# Mosquito repellent....



## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Not sure this is the correct forum and if it's not I apologize...

The mosquito's are viscous here. You can't go outside without being enveloped in a swarm of buzzing insects, all intent on having you, as a blood meal.

I worry about lyme disease too, besides the itching bites.

Been using Muskol 100% DEET for years but now I read that DEET can cause siezures and health issues... I haven't succumbed yet.... 

Even with Muskol, the little buggers stay off maybe 5 minutes and then hunger overcomes them and they swoop down for dinner.

A huinting friend of mine recommended I get a Therma-Cell mosquito repellent unit and I looked at them at Cabelas but the price made me think I could buy a lot of Muskol instead (high buck).

Anyway, My wife was at Wallyworld and called me on the cell. She told me that Wallyworld had the uniits with (3) 4 hour pads and a bottle of liquid propane for 20 bucks and the refill packs with 12 pads (4 hours each) and 3 propane bottles for 20 bucks too. Thats half the price at Cabelas so I asked her to grab a unit and a refill pack.

They work really well. I can clip it to my belt and walk out in the field and no blood suckers come anywhere near me. Been hanging it on my shooting bench and no mosquito's either. The unit 'protects' a 12' x 12' area.

No batteries either, Ignition is piezo with an on-off switch for the burner (micro burner) and it has a view port to make sure it's lit. It says they are good for black flies too.

I'll have it with me in the tractor when I cut hay, I suspect getting out of the tractor without any protection will be an exercise in bloodletting...they are that bad here.

Little heads up on what appears to be a woirthwhile product.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

They work decent.....unless the wind is moving around....then the no-see-ums and skeeters approach from up wind.

Regards, Mike


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

If it were not for thermacells, I would not be able to bow hunt at all......great product


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

It's pretty bad here as well, state park across the road and they just love making new "wetlands" over there. You can just about hear the little b*stards coming across the road at dusk.

Not exactly portable but we have a Stinger electric trap about 20 foot from the back porch, first few mornings we had it out the grid was completely covered by dead mosquitos. Need to buy model with the 5-1 mosquito kill system, two different colored lights that cycle on and off and a scent packet that the light bulb heats up, the regular model might kill a skeeter once in awhile but nothing like the 5 in 1 does. The wife and I can actually sit on the back porch for awhile at night without risking anemia.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

No-see-ums?


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

mlappin said:


> It's pretty bad here as well, state park across the road and they just love making new "wetlands" over there. You can just about hear the little b*stards coming across the road at dusk.
> 
> Not exactly portable but we have a Stinger electric trap about 20 foot from the back porch, first few mornings we had it out the grid was completely covered by dead mosquitos. Need to buy model with the 5-1 mosquito kill system, two different colored lights that cycle on and off and a scent packet that the light bulb heats up, the regular model might kill a skeeter once in awhile but nothing like the 5 in 1 does. The wife and I can actually sit on the back porch for awhile at night without risking anemia.


My wife got one last year with the 'lure' in the bottom and it don't work (that I can see). What brand is yours and what is the cost? We can't even sit on the porch right now after dark.

I've never seen the little buggers this bad but it's so wet here....


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

That is the brand, Stinger, model BK500.

First night I put it out was a constant zap all night long.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

haybaler101 said:


> No-see-ums?


Little bitty teensy tiny knats that can bite the crap out of you....feels like someone took a hot needle and stuck you.

http://boyslife.org/outdoors/wilderness-first-aid-qa/33768/what-are-no-see-ums/

Regards, Mike


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Vol said:


> Little bitty teensy tiny knats that can bite the crap out of you....feels like someone took a hot needle and stuck you.
> 
> http://boyslife.org/outdoors/wilderness-first-aid-qa/33768/what-are-no-see-ums/
> 
> Regards, Mike


Ah, yes. Buffalo knats as they are called here. Just showed up about 5 or 6 years ago. We get them real bad in May usually when it is really wet. We found out the hard way that Off just makes them horny and hungry. Vanilla extract, bounce drier sheets and a few other home remedies have limited success. Found a spray called Bug ins that works decent but stinks terrible. I have wore a sock hat over my ears with temps in the 90's to protect my ears. They make Mosquitos seem really nice!


