Mosquito time!

[+ Tarte Gogo]

Here in the North East I have been thoroughly enjoying evening time on my porch since the beginning of June, except that in the last week or so, the annual mosquitos have turned up here and they love me!

 

So question for you guys who also spend evening time outisde in warm weather, how do you repel mosquitos?

 

I have a sprays that smell like lemons and that I can use effectively on my body, but I just don’t like having to shower every night before going to bed to remove it. What is the effective mosquito repellent solution to protect an area the size of a big porch, in a typically American home?

Edited June 22, 2018 by Tarte Gogo

[+ Travis69]

Some people use those citronella candles. I have heard dryer sheets repel bugs. Have never tried either. Just suggesting what I have heard. Good luck.

[KCRob]

I haven’t tried this yet but this Thermacell lantern has great reviews and I think I will try it on my patio.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermacell-Outdoor-Mosquito-Repeller-Multiple/dp/B00194D6ZW?keywords=Thermacell&qid=1529636984&sr=8-4&ref=mp_s_a_1_4#

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

DEET may not be considered by some the healthiest option, but it's one of the longest-used and best working.

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/insect-repellent/how-safe-is-deet-insect-repellent-safety/

 

A 20+ percent formula should do the trick. Even with mosquito control by air and land, we have remaining issues in Key West... And with a little DEET spray, I don't get touched.

[+ sniper]

I feel your pain. I seem to have the type of skin/sweat that attracts mosquitoes. It's really annoying.

[+ bashful]

Nothing like summer.

 

As a kid in Michigan, I remember being eaten up by mosquitos. I remember toothpaste helped with the itch. Now, they don't bother me so much.

 

Beginning in the early 2000's, for about a decade, I used to spend a week each summer in the north woods of Wisconsin. I remember the stores in town would sell Avon skin-so-soft, that supposedly repelled mosquitos. Never tried it, so cannot verify.

Edited June 22, 2018 by bashful

[+ azdr0710]

I remember the stores in town would sell Avon skin-so-soft, that supposedly repelled mosquitos. Never tried it, so cannot verify.

 

not much of a mosquito problem here in the desert, but Avon Skin-So-Soft (SSS) has been a longtime suggestion for the occasional gnats we get here in the late summer that target, in particular, our ankles......I think, @Tarte Gogo , you may be able to get by without having to shower this stuff off before bed if you go light with it??......

 

 

in addition to the original SSS oil, I just now found this SSS product with bug repellent:

 

https://www.avon.com/product/skin-so-soft-bug-guard-plus-picaridin-pump-spray-31314?s=ProductFeeds&c=TMI_feeds&otc=04133310&gclid=COnn9My55tsCFQZVgQodN_gEnw&gclsrc=ds&dclid=CMWd-sy55tsCFQTWZAodFJsC9g

 

 

 

and here is a Consumer Reports article about the efficacy of SSS's use as a bug repellent along with other options:

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/insect-repellents/avon-skin-so-soft-review-bug-spray/

Edited June 22, 2018 by azdr0710

[bigvalboy]

Here in the North East I have been thoroughly enjoying evening time on my porch since the beginning of June, except that in the last week or so, the annual mosquitos have turned up here and they love me!

 

So question for you guys who also spend evening time outisde in warm weather, how do you repel mosquitos?

 

I have a sprays that smell like lemons and that I can use effectively on my body, but I just don’t like having to shower every night before going to bed to remove it. What is the effective mosquito repellent solution to protect an area the size of a big porch, in a typically American home?

 

Have you considered screening the porch?

[+ Hoover42]

not much of a mosquito problem here in the desert, but Avon Skin-So-Soft (SSS) has been a longtime suggestion for the occasional gnats we get here in the late summer that target, in particular, our ankles......I think, @Tarte Gogo , you may be able to get by without having to shower this stuff off before bed if you go light with it??......

 

 

in addition to the original SSS oil, I just now found this SSS product with bug repellent:

 

https://www.avon.com/product/skin-so-soft-bug-guard-plus-picaridin-pump-spray-31314?s=ProductFeeds&c=TMI_feeds&otc=04133310&gclid=COnn9My55tsCFQZVgQodN_gEnw&gclsrc=ds&dclid=CMWd-sy55tsCFQTWZAodFJsC9g

 

 

 

and here is a Consumer Reports article about the efficacy of SSS's use as a bug repellent along with other options:

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/insect-repellents/avon-skin-so-soft-review-bug-spray/

The last time I went to a company picnic, I had the prescience to take a small bottle of Skin So Soft insect repellent with me.

