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REPEL for Clothing and Gear has Permethrin.. To be sprayed on clothing only and is good for several washings. Must be sprayed on the clothing and dried for 2 hours before use. The also make REPEL 100 this is 98% Deet this comes in a pump type spray bottle... After suffering with Lyme for several years now, I started using our horse and cattle spray on my clothes because it also has Permethrin in it. Be sure to let the clothes dry real good before use and keep spray off of your skin.
 
Permethrin for your clothes and deet for your skin.


This and add in PICARIDIN to replace the DEET...its reportedly safer than DEET and from my experience, works better. its a little harder to find, but I like it better (and it doesn't affect plastic).

I also employ RhynoSkin bug pants to keep the ticks and chiggers from crawling up my pant legs.

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For the record, 10% DEET has the same effectiveness of 99% DEET...the only difference is that the higher number lasts longer. They have the same effectiveness.

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I truly believe that bugs are much worse up north than down south here.

You bring up an interesting point. All my life I have heard people say we need a good freeze this winter to control the bugs (specifically mosquitoes/ticks). It makes no sense to me because the farther north you go the worse the mosquito and tick problems become. Last I heard there is no shortage of cold freezing weather in the northern US states, Canada, and AK....
 
I have been using a thermacell bug repeller it burns a small butane cartridge which heats up a pad soaked in some kind of repellant. It says it works for a 15' diameter circle around the die I just put it near me and split away. It seems to work so far.
 
I've had success with the 25% DEET for most everything but I feel your pain, in the thick of the woods you sometimes need more. I usually wear a hat and spray it heavily with DEET, it will give your head a halo of bug free space. Also, try some stronger stuff, you can find up to 98% Deet (Deep Woods Sportsman) if you look around. I also take a swat at the biting flies and catch them in the air and squash them or wait the second they land if they can tolerate the Deet and then crush them.

http://www.off.com/en-US/Products/P...x#off-deep-woods-sportsmen-insect-repellent-i
 
For the record, 10% DEET has the same effectiveness of 99% DEET...the only difference is that the higher number lasts longer. They have the same effectiveness.

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I didn't know this. Thanks.
 
Once again, DEET has no effect on deer ticks. None. Deer ticks are repelled by Permethrin- Permethrin kills them.

It's not as convenient up front, but it works. One application to article of clothing is good for a season, or six washings.

When I hear how bad Lyme disease or its treatment can be, it's a no-brainer. Not going there.
 
I learned a long time ago that using shampoo, deodorant soaps, underarm deodorant, aftershave lotion, body powders, or anything else with a perfume in it will bring more bugs to the feast. For over 30 years I've showered from head to foot with Ivory bar soap (I even shave in the shower using Ivory lathered on my face)... underarm deodorant ain't needed if'n ya' shower once or twice a day (I sometimes shower three times in the summer), no time for the bacteria to grow. I never use any lotions, powders, aftershaves, colognes, and whatnot. I also rarely use any sort of bug repellant... but if they get thick enough in the woodlot I'll spray some Deep Woods Off in my hands, rub it on the back of my neck and in my hair, especially around the ears. Seriously, I've seen the bugs drive everyone except me into the house when we're sitting around the fire pit. Up north at the Minnesota lake home I bath in the lake with Ivory (weather permitting) rather than use the well water (chlorinated)... I rarely have bugs biting me, yet others will have a swarm around them. It don't happen immediately... I've had others try it... it takes about two weeks to get all that "perfume" out'a your skin and hair.

Dad taught me the "plain soap and no perfumes" trick... he spends all summer at the lake home in Minnesota, in the woods, and almost never uses bug repellant.
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I went through the three step Lyme's disease vaccine about 15 years ago....only to be told it's not actually effective :(

I had a possible insider deal for a trial of that vaccine. Nobody involved was excited about it, so I let it pass. No anti-vaccine thing here, nor desire to be lab-animal. Fortunately, so far, no problem. Found out about permethrin & deer ticks a few years ago, so I maintain an inventory of the stuff. :D
 
That vaccine is considered a waste of time. You have multiple shots, have to start early in the spring for it to be effective, and its not even that effective. Made my coworker sicker than a dog for two weeks after getting the first dose. His arm swelled up to the size of his leg.

I use a combination of permethrin and picaridin. I've seen DEET cause memory issues in coworkers that were using it daily. Guys would literally forget what they were doing and look at us and go "what are we doing here?" They would transpose numbers, field books would be complete gibberish. Occasional use is ok, but watch using it daily for any length of time.

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I've been up in Northern Wi. twice so far this year and the skeeters and gnats are the worst in 40+ years. I agree about the 98% DEET, Permethrin and ThermaCell. ThermaCell doesn't work if you are moving or if there's a breeze. My 2 buddies were in the boat with me fishing and I had to take them back to shore after 20 minutes because they didn't spray down. The locals said wait a week 'till the dragonflies hatch and they'll do a number on the skeeters. My buddies laughed like crazy when I got in the boat with a long sleeve t-shirt and long jeans on. They didn't realize that I sprayed the clothes front to back, top to bottom before I put them on. I was laughing at them because they were swatting at the bugs so much that they couldn't reel in the line once we were in the boat. :D We had 2 ThermaCells going in the boat but they didn't work so well because we were constantly moving with the electric trolling motor.

2nd time we were working on the house that we hunt out of near the UP. Skeeters were terrible too, but I sprayed around the house with Pounce and Maliathon and 1/2 hr later it was bearable. I had to spray every morning or it was really bad. It didn't help that the house was located 50' away from the water on a pinnensula between 2 lakes.....

There were probably 100 dragonflies buzzing around and the skeeters were still bad in the a.m.

Cold, freezing weather kills the bugs my azz!

Down here in Northern Indiana there are less skeeters than there have been in the past few years. Go figure.
 
I have started using the new Coleman brand, comes in double can packs at tractor supply and has around 40% deet
 
I guess we don't have deer ticks here in the Ozarks, DEET keeps me tick free every time I use it. Permethrin works good but I guess my washing does a whole season in one, I have to reapply it after every washing. It is still effective after getting rain soaked, tho.
 
I guess I'm just lucky, bugs, knats, flies, ticks, bees, or posion ivey,-oak- shumake, dont bother me. I did see something on TV the other nite about Mosqitoes and bugs seem to favor folks with type O blood better than the other blood types. Claimed the type O was Sweeter???. If thats it, my blood must be type Lemon, with extra sour. Been called a sour puss a time or two, might be something to it.

I actually think the things we are exposed to as kids plays a big factor as to what bothers us and what are allergies as grownups. I can remember getting Posion ivey as a kid, getting bee stung all the time, always had ticks in my hair, chiggers on my legs. Growing up in the country and playing in the woods, i was well exposed to the creepy crawlies and the posionous plants. I think city kids who only play on concrete and playgrounds, miss contacting a large part of the stuff that makes their immune system stronger. Take a city kid to the woods and watch the allergy of sneezing and watery eyes. Bet ya if that kid had grew up in the country and played in the woods they wouldnt have all those allergy problems. They claim eating local grown honey helps folks with allergy problems. Seems the honey contains real allergy stuff in it and it conditions the body to do what ever it does to protect against the allergies. Proccessed honey and man made honey doesnt have those allergy factors, it just sweet junk. Immunes are also passed on from mother to child by breast feeding, how often do you see that now days. Cant get mommas milk from a can in the store.

Never mind my ramble, I am setting around being bored.
 
Mudstopper you are right on about the sterile environment everyone lives in now. When a bug comes through it wipes everyone out. Who isn't sick? The people who live in the country or spend time outdoors.
 
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