, which is touted to be just as effective as DEET,

with the added benefit of no neurotoxicity, no residual odor and non-greasy. 

Well, it lives up to the secondary claims, but I haven't found Picaridin to be as effective as DEET,

in fact, it seems to attract some insects 

 

Roger

[WestBranch]

From the university of Maine webpage

I'm going to try some Picaridin

 

-------

 

DEET: DEET is the commonly used acronym for the chemical N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide. It has been extensively used as a highly effective mosquito repellent and also works well on ticks, fleas, black flies, and biting midges (no-see-ums). DEET can be found in concentrations ranging from 4-100%. However, studies indicate that concentrations greater than 30% do not provide added protection and have resulted in skin reactions and eye irritation on rare occasions. Exposure to DEET at high doses has also been associated with respiratory and gastrointestinal irritation. Depending on the situation and concentration, DEET provides 2-8 hours of protection. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) DEET may be applied to children over the age of two months but should be done so by an adult and in concentrations not exceeding 30%. Care should be taken when applying DEET to clothing or around certain materials including plastics, rayon, spandex, leather, and painted or varnished surfaces. DEET is an effective solvent and may dissolve some of these materials.

Picaridin: Picaridin (Icaridin, Piperidine, Propidine, INCI, or KBR 3023) is another effective repellent of mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, black flies, and biting midges. It can be as effective as DEET, but without the toxicity and allergenic problems commonly associated with DEET. Picaridin is a relatively new product (introduced to the U.S. market in 2005) and allergenic properties may be discovered once use becomes more widespread. Derived from pepper, this repellent has minimal odor and does not harm plastics or fabric. Picaridin offers 4-8 hours of effectiveness, but, because it is relatively odorless, not irritating or greasy, and doesn’t damage synthetic materials, it is often preferred to DEET.

IR3535: IR3535 (ethyl butyl acetyl aminoproprionate) is a moderately effective repellent of mosquitoes, ticks, and biting flies. Some tests indicate that the relatively non-toxic IR3535 can provide 4-6 hours of effectiveness, however, USDA laboratories found this repellent to be 10-100 times less effective than DEET.

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus: Oil of lemon eucalyptus (p-menthane 3,8-diol or PMD) is one of many plant-based insect repellents and is effective against mosquitoes, black flies, biting midges, ticks, and gnats. Generally, plant-based repellents do not have the same level of effectiveness as synthetics such as DEET and Picaridin, however, oil of lemon eucalyptus has been shown to offer protection similar to concentrations of 20-30% DEET, but for much shorter periods of time. According to the product label, oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under the age of three and care must be taken to keep it out of the eyes because it can cause significant eye irritation.

Citronella: Citronella is another natural plant-based product with minimal repellence to mosquitoes. Citronella is often used in candles, torches, and in some topical repellents. In general, citronella based products provide much lower protection from mosquitoes than other repellents and are not effective against ticks and other biting pests.

Essential Oils:  In addition to oil of lemon eucalyptus and citronella, commercially available repellents containing active ingredients such as catnip oil, geranium oil, peppermint oil, soybean oil, and a host of other essential oils are purported to have repellent qualities.  While these oils may offer some mosquito repellence, they tend to do so for short periods of time and have not been found to be effective against other biting arthropods, ticks in particular.

2-Undecanone:  2-undecanone (methyl nonyl ketone or IBI-246) is an oily, plant-based repellent that has shown some effectiveness against ticks and mosquitoes. The use of 2-undecanone as an insect repellent is relatively new; it is most commonly used to repel cats, dogs, and even raccoons. Due to the limited use of 2-undecanone as an insect repellent, adverse effects have not been well documented. Studies indicate that the potential exists for some acute toxicity and mild irritation but further testing is needed.