 

Lucky for me and everyone else there, because the camp grounds were swarming with gnats. It was so bad that you couldn't stop for five seconds to talk to someone without a swarm of gnats forming around your face.

 

The SSS was amazing! After putting it on and sharing it with literally everyone at the camp, the gnats left us alone for over two hours.

 

It might not be good enough for a trek down the Amazon, but it works wonders for everyday encounters.

[+ sync]

DEET may not be considered by some the healthiest option, but it's one of the longest-used and best working.

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/insect-repellent/how-safe-is-deet-insect-repellent-safety/

 

A 20+ percent formula should do the trick. Even with mosquito control by air and land, we have remaining issues in Key West... And with a little DEET spray, I don't get touched.

 

Ben's? Entrepreneurial much?

[+ Tarte Gogo]

Have you considered screening the porch?

I have, but the cost + the look isn’t appealing to me. it is a 1920s historical house with nice wooden features.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Ben's? Entrepreneurial much?

 

 

After my failure with GAY SPRAY (a sex lube with a directional spray feature), this is what I settled on.

 

100% DEET. You can't any stronger. My motto is that if it can melt a flip-flop, it can keep the 'skeeters away.

Edited June 23, 2018 by Benjamin_Nicholas

[+ oldNbusted]

Mosquitos follow your exhaled CO2 to get back to you, so it you want to enjoy a fixed area, your best bet is to attract them to a more powerful source.

 

amazon.com: Mosquito Magnet MM4200B Patriot Plus Mosquito Trap

 

A friend has one of these to keep his South Florida backyard jungle clear and it works well. While he's not had problems, the reviews of all these CO2 generators usually say they work great when they work, but reliability seems to be an issue for a significant number of people.

[Guest]

not much of a mosquito problem here in the desert, but Avon Skin-So-Soft (SSS) has been a longtime suggestion for the occasional gnats we get here in the late summer that target, in particular, our ankles......I think, @Tarte Gogo , you may be able to get by without having to shower this stuff off before bed if you go light with it??......

 

 

 

in addition to the original SSS oil, I just now found this SSS product with bug repellent:

 

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/insect-repellents/avon-skin-so-soft-review-bug-spray/

What the article says is: And believe Avon when it says the Skin So Soft Bath Oil is not meant to repel mosquitoes. It might work for “skin moisturizing” and “dryness reducing” as the company advertises, but it’s not a good bet when it comes to avoiding bug bites.

The best insect repellent is DEET. Period. Silly to use anything else. I have heard some unverified reports that swallowing large amounts of thiamine makes your blood less tasty to mosquitoes.

[instudiocity]

Used Dryer Sheets WORK! You can tie them onto your chair, or your clothes, or hang them around the porch.

 

Lavender is a natural repellant. At my house there's a 10' long bed of lavender about 1' wide that keeps the bugs away. There's a lavender bush growing by the back door, too.

 

At the stables, they use horse shampoo with lavender to ward off the rear-end seeking critters.

[instudiocity]

Mosquitos follow your exhaled CO2 to get back to you, so it you want to enjoy a fixed area, your best bet is to attract them to a more powerful source.

 

amazon.com: Mosquito Magnet MM4200B Patriot Plus Mosquito Trap

 

A friend has one of these to keep his South Florida backyard jungle clear and it works well. While he's not had problems, the reviews of all these CO2 generators usually say they work great when they work, but reliability seems to be an issue for a significant number of people.

Every redneck I know in Alabama enjoys drinking their Budweiser while listening to the Bug Zapper electrocute them crittas!

[+ azdr0710]

yes, DEET is the best thing, by far......but the OP was concerned about products that he'd feel like he had to shower off his body before bedtime......I've used DEET many time out in the wilds where mosquitoes are a problem and it's great, but is also clammy, stinky, and not fun to go to bed with.......

[Guest]

If you want to know what the CDC says...

https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/pdfs/fs_mosquito_bite_prevention_travelers.pdf

[+ oldNbusted]

Bug Zappers are weak attractors for mosquitos, they really attract insects that are drawn to UV light.

 

Maybe this can help...

 

https://www.mosquito.org/general/custom.asp?page=faq

[Guest]

Which repellent works best?

N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) remains the standard by which all other repellents are judged. DEET was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was registered for use by the general public in 1957. It is effective against mosquitoes, biting flies, chiggers, fleas, and ticks. Over 25 years of empirical testing of more than 20,000 other compounds has not resulted in another marketed chemical product with the duration of protection and broad-spectrum effectiveness of DEET although the recent additions of picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are remarkably close in effectiveness to DEET. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that all family members over the age of two months can use DEET-based repellents with up to 30% concentration with confidence.

