jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) (07/06/85)
** This posting is a compilation of the postings which followed mine of **
** a few weeks ago concerning how to avoid (or at least tolerate) the **
** attentions of biting insects. Hope it helps someone. **
From jpexg Mon May 13 14:23:18 1985
Newsgroups: net.rec,net.rec.nude
Subject: Mosquitoes, other nasties
Message-ID: <2389@mit-hermes.ARPA>
It's the season to be....bitten. What methods exist, apart from the application
of diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) in large quantities, to protect oneself from
biting insects? In particular, are there any foods one can eat that would repel
them? I have heard that garlic is exuded through the skin (and breath) and that
insects dislike it, but that eating bananas will attract them. And there is a
company selling a product they call "skeeter tabs" that claim to be an "oral
repellant"--has anyone tried it? And is it safe for humans, apart from its
effect on bugs? I'm more interested in this subject this year because I'm
going on a 10-day canoe trip in central Canada in July, and I can't see hauling
a 55-gallon drum of Off along, nor do I want to hear my girlfriend's usual
remarks about how I have the aroma of a Sunoco station. Itching, of course, is
no fun either.
John Purbrick
{...decvax!genrad! ...allegra!mit-vax!} mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg
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Central Canada in July? Black-fly time! Or, at least, the tail end of
it. The little buggers (also called "no-seeum gnats") are probably the
worst of the insects. Numerous mosquito bites are usually little more
than an annoyance. Black-fly usually travel in large swarms and
you frequently get mobbed by them. In rare occasions, large quantities
of black-fly bites can be dangerous. Every once in a while you read
about domestic cattle dying from black-fly bites due to insufficient
shelter, no breezes and becoming panicky.
Re: repellents: I very much recommend "Musk Ol" (I think that's what it's
called). You can get it at any of the outfitters. You don't need much -
one small plastic bottle (the size of one of the nasal sprays) should be
enough for one person for at least two weeks. I've never found "OFF" to be
particularly effective - Musk-ol is fantastic. We were in Kilarney for a
week - we were barely touched by anything. Made a believer out of me!
Even kept most of the wasps away (glad of it too, my wife is strongly
allergic to 'em). At best, OFF only prevents mosquitos from biting me.
It isn't particularly effective for me against black-fly or the truly
awesome Horse or Deer fly. Musk-ol will prevent almost everything from
landing, except possibly for Horse fly - you'll still need a baseball
bat! (:-)).
Seriously, Horse fly take quite a bit of meat and leave behind quite an
inflamation. Fortunately they don't swarm and are much rarer than
mosquitos or black-fly - but one or two will fly in circles around you
for hours waiting for a chance for fresh meat - you don't feel it til
after they've left.
Warnings: Musk-ol is *very* smelly at least initially. You get used to
it - it's a small price to pay. Musk-ol is also *very* irritating to
sensitive tissues. Particularly eyes. You must pay attention to the
warnings on the package. However, once you apply it (it's a thick oily
liquid), you should rinse your hands - it's still effective as a repellant
but it won't be concentrated enough to cause problems with rubbing
your eyes etc. One dose of Musk-ol per day is usually sufficient
even with some minor dunkings or splashings.
At least partial washing is very strongly recommended if you and
your friend decide to ...
The smell isn't particularly objectionable after a couple of hours -
but you gotta get your friend to use it too!
Musk-ol is somewhat expensive (say $3-4 CDN per bottle) but well worth
it.
Another suggestion. Anti-histamine cold-remedy pills (eg:
Chlortripolon in Canada) are sometimes very effective at reducing the
itch from most biting insects. I use the strongest non-prescription
anti-histamines I can get (the stronger version of Chlortripolon). I take
one or two after getting a few bites and I have very little itching at
all. One pill per day (if I'm getting bitten) seems to be the right
amount for me. You will have to decide for yourself what strength
is strong enough to be effective that won't make you too drowsy or
have other undesirable side-effects.
