Insect Repellant - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

RougeUnderoos · 07-17-2007, 10:31 PM

Does anyone know of something that works as well but is not as poisonous/chemically smelling/nasty as plain old Off!

I use the stuff fairly often and the stink is starting to annoy me. I've also heard (though basic internet searching does not necessarily verify this and may even deny it) that DEET is not exactly a good thing to be rubbing into your skin 10 times a week. It seems to be universally accepted that kids and pregnant women shouldn't be using it and while I'm neither a child, pregnant or a woman, if it's bad for them I can't imagine it's good for me.

Granted, I'm usually using the stuff so I can sit outside, drink beer, smoke cigarettes and burn wood in a firepit, so the health/environmental issues are probably the least of my concerns, but if anyone has any ideas or advice, do tell.

Ideally I'd like to get some homespun advice like "lemon juice and water" or "eat a banana every day", but a decent alternative product that isn't too exotic or hard to find would be great.

Eastern Girl · 07-17-2007, 10:39 PM

I have read that Vanilla and water combined make for a good repellent. I've not tried it personally so, I don't know if it actually works.

4X4 · 07-17-2007, 10:40 PM

You smoke AND drink? I thought we were polar opposites! Too bad you're a dude.

I subscribe to an age old technique: nothing at all. You'll get raped for the first few days, and then they'll just quit picking on you (no pun intended) and go hit on your buddies.

Works for me. Unless I really want to golf. Then it's a thick layer of the green OFF!

browna · 07-17-2007, 10:41 PM

I think you just have to avoid buying your Off in case lots from the Army and Navy and other surplus stores, with stock still from hoping to cash in in 1987 and the feared "locusts and honey" world meltdown after the NYSE crash in October that year.

Rivalling the computer and its growth, advances in the technology of bug spray (and for that matter, sun tan lotion) has increased 10 fold since we were young pups, and had only the choice of Off in the orange can, Deep Woods Off in the green can, and the Safeway knockoff stuff in the blue can.

All types of varieties...any combination fragrant, no smell, no sticky, spray on (not aeresol), different potencey level etc.

4X4 · 07-17-2007, 10:44 PM

The blue can stuff sucks. Green can works way better. I think it's double DEET content over blue can. And orange. Pfft. Orange. I can't even think of something that rhymes with orange so that I can make fun of how much orange sucks.

Mmmmm... Oranges.

FireFly · 07-17-2007, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Ideally I'd like to get some homespun advice like "lemon juice and water" or "eat a banana every day", but a decent alternative product that isn't too exotic or hard to find would be great.

There is a natural product, though for the life of me I can't remember which one it is. I saw it at Shopper's the other day. However, while lemon juice and water might help, eating a banana a day with have the opposite effect. They like the potassium in them or the smell of them or something. You want to eat citrus fruit. They don't like citrus (which is why I said lemon juice and water might work?) but they love sweet stuff.

FireFly · 07-17-2007, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4X4

The blue can stuff sucks. Green can works way better. I think it's double DEET content over blue can. And orange. Pfft. Orange. I can't even think of something that rhymes with orange so that I can make fun of how much orange sucks.

Mmmmm... Oranges.

I think you're backwards. I spent hours, (well, maybe only 15 minutes) staring at all the cans of Off and Muskol and whatnot and it's the blue can of off (Deep Woods for Sportsmen) that has the most Deet content at 30%. Everything else was either 25 or 28.5%. You can't double the content without peeling your skin off or some other disgusting side effect.

prarieboy · 07-17-2007, 11:02 PM

OFF Skintastic isn't terribly offensive and works OK but if the bugs are plentiful get something with lots of DEET.

notoepik · 07-17-2007, 11:24 PM

Skin So Soft Bug Guard worked for me last weekend. Kept the little biting flies from landing on us and taking a chunk of flesh home for the kid flies.

redforever · 07-17-2007, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFly

There is a natural product, though for the life of me I can't remember which one it is. I saw it at Shopper's the other day. However, while lemon juice and water might help, eating a banana a day with have the opposite effect. They like the potassium in them or the smell of them or something. You want to eat citrus fruit. They don't like citrus (which is why I said lemon juice and water might work?) but they love sweet stuff.

I believe what you are thinking of is citronella oil.

FireFly · 07-18-2007, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redforever

I believe what you are thinking of is citronella oil.

No, it was an actual repellant that you spray on yourself, not for torches and candles.

zukes · 07-18-2007, 07:35 AM

Get a citronella plant, and rub the leaves on you. That is the only other thing besides Deep Woods Off that keeps mosquitos off of me. Or just have me over for beer, cigarettes and fire, mosquitos love me, nobody ever gets bit when I'm around.

Rhettzky · 07-18-2007, 09:30 AM

I work outside all day and use some stuff called "off-sport" or something like that. It works great and the smell is not as bad as the deep woods. It comes in an orange bottle. Although I haven't had to use it in about a week because with all this heat I haven't seen any mosquito's.

GrrlGoalie33 · 07-18-2007, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

I work outside all day and use some stuff called "off-sport" or something like that. It works great and the smell is not as bad as the deep woods. It comes in an orange bottle. Although I haven't had to use it in about a week because with all this heat I haven't seen any mosquito's.

I second this. Works as well for me as the green can, but smells better!

Flames89 · 07-18-2007, 10:32 AM

I heard cat-nip spray... haven't tried it yet, but worst case you have an army of cats gettin' high off you and using their pent up energy to fight off all things smaller and moving...

zukes · 07-18-2007, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flames89

I heard cat-nip spray... haven't tried it yet, but worst case you have an army of cats gettin' high off you and using their pent up energy to fight off all things smaller and moving...

or they start humping your leg

redforever · 07-18-2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFly

No, it was an actual repellant that you spray on yourself, not for torches and candles.

The citronella oil I have bought is NOT the stuff for torches and candles. It comes in a little container that you can fit in a shirt pocket, little screw on top lid, when you take it off, small little hole, you put on a drop or two of the citronella oil and rub it all over your skin. I think I got mine in the open section of the drugstore.

I have allergies to most scents so dont even know if it worked, since it was so strong smelling, I never actually used it. To others, might not smell as strong, but when you have allergies to scents, they all smell strong.

Buff · 07-18-2007, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Granted, I'm usually using the stuff so I can sit outside, drink beer, smoke cigarettes and burn wood in a firepit, so the health/environmental issues are probably the least of my concerns, but if anyone has any ideas or advice, do tell.

Well smoke keeps insects away so you shouldn't have to worry about your health... at least as far as insect repellant goes.

Tiger · 07-18-2007, 04:33 PM

you can buy natural bug spray at most health food stores. They range from the basics (citronella oil), or you can get into the more "advanced" natural repellents (neem oil, Cat-nip oil, eucalyptus oil etc). I find that the natural repellents work just as good as DEET (I don't like the idea of using DEET, I believe from its chemical structure they will find it to be carcinogenic one day soon, but I think it is better than people initially using DDT to stop mosquitoes).

I've also heard taking Vitamin B's make them less likely to bite you

I-Hate-Hulse · 07-18-2007, 06:23 PM

In one disturbing development - I used green can Off on my legs before going onto my deck. I came back in after 20 minutes or so and propped my legs up on my computer desk and mousepad. The damn DEET melted the mousepad and bonded it to my leg.

Still, between DEET and my itchy mosquito bites - I'll take the DEET.