 

DEET-based repellents have been around for more than 50 years but that hasn't kept the folks who make these products from innovating with new fragrances, new formulations, new product types, and, best of all, products that feel nice when applied. The DEET-based repellent fragrances are pleasant to use and range from fruity to woodsy neutral scents. Unscented products have a slight alcohol odor (there's alcohol in the formulation) until they dry on the skin. Folks who tend to be allergic to fragrances should try the unscented products.

 

Today's products start out at a concentration of 5% (lasts 90 minutes or so) and range up to 100% (for approximately 10 hours of protection from bites). Pick one that matches your activity. For an outdoor family barbecue in the evenings, a 10% product is fine. It will help protect from bites for approximately 90 minutes to two hours. Products are available in aerosols, pump sprays, lotions, creams and even towelettes. These are individually packaged and are also sold in a handy plastic container that allows the towelettes to pop up one at a time. There are water resistant and water repellent products. One brand uses a microencapsulation process that helps the DEET release over time after you have applied it. Another goes on dry from an aerosol can, just as powder antiperspirants do.

 

For those who are in tick country, it's important to use a product with at least a 20% concentration. Lower concentrations of all EPA-registered repellents are not effective at warding off ticks.

 

Most apparent repellency failures with DEET are due to misapplications, so care should be taken to apply it thoroughly (avoiding the eyes and mucous membranes) and to reapply when necessary. This is crucial to maintain the DEET vapor barrier above the skin. New polymerized 30% DEET cream formulations provide excellent protection not significantly exceeded by higher DEET concentrations. Physicians recommend that a formulation of no more than 10% DEET be used on children, but formulations of over 30% can be used in areas of high disease incidence if label directions are followed.

 

In April of 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began recommending two new active ingredients as safe, effective repellents.

 

The first of these is picaridin, a synthetic developed by Bayer Corporation in the 1980s. This repellent is the most widely used repellent in the world outside of the United States and is marketed as Cutter Advanced. Picaridin is odorless, has a pleasant feel and doesn't plasticize like DEET. Studies have shown it to be as fully repellent to mosquitoes as DEET and can also be applied on infants as young as 2 months. The 15% picaridin formulation, Cutter Advanced Sport, is also an effective repellent for ticks.

 

The other repellent, often the choice of those wanting a natural product, is oil of lemon-eucalyptus, sold as Repel®. Repel is a 40% formulation of naturally-derived eucalyptus and has a pleasant scent and feel without any plasticizing properties. It is also effective at repelling ticks.

[instudiocity]

Which repellent works best?

N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) remains the standard by which all other repellents are judged. DEET was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was registered for use by the general public in 1957.

A 40% DEET spray will wipe the dual oxidized film off your headlights in 60 seconds. Spray, wait, wipe, shiny like new headlights!

[bigvalboy]

Bug Zappers are weak attractors for mosquitos, they really attract insects that are drawn to UV light.

 

Maybe this can help...

 

https://www.mosquito.org/general/custom.asp?page=faq

Excellent link...

 

In South Florida, we screen everything, even the pool, however overhead fans or outside A/C units will often do the trick when screening is not available, or not desired.

[+ Tarte Gogo]

Used Dryer Sheets WORK! You can tie them onto your chair, or your clothes, or hang them around the porch.

 

Lavender is a natural repellant. At my house there's a 10' long bed of lavender about 1' wide that keeps the bugs away. There's a lavender bush growing by the back door, too.

 

At the stables, they use horse shampoo with lavender to ward off the rear-end seeking critters.

Does lavender grow in NY suburbs? It needs a Mediterranean climate, doesn’t it?

[+ Tarte Gogo]

Ok, a lot of interest and proposed solutions, which is great, thanks everyone.

 

Since I have access to power right where I sit, I am going to start with this product: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0773527P7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and see if it works. I’ll report back.

 

In case it doesn’t work, can you spray DEET around you, like on the floor in a circle around your chair, instead of on you?

[+ azdr0710]

In case it doesn’t work, can you spray DEET around you, like on the floor in a circle around your chair, instead of on you?

 

I'd guess that's a great way to keep the mosquitoes from going near your floor.....

 

when I use the strongest DEET while out backpacking in heavy mosquito country, they hover a few inches from my skin, but that's fine with me.....

Edited June 23, 2018 by azdr0710