Also, anti-histamine may just save a life when you discover, 5 days
into the bush, that you are having a very strong allergic reaction to a
bee or wasp sting. My wife carries a little box containing a two-shot
adrenalin-substitute hypo and several prescription-strength
anti-histamine tablets. Anti-histamines alone (the hypo is
prescription-only here, quite expensive and lasts only for a year
or two) *may* be sufficient for survival if the reaction is
life-threatening. However, it is always safer to have a doctor
check you out for bee/wasp stings if you don't know how you will
react to them - particularly if you are going into the bush.
If you are sensitive to bee/wasp strings, you should carry the
hypo around at all times.
Re: food selectivity. Some people at some times seem to naturally
repell bugs. I don't think that anyone has managed to figure
out precisely why or, more importantly, force it to happen with
any sort of reliability. All I can say is, if by luck you discover
it happening to you, don't change your "cleanliness-factor" or
your diet. Neither perfectly clean or filthy bodies, in themselves,
will repell bugs much either. Sweating has something to do with it tho.
I've gone for a year without being touched, then two years getting
eaten alive (before I discovered Musk-ol). It's largely a matter of luck.
One "natural" suggestion tho: Avoid wearing anything blue or black -
they attract some bugs. In particular, blue attracts mosquitos.
And, mosquitos can usually go right through blue-jeans...
I also think that white is to be avoided but I can't remember for
sure. Greens, medium browns and dark beiges are probably best.
I may have made camping/canoeing around in the Canadian bush sound a
little intimidating with the comments about the insects. It ain't all
that bad - I just don't like insects biting me (particularly Horse
fly). The danger I usually worry about is being caught too far out in
a lake during a storm or misjudging how close you can get to a set of
rapids.
--
Chris Lewis,
UUCP: {allegra, linus, ihnp4}!utzoo!mnetor!clewis
BELL: (416)-475-8980 ext. 321
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A few acquaintances of mine swear on vitamin B-12 (or around there)
taken during the few days before the 'problem' period. It has never
worked for me, but I've seen results. (I was the only one bitten :-(
Darin Johnson
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In article <249@sdcc13.UUCP> ee163acp@sdcc13.UUCP (DARIN JOHNSON) writes:
>A few acquaintances of mine swear on vitamin B-12 (or around there)
>taken during the few days before the 'problem' period. It has never
>worked for me, but I've seen results. (I was the only one bitten :-(
Yup, that works, but I have found something that works
real well: Brewers Yeast
It can be purchased at any health food shop and does wonders for repelling
fleas, 'skeeters, etc. It really makes your skin taste bad. (Note: it really
doesn't make you smell :-)
Oh, by the way, if you ever feed the stuff to a cat, you will make a friend for
life. (Plus give it a better coat..)
-Jim Hayes, UCSD.
{ihnp4, sdchema, ucbvax, etc}!sdcsvax!sdcc3!23403091
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In article <2389@mit-hermes.ARPA> jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) writes:
>What methods exist, ... , to protect oneself from biting insects?
Yes, eating garlic will help. In addition to whatever oral remedies
others may suggest, cut down (way down) on your salt intake.
Mosquitoes (& most biting insects) are attracted to the salt in your
blood (no, I don't know how they know you are a walking salt mine).
--
Blessed Be,
Jeff Hull {decvax,hplabs,ihnp4,scdrdcf,ucbvax}
13817 Yukon Ave. trwrb!trwspp!spp2!jhull
Hawthorne, CA 90250 34o3'15" N by 118o14'28" W
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John, at one time, before they moved to Pennsy and now use
different water, I had great luck with the drinking of a
can of Schaffer beer in the evening. Now it may have all
been in my mind, but my neighbor who drank Millers was always
covered with the beasties while they avoided me. (I should
think about that). Seriously, avoid wearing blue colors.
Observations made of Jersey skeeters seem to point out that
they are attracted to blue, at least in Jersey. To make a cheap
repelent, mix 3 parts water with 1 part Avon Skin-so-soft. I
hear it works just as well as the higher priced stuff and does
not leave you smmelling like the floor of a garage.
T. C. Wheeler
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My apologies to those who tried to follow-up. I made that impossible by messing
with the "Followup-To:" line....
Anyway I got some mail asking how to ingest the wonderful brewer's yeast. Here
are a few methods:
In your morning orange juice
In grape juice
In any soup (except chicken noodle)
On your rasin bran
etc.
