Bug Repellents: To Those in Uniform or Hammocks

[BillyBob58]

concerning the concentration rates......after diluting Martins 10% strength permethrin to .05% and soaking and air drying my hiking clothes, I placed an ant inside my cap and it took 20 min. for the ant to die. Its a repellant not a contact killer. Mosquitoes being more sensitive won't even land on treated bugnets.

.05% or .5%? The latter is recommended.

As i mentioned elsewhere, some of my friends were using picaridin in the Pharaoh Wilderness (ADKs) and were nearly eaten alive. Even with 40% deet (Repel Max) we still got a few bites, but it was FAR better.

I don't doubt you at all, but boy am I surprised. I hike mostly in bug infested areas of MS, or maybe AL, including swamps. Ever snce I switched from DEET to Permethrin treated clothes and gear often plus Picaridin on exposed skin, it has almost been as though I hike in a bug free zone, or maybe like it is dead of winter. Though admittedly I do wonder if recently they are becoming ( one or both) just slightly less effective. But only because at the beginning of this season I did find a tick on me, under my pants, attached to skin. And if memory serves, I was only using one or the other, not both(but I can't remember which) Probably- I'm guessing here- it was Picaridin on exposed skin only, in clothes that and not been treated since last fall. And I found this amazing: the tick(don't know how long it had gone undiscovered) appeared to have no blood in it(not swollen at all) and appeared to be dead. That's it, that is the only failure as far as bites or even skin contact that I am aware of in many years, and I was not using both.

There was also this almost failure: back about Sept 2010, a buddy and his son from NC and I all went out to ID for a hike into some lakes in the Sawtooth Range. I advised him about the Pic and Perm and he treated all their gear and clothing with Perm and took 20% Picaridin for the skin as of course did I. I was wearing just a thin white layer of Merino wool LJ top as I cooked supper late in the day, and he warned that my back was covered with Mosquitoes. I had not even noticed them on my front end. I asked him if they seemed to be lighting and biting, he said they did not seem to be biting, and maybe were just hovering very close to my back, or making brief contact. He gave a couple of sprays from my Picaridin to my back, and they were gone. I was disappointed that they seemed unbothered by my treated shirt, but I got no bites. But since I had not even see them on the front end, I probably had some Pic already on my hands and face. Maybe it also means I simply failed to get a good enough spraying on the back of this very thin garment, which they could have easily bit through(open weave)? Or did the Perm simply fail to keep them from coming in very close to my back only? I don't know.

But not only did I get no bites on my back, I had no bug net on this trip. Every night before bed I would cover all potentially exposed skin good with Pic, and of course I slept in treated clothing and hammock/PeaPod. Never heard a Mossy whining, and I had not a single bite from this trip. Same with by 2 buds. (but 1 had a netted HH) And we were swimming in the lakes! So I am shocked to hear about your friends! Are the Mossies/ticks different in different parts of the country? We certainly have plenty of them down here, and their were plenty in Idaho, but are they some how dif? Did your friends use 20% Picaridin? Were their clothes also treated with Permethrin?

I'm liking the picaridin lotion so far, but haven't been in any hot zones to give it a major test yet. But combined with permethrin, I felt I was really keeping them away.

It works fantastic for me down here in MS.

You all know my thoughts on this issue..... I'd pour 10 gallons of gasoline on myself while smoking a cigarette if the gas kept the BLOOD SUCKING TICKS, BLOOD SUCKING SPIDERS AND FACE EATING RACOONS away lol. Get rid of the headache by cutting off the head is what I say lol, I'll deal with the side effects if I'm fact there are any later. I treat my boots, gaitors and pack with 100% DEET, everything else and skin with Permethrin + Picardin and have never had any problems. I even ~ carefully ~ spray it on my wife and kids and their gear/legs/arms too.... So far we are side effect and disease free! I did find out last week that nymph Lone Star ticks are so fast that they will crawl from boot to upper leg well before the chemicals kick in. The ones that got stuck under my laces ,in the mesh of my boots, on my gaitors did all die after a few mins , and the few that did make it up my leg died before they could latch on completely. I'd say it worked...... and it wasn't 2 or 3 ticks either, no it was more like 200-300. No joke. Tigglet and Jellyfish had the same amounts on them as well.

Where on earth were you that you got that many ticks? Even with all that treatment? Have you considered treating your boots, gators and pack with Permethrin rather than DEET? That(Perm) is what I do. So far so good.

Are all of you guys making sure to use 20% Picaridin? I have seen it in much lower concentrations, less effective. They also claim the lotion works a good bit longer, 12 rather than 8 hours.