Permethrin: Permethrin is a pyrethroid that works as a contact insecticide as well as a repellent. The chemical is effective against mosquitoes, flies, ticks, fleas, human lice, and chiggers. It has low mammalian toxicity and is poorly absorbed by the skin. Products containing permethrin are for use on clothing or other fabrics (tents, mosquito netting, etc.) not on skin. The use of permethrin treated clothing in combination with a DEET application provides a formidable barrier against biting insects and can nearly eliminate mosquito bites. Permethrin yard foggers can be an effective short term solution for small outdoor settings, however, some concerns have been raised about potential respiratory and gastrointestinal irritation associated with the prolonged inhalation of permethrin.

Metofluthrin: Metofluthrin is another relatively new chemical repellent. Although it is a repellent, metofluthrin is similar to permethrin, in that it is a type of pyrethroid and is not to be used directly on the skin. Metofluthrin is found in impregnated repellent strips that are placed near outdoor gathering spots, as well as in the replaceable cartridges of battery operated personal repellent devices. These devices emit a small cloud of metofluthrin that acts as an effective repellent against mosquitoes. Concerns have been raised about the safety of these products, as users are exposed to prolonged inhalati

[jtharris3]

4 hours ago, tcbass said:

 

 

Works great......if it's not windy. 

 

 

Also, DEET eats plastic. 

 

 

I know because it ate the face of my favorite and only watch. 

 

It also eats the finish off of gun stocks! 

[Oregon Native]

15 hours ago, RoLo said:

 

For hunting and fishing, the insect repellent I’ve always used is "100% DEET", you can't beat it.

A few years ago I tried "Sawyer’s Picaridin’, which is touted to be as effective as DEET,

with no residual odor and non-greasy.  Well, in spite of its off-topic attributes,

Picaridin is 'not' as effective as DEET, in fact, it appears to attracts insect    

 

Roger

Must be body chemistry....I'm a bug magnet and it works fine for me.

Tight Lines

[RoLo]

 

On 5/25/2017 at 8:09 AM, Oregon Native said:

Must be body chemistry....I'm a bug magnet and it works fine for me.

Tight Lines

 

In addition to body chemistry, I believe it depends a lot on the prevalent insects in one's region.

Florida has swarms of tiny midges (no-see-ums) that gather on your face, and get in your nose & throat.

It seems that the more Picaridin I apply, the more midges swarm my face, but DEET staves them off.

The efficacy claims of Picaridin apply mostly to mosquitoes and black flies.

 

Roger

[NYWayfarer]

20 hours ago, UpTheHill said:

 

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus: Oil of lemon eucalyptus (p-menthane 3,8-diol or PMD) is one of many plant-based insect repellents and is effective against mosquitoes, black flies, biting midges, ticks, and gnats. Generally, plant-based repellents do not have the same level of effectiveness as synthetics such as DEET and Picaridin, however, oil of lemon eucalyptus has been shown to offer protection similar to concentrations of 20-30% DEET, but for much shorter periods of time. According to the product label, oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under the age of three and care must be taken to keep it out of the eyes because it can cause significant eye irritation.

 

I find this to be true. I reapply my oil of lemon eucalyptus bug spray every half hour to be the most effective.

 

 

[MacBassin]

On ‎5‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 1:24 PM, wdp said:

They work pretty well if not too windy. Had a buddy who was big time hunter recommend it. They're not too bad money wise either if you can find the refills on sale at WalMart. 

 

I haven't used my thermacell on the boat yet, but it was a life saver last year in the bush. There's a youtube video that shows you how to modify the butane containers to allow you to refill them yourself. Refilling is much less expensive after that as you just need the pads.

[fishwizzard]

I switched to a Picaridin baed spray last spring and I am loving it.  It works great for ticks and skeeters and feels a lot less gross on my skin.  

 

 

[Preytorien]

I use Picardin. It seems to resist mosquitoes, flies, gnats, etc.

 

I also like it because it doesn't smell, and doesn't contain DEET, so it's safe for my little folks that like to tag along from time to time.

 

Goes on like lotion, dries without a film. 

 

I also like the Permethrin spray. Seems to work very well.