Do not eat after brushing your teeth.
I REPEAT: Do not eat after brushing your teeth. (IT TASTES TERRIBLE!!!!!!!)
Answers to mail: (10 letters)
1) Best methods work with experimentation.
2) Cats love it straight... No, dogs aren't that interested...
3) It comes in bags (like flour)
4) It is a little different than the liquid stuff (I think)
5) Yes, you won't get bitten on your --- [ :-) ] (FILL IN THE BLANK)
6) No, it does not attract women/men/gays/animals
7) No, it does not disturb the digestive system
8) Yes, your cat will lick your skin raw.
9) Yes, it tastes terrible straight
10) Yes, good for making beer.
--Jim Hayes, UCSD
--
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I've had good luck using vitmin B. An alergist told me
to use either B-6 or B-12 but I can't remember which it is so
I use a B complex. If I take a daily adult dosage, I'll rarely
get bitten by mosquitoes. Otherwise, I get eaten alive. My
wife, on the other hand NEVER gets bitten without using any
kind of "protection." She thinks I'm silly (taking B complex
all spring-summer-fall long) but I know I'm right. :-)
I'd be interested in hearing what other's suggest, either
by news or by mail. Good luck on your trip.
Ken
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Actually, there are three types of insect pests which are often
encountered in Northern Maine and Canada during the summer months. They
are mosquitoes, black flies and no-see-ums. The mosquitoes are usually
the LEAST worrysome since they respond to most insect repellants and are
large enough to see, so they can be swatted. Black flies have biting
rather than sucking mouthparts. Therefore, they leave nasty painful
wounds. Black flies require a much stronger repellant, and even then
they tend to fly around one's head in a cloud. By far the worst insects
(if they should be there in profusion) are the no-see-ums. These insects
have a body the size of a large hair follical (sp?) and are therefore
impossible to see unless you really know what you're looking for. The
first hint you usually have that they are around is when you start itching
and stinging all over. Look for a skin pore with wings.
N-Diethyl-Meta-Toluamide is very effective against all of these pests.
The problem is that it must be used in high concentrations to be effective
against black flies, and even higher concentrations for no-see-ums. The
repellant I use is sold by Recreational Equipment Incorporated (Seattle)
and used to be called Jungle Juice (I think they call it something else
now). It consists of 75% N-Diethyl-Meta-Toluamide and 25% inert
ingredients (alchohol, I think). This stuff works well on all insects.
Eastern Mountain Sports used to sell something similar. Almost all
insect repellants contain this active ingredient, so just read the labels
and look for the most potent one. 75% "Diethyl-Toluamide" is the strongest
I have found.
Caution--some people can have a skin reaction to this chemical, so try out
a little before you disappear into the wwilderness. Also, the chemical
disolves some plastics, so always keep it tightly capped and sealed inside
a heavy polyethelene bag (most heavy-duty sandwich bags are fine).
Finally, when you are looking for repellants be informed that liquids, creams
and aerosols all use different formulae. Usually liquids and creams are the
strongest, foams come next, and aerosols are the weakest.
Good luck and have fun--canoeing up there rates as one of the best times
of my life--I'm sure it will be one of the best of your's.
Geoffrey Baum
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I can personally testify to the effectiveness of garlic (specifically, garlic
oil capsules) in repelling mosquitos. It passed the Assategue Island test --
when I was living in the Washington DC area we frequented the nude beach
there (since closed - :-( ), which had some really vicious bugs.
Garlic oil capsules are extremely effective. They are available at most
health food/vitamin stores. Don't get garlic tablets, they don't work.
Take one about a half hour before exposing your tender flesh. Sure, your
breath gets bad, but it sure beats insect repellant. If you can't taste
the garlic on your breath anymore, it's time for another.
I'm also told that vitamin B-1 is supposed to be an effective repellant,
but I haven't personally tried it.
--
Joe Buck Entropic Processing, Inc. (epi)
{allegra,decwrl,hplabs,ucbvax,gatech,ihnp4}!twg!t12tst!epicen!jbuck