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

MLappin is right on. Had the wife order a Stinger BK500 and the first night it sounded like someone was welding in the side yard by the garden. Went out in the morning and sure enough, the grids looked like a fuzzy tube. covered with thousands of dead skeeters.

It's been zapping away for a month now, I have to take it down every couple days and blow the dead bugs out.

Certainly cut down on the skeeter population, in fact I had the wife order a second one for the front yard. Wally world has them on sale right now for $52.00 with free shipping.

Definitely the hot setup. The ocetol lure seems to help attract the bugs, it needs renewed every month, I'm about to mrenew the lure this weekend....

Anything for relief from the skeeters is welcome here.

I have noticed that if I remove the bulb weekly and clean it with windex (to get the bug juice off, it improves the kill rate.

It's nice because it's auto on and off, has a photocell in the top that turns it on at dusk, off in the morning. Very convenient.


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## Thorim (Jan 19, 2015)

I have always had good luck with Avon's Skin So Soft discovered it back in my tree trimming along utility line days seemed to last the longest even when you sweated and sweated a lot...


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Thorim said:


> I have always had good luck with Avon's Skin So Soft discovered it back in my tree trimming along utility line days seemed to last the longest even when you sweated and sweated a lot...


I've uesd it before. Makes you smell delightful too.


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

My wife makes an all natural bug repellant. Witchhazel base with 14 essential oils, repels pretty much all the bugs, including ticks. Smells like lemons.


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## Thorim (Jan 19, 2015)

aawhite said:


> My wife makes an all natural bug repellant. Witchhazel base with 14 essential oils, repels pretty much all the bugs, including ticks. Smells like lemons.


Sounds interesting is it a spray or a wipe on


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

We have marshes all around us, so we have loads of mosquitoes.

I bought a 1 acre coverage bug zapper this year when it was on sale at Fleet Farm. Best $39 I've spent in a long while. There is a little packet that sticks to the bottom with mosquito attractant called Octenol. The heat from the lamp warms it up. I also have to blow the dead skeeters out of it every other day, but it's worth it. The bug zapper is surprisingly effective. I might buy another when they go on sale and put it out by the barn.

I bought a fogger too, but that only works for a few hours and is worthless if there is any kind of wind.


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## panhandle9400 (Jan 17, 2010)

It must be all the hot sauce and mexican food I eat ? Coz I am not ever bothered by them , 2 or 3 bites a year ? My crew is swatting and cussing them but they never bother me ? I am going to stick to my ******* technique keep eating those hot peppers. Ever see a ******* with a cold ? Me neither ........................must work for insects ? lol


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

It's a spray. She actually sells the stuff at a local farmer's market, thru her facebook page, and is setting up an Etsy site to sell online. The old homeopathic remedies are getting really popular. She makes a salve with a naturally occuring aspirin that works better than anything I've tried on joint pain. Cool stuff


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

SwingOak said:


> We have marshes all around us, so we have loads of mosquitoes.
> 
> I bought a 1 acre coverage bug zapper this year when it was on sale at Fleet Farm. Best $39 I've spent in a long while. There is a little packet that sticks to the bottom with mosquito attractant called Octenol. The heat from the lamp warms it up. I also have to blow the dead skeeters out of it every other day, but it's worth it. The bug zapper is surprisingly effective. I might buy another when they go on sale and put it out by the barn.
> 
> I bought a fogger too, but that only works for a few hours and is worthless if there is any kind of wind.


My boss has a fogger. he mixes mosquito stuff with diesel fuel and fogs that. It's good for a couple days he says....

I'll stick with the zappers. I like the 'welding sound' as they get electrocuted.


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

ARD Farm said:


> I'll stick with the zappers. I like the 'welding sound' as they get electrocuted.


I also enjoy the sound of frying mosquitoes.


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