Best Bug Repellent?

[djd]

For all you serious hikers, backpackers, jungle, amazon, etc travelers...

What's the best bug repellent you've used? Depending on where you're visiting there can certainly be health risks associated with the insect population, but at the same time the most common DEET based repellents aren't perfectly safe either so what do you tend to use?

When in Peru we used Ultrathon Lotion which is 30% DEET. From the manufacturers site:

[Dan]

I certainly wouldn't choose to soak/treat my clothes with Permethrin, or any other DEET compound.

We did use repellants containing 25% deet during our trip to South America, but can't give any compelling reason to choose any particular bug spray/cream.

Diet seemed to have much to do with how attractive any individual person is to mozzies, and covering up is always going to be a safer strategy than applying toxins to ones skin.

Are you planning for a particualr region of the globe, or just discussing mozzie-repellants more generally?

Dan.
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[djd]

Thanks Dan,

I was thinking generally and thought it would be interesting to see what others have done. We used the DEET more for physical comfort (no itching bites) rather than health risk as Malaria and the other diseases weren't present in our region.

Another couple on our hike had done the permethrin treatment which is supposed to be much safer than deet (although who knows what we learn about it 10 years later). They needed more intense protection as they were heading down to the lower elevations in the jungle after the Machu Picchu hike.

djd
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[Trev]

Are the rumours about urine keeping the bugs away true? Admittidly might keep everything away including all your fellow travellers, but you didn't go to the jungle for an 18-30 holiday now did you...

I'm assuming that DEET has nothing to do with similar sounding DDT?

Trev
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[djd]

[pootle]

[djd]

[BradleyD]

Has anyone tried those little things that emit a sound and are said to keep the bugs away? I highly doubt they are effective, but if they work it would be nice to know, since that would eliminate alot of the health and environmental concerns from using chemicals.

On another note, why is it that insects are attracted to certain people and not others? someone mentioned diet before, anyone know what they are attracted to and what repels them? A good friend of mine, who I grew up with, has always attracted bugs much more than others when we are outside, definitely not just a coincidence....he acts like a bug repellent for me when we go hiking, since they all are attracted to him and leave me alone.
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[DellyG]

Is a high % deet dangerous? I have seen 60% deet as i'm planning on going up to the amazon basin has anyone got any recommendations?

Thankyoou!
Adele

[salad]

It depends on who you listen to and where you live. In Canada anything with above 30% Deet is not recommended but in the US and the UK there are no maximum recomendationed except for children. I've never fancied using deet products so opted for Mosiguard which used Lemon Eucalytus Essential Oil.

As far as I know it worked well - I still got a few bites but thats probably because I was a bit lax about reapplying, However I don't know if i would have got more or less bits if I had used a Deet product, I just feel happer not covering myself with a chemical!!!!

[drpablo]

First off, DEET and permethrin are unrelated chemically. Permethrin is not a repellant, but an insecticide that can be used on clothing, bednets, etc. It's been tried to some degree for household indoor residual spraying for malaria, but Anopheles mosquitos have developed some resistance to it.

DEET's reputation for being dangerous is almost completely unfounded by scientific publications. There's a lot of lay literature about it, but it's again not supported by science, and it's often in the context of selling alternatives to DEET.

In fact there is a New England Journal article that I can site you that culls the literature about DEET and points out the lack of evidence of toxicity.

As far as effectiveness goes, in head to head comparisons of DEET versus citronella there is no comparison. Citronella is basically ineffective as a repellant.

DEET comes in various strengths, and for most purposes in the USA or Europe you can get away with a very low DEET concentration, like 15-20%. Sawyer makes an interesting product with low concentration DEET in some kind of controlled-release cream. This lowers the effective dose seen by your skin at any given time but maintains efficacy.

For travel to places with bad mosquitos -- Africa, the Amazon, SE Asia, the tropical Pacific islands -- you at the minimum need to use greater than 30% DEET. This has been studied and is known to be effective. And I, as a physician and tropical medicine specialist, used 100% DEET on my last trip to Africa.
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[deaddoll]

try patcholli oil and lemon oil ..these are good against mossi and other bugs ..well they work for me ...I end up stinking like a fresh Hippie so most things stay away !!!!!