Insect Repellent - Recommendations?

[siadwell]

How about this? Try taking Brewers yeast tablets from a health food shop for a few days before the event, a mate who worked in west africa with VSO swore by this. Apparently does something to your body odour that puts midgies off, does not work for everybody, and medical opinion says that it is a load of nonsense. who knows?

I tried this in Florida and it didn't seem to have much effect on the number of bites.

I did, however, keep getting my ears nibbled by my wife, as it has the side-effect of making you smell of Marmite!

Alas, this article (http://www.mosquito.org/mosquito-information/faq.aspx) states "What can be safely stated, though, is that ingestion of garlic, vitamin B12 and other systemics has been proven in controlled laboratory studies to have no impact on mosquito biting." It also notes that US CDC recommends oil of lemon-eucalyptus, sold as Repel, as an effective natural alternative to DEET.

 

[Sysagent]

Avon's Skin So Soft (original)

http://avonshop.co.uk/shop/product.asp?pf_id=33708&from=search&find_spec=skin so soft&pagenum=2

It's what all the Scots people use allegedly

 

[Scoosh]

Avon's Skin So Soft (original)

http://avonshop.co.uk/shop/product.asp?pf_id=33708&from=search&find_spec=skin so soft&pagenum=2

It's what all the Scots people use allegedly

The US naval personnel stationed in the Holy Loch found it to be the most effective.

We Scots just get eaten ....... and enjoy it put up with it didn't know about ASSS

I see it is now for sale in outdoor shops like Tiso's

 

[chigman]

Skin so soft is very over-rated. We used it up in Scotland a couple of years ago and we all got bit to pieces. Luckily we took a back up deet based repellent in the form of Autan which worked much better.

Steve

 

[Globalti]

Anything with DEET will work fine but don't put it on your clothes. You will only need it in the evenings if the wind drops and it's dull because midges don't like breeze or sunlight. If you're camping a couple of mosquito coils burning around the tent will help a lot.

The problem with DEET is that the molecule is readily absorbed by the skin and comes out in your urine for 24 hours after you apply it.

 

[Fiona N]

I suspect the Avon So soft works for people who are accompanied by a more tasty (from the midges' point of view) body.

I used when with friends in Scotland a couple of years ago and they were all fine whereas I looked like I had galloping measles after a few hours. I rapidly applied the DEET where upon others started to get bitten too

 

[MacB]

A certain Johnny Flame, of Fantastic Four fame, has the ideal solution

 

[AlanW]

Well DEET appears to be the stuff to get, although not to sure about all the hazards associated with it.

It is also interesting to see that Skin So Soft is mentioned, because I was recommended that by a friend.