julie27514fr

Hi! I'm from Europe, and have noticed that each time I go the the South (GA, NC, FL etc),I literally get eaten up by mosquitoes. The bites are so numerous (average of 20 to 30 on each leg), swell so much and the itch is so great that it gets impossible to sleep or think of anything else. I'll be in Florida and the Everglades early to mid-August this summer, and am already dreading the bites. The repellents we have in Europe don't seem to be very efficient. What US products would you recommend? Do allergies to mosquito bites exist? Thank you!!

tlbooz

Deep Woods Off in the green can works the best when you are in wooded or marshy areas. It is pretty much available in any retail store.

J62

The most common repellent ingredient is DEET. The strongest versions are brands like Deep Woods Off!, which contain 25% DEET. OFF! also sells other concentrations 10-15%, sprays lotions, towlettes. I find the towlettes handy myself.

There are other brands as well (i.e. Cutter). These can be found in just about any US supermarket, drugstore, WalMart, camping supply etc. Some have a broader selection (WalMart & Target seem to carry everything).

Many people are concerned about applying high concentrations of DEET, or even any DEET, due to possible absorption into the body. You will also see some people recommending never to use DEET on small children.

I can't comment on the medical /scientific foundation of those concerns so you'll need to make your own choice.

DEET based products are very widely available and very widely used in the US - not sure about Europe.

Scarlett

We had to send our son Deep Woods Off for his trip to Thailand and India this year..he said Japan hasn't got strong enough repellants.
That said, Off is strong but I worry every time I spray it on, what am I doing to me??
It also comes in little wipes to carry with you~ Enjoy your visit!

j_999_9

I've never tried it, but a lot of people swear by Avon's Skin So Soft. It's sold in a lot of beach areas in New Jersey and Delaware as a sure-fire insect repellent.

zootsi

Skin So Soft is highly overrated. Just look for a product with the highest DEET content you can find. Eating brewers yeast or lots of garlic is also supposed to help. Yes, people can be allergic to mosquito bites.

seetheworld

YES, YES, YES, people can be allergic to mosquito bites. I nearly had to bring my son's girlfriend to the ER after her face and eye swelled up after being bitten.

E

Julie, sounds like you're allergic to mosquito bites! One's reaction also depends on the specific germs each mosquito carries.

That said, I agree with zootsi: get the highest possible concentration of DEET you can find. (You may want to wait until you get here, then go to a drugstore, big chain store like Target, or a camping store.) The kind I use is a liquid 100% DEET that comes in a tiny bottle; I prefer the kind you rub on to the sprays, which I find messy. But be warned: DEET will damage plastic and glass surfaces and some fabrics. (I keep mine in a ziploc bag.) And it doesn't smell great. But it works, and to me, that's worth all the drawbacks; I have tried all-natural formulas, Skin So Soft, etc. and none of them do the job. Good luck!

Tandoori_Girl

When you get a bite, take a wash cloth, get it wet and wring out the water. Then put it in the microwave for 30 seconds or more. It will be very hot so be careful when you handle it. Put this on the bites, as warm as you can tolerate, and it will draw out the histamines that make you itch. Try to do this before you scratch the bites and make scabs. I've found this to be very helpful and very easy to do.

Some advice from a fellow bug attracter.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Something I've found effective (but not as good as Deet products) when camping is to put a few teaspoons of household bleach into the sink with a few cups of water, and to wash up with it, after I've taken a "regular" shower.

I can't stand the feel and smell of the more effective repellents when I go to bed ... but during the day I use them. Not everybody can tolerate the bleach either however.

placeu2

I spend a significant amount of time in mosquito and biting bug areas in warm weather.

The ONLY product that I use and recommend is Repel. It is the best and can be found at sporting goods stores and some drug stores.

Anonymous

Here's a natural prevention strategy that falls into the "Can't hurt, might help" category: Take extra B vitamins, even just a one-a-day type multivitamin will do. Excess B vitamins that your body doesn't need are excreted -- mostly in urine but also in sweat, and the bugs are apparently repelled by it. This effect peaks about 4 hours after you take the vitamins so time it according to your plans. I get an average of one mosquito bite per year.

Other natural strategies include avoiding scented toiletry products, and wearing light-colored clothing.

mikemo

3M's Ultrathon developed for the US military is great, was a CR fav a couple of years ago, and is long lasting, but DEET gets old after a week or 10 days.
M

justme22

have always used pure deet but it does dissolve nail polish so i try to use it as little as possible!

suzanne

Mosquitos love me so I always have to wear insect repellent wherever there may be bugs. I have used three mentioned here...Skin So Soft, Deep Woods Off, and 100% Deet.

Skin So Soft, though it smells nice does nothing for me.

Deep Woods Off typically works at all mosquito-infested places I've been in the US (I used to do land surveys in marshes). But it didn't work all that well in Mexico or Thailand! Maybe the bugs are different there? I don't think it smells bad...MUCH better than the Off we used when I was a kid!

100% Deet worked for me in Thailand. But it is scary that they say that kids shouldn't use it, and it does dissolve your nail polish and can wreck some fabrics (there's a long warning label on the bottle). And it smells bad. I only use it if I absolutely have to.

birder

Try catnip oil.

I know, it sounds crazy. I attract mosquitoes from miles around. We can sit outside and no one will get bit except me. I'll have a cloud of mosquitoes around me while everyone else is like, Hey, thanks for serving as our own personal citronella candle!

I hate DEET but I found that it was the only thing that worked. When I tried Skin So Soft, the mosquitoes thanked me for the complementary spa lotion with their meal.

But my husband found some studies showing that catnip oil is just as effective as DEET in repelling mosquitoes. I didn't want to try it, but I did - and it worked! I watched the mosquitoes approach me, and then leave. They would not land on me.

If I were going to the Everglades in August (the worst possible time for mosquitoes), I would bring both catnip oil and DEET. Catnip oil is far less scary in terms of potential harm than DEET is. If the mosquitoes in the Everglades found catnip oil funny, then I'd bring out the DEET.

PS Yes, I'm the person that covered every exposed inch of herself in DEET - except I forgot my ankle area - I thought my socks would be protection enough. Big mistake. I walked around with a literal ring of mosquito bites around my ankles for weeks.

Scarlett

birder,
I picture a person walking through the woods, clouds of mosquitos hovering but not landing or biting, but the person is covered with little cats

ncgrrl

Catnip oil sounds interesting. If there is a mosquito within 100 miles of me, it will find me. Skin so soft does nothing for me. I keep a can of Deep Woods Off! hand when I have to go out side in the summer time. I also have a small pump bottle of ?? (hunting? fishing?) Deep Woods Off that's 95% deet. That worked well in the Everglades in June.

Long pants and long sock help. After buying all sorts of after-sting products, I find ice the most effective at numbing the pain.

placeu2

On the subject of after sting/bite...

I love a product called sting eeze. It comes in a small yellow plastic bottle with a green cap. I keep one in every car and my travel kit. The stuff is just amazing on all sorts of bites and stings.

j_999_9

So, Julie, from the advice so far, I'd say you should --

Bathe in DEET
Eat lots of garlic, vitamin B and brewer's yeast (a real feast!)
Keep warmed washcloths on the microwave
Swath yourself with bleach
And top the whole thing of with a glop of Skin So Soft before donning light-colored clothing

After that, you should be good to go.