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  1. #1
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    Insect repellant and Hammock fabric question.

    I recently got my first hammock, an Explorer UL. I will be taking it on a weeklong trip to northern Ontario next month. I'm expecting it to be prime mosquito season. So far I've only tested my setup in the yard, and haven't had any issues with bites through the bottom, but I will at the very least going to be wearing repellant, and possibly wanting to apply it to the underside of my hammock. Obviously DEET is a bad idea....which products are effective and safe to use around my new hammock? I get this stuff : http://www.bugband.net/ in a pump spray free from work..Any experiences?
    Thanks a ton, I can't wait to get out and really hang for the first time!

    HV

  2. #2
    Senior Member Bubba's Avatar
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    Permethrin is the product that is being used by many. 0.5% solution is recommneded so some are finding it in stores at varying percentages and diluting it accordingly. There are a lot of threads about it so check it out. Once you have your solution, you soak your gear in it and let it dry. Works on hammocks, clothes etc. Apparently also lasts on your clothes for several wash cylces.

    Let me say in advance, welcome to Canada! In my experience, August is actually not a bad time for mosquitos. Don't know how far north you are going though. I purposely avoid May and June and prefer to go north in the late summer because the bugs are usually less.
    Don't let life get in the way of living.

  3. #3
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    Thanks! Actually we will be going in two weeks in July. Fishing Prairie Bee lake, near Chapleau, Ontario. It should be a great time.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Bubba's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by highvoltage View Post
    Thanks! Actually we will be going in two weeks in July. Fishing Prairie Bee lake, near Chapleau, Ontario. It should be a great time.
    I already feel like its July so when you said next month my head went to August. Yeah July shouldn't be too bad. If you do the permethrin treatments and wear the deet you should be good to go. That's fairly far north, further than I've ever been so I don't know how thick the bugs can get. Hope you have a great trip and hope you get your bug defenses sorted out.
    Don't let life get in the way of living.

  5. #5
    New Member sandwrench's Avatar
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    Don't know how sensitive you are to DEET, but I've been using a brand called No Stinkin' Bugs for years...smells like woodfall and leaves(I use it for hunting) and it keeps nearly any biting insect away. I don't know how available it is in Canada, but readily available at Wal-Mart in the U.S. It comes in a red and white spray can...and you can actually watch them mosquitoes hovering a few feet from you debating whether or not they wanna bite. That's just for your protection...from what I've read on here I'll add a +1 on the permethrin for the gear, there are plenty of posts on here about how to do that, with good results.

  6. #6
    Senior Member beep's Avatar
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    If it were me heading into serious mosquito territory, I'd be inclined to treat my clothing and hammock with Permethrin ( 1/2 percent solution). Once you're safely inside the bug net, you won't need any repellent.

    YMMV but I've noticed that when wearing permethrin treated clothing, mosquitoes tend to avoid me altogether. Perhaps it interferes with their sniffing/detection mechanism.
    "The more I carry the happier I am in camp; the less I carry the happier I am getting there" - Sgt. Rock

  7. #7
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    I'll go the permethrin route. I'm pretty sure DEET will be bad for my pack/fishing line/softshell jacket. Thanks for the info!

  8. #8
    New Member Stevicide's Avatar
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    Welcome to HF highvoltage, and welcome to Canada when you get here. (I was just in Michingan for the NASCAR race, what a beautiful state).

    I'm going to third the vote for permethrin, but just want to throw this warning out there.... permethrin KILLS Cats....DEAD!!!! I'm serious.... so if you have any little fuzzy friends, keep the far away when applying it and store your gear away from them.

    If you have any concerns or serious questions about your kitties and permethrin, talk to your veterinarian..

    Cheers,
    Stevicide
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  9. #9
    Senior Member JohnSawyer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stevicide View Post
    Welcome to HF highvoltage, and welcome to Canada when you get here. (I was just in Michingan for the NASCAR race, what a beautiful state).

    I'm going to third the vote for permethrin, but just want to throw this warning out there.... permethrin KILLS Cats....DEAD!!!! I'm serious.... so if you have any little fuzzy friends, keep the far away when applying it and store your gear away from them.

    If you have any concerns or serious questions about your kitties and permethrin, talk to your veterinarian..

    Cheers,
    Permethrin, when WET is lethal to Cats. I've been using a permethrin based carpet spray through 3 generations of cats with no ill effects... my current cat is 13, and she's been "exposed" almost annually. She's perfectly healthy.

    http://www.picaridin.info/permethrin.htm

    Definitely avoid a situation where the cat will lick something that's treated. (like a dog)... as far as I know, my cat has no desire to eat carpet.

    Of course, I follow the directions to the letter, ensure the carpets are REALLY dry, and air-out the house for hours before I allow her inside...
    Last edited by JohnSawyer; 06-29-2011 at 19:20.
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  10. #10
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by beep View Post
    If it were me heading into serious mosquito territory, I'd be inclined to treat my clothing and hammock with Permethrin ( 1/2 percent solution). Once you're safely inside the bug net, you won't need any repellent.

    YMMV but I've noticed that when wearing permethrin treated clothing, mosquitoes tend to avoid me altogether. Perhaps it interferes with their sniffing/detection mechanism.
    Same here. When wearing treated clothing/hats, I always have some bug spray ( these days: Picaridin 15-20%) with me for exposed skin. Sometimes I put it on before I start hiking. Sometimes I don't and wait to see if I will need it.

    But for the last couple of years, hiking near swampy areas in MS, I have had one Mossy land on my arm one day in a deep, shady bottom, a very damp place. I quickly sprayed some Picaridin on my arms and saw no more bugs. I often hang with only treated clothing, sometimes with treated hammock, without bug dope on my skin, and never see any. Mostly I never see or hear them. I have never had any ticks get on me with treated clothing, bug spray on skin or not.

    Used to, using DEET, I mostly would not get bit unless I missed an area, but mostly no problem. But, they would still often swarm around me, and I would often hear them whining in my ear. I almost never hear that irritating sound any more.

    I remember trying to sleep in the Wind Rivers, WY long ago. 100 % DEET and head nets. One guy said listening to the Mossies swarm around his head was like trying to sleep through the Indy 500. Then a blessed cold snap and heavy June 27 snow came in the middle of the night and killed the rascals off for a few days!

    Permethrin would have been a blessing on that trip! Dropping your pants to take care of business is quite a different experience while being attacked by Mossies! Very risky business!

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