Mozzie repellent

-liam-

I'm getting bitten quite alot by bugs when out in the Woods, after riding some of the more overgrown singletrack. Any idea if mozzie repellent would keep general bugs at bay or is there a more specific type of preventative treatment ?

cee

something with deet in it should repel most flying insects....

but it stings when it gets in your eyes and tastes horrible....so don't put it above your eyes (where sweat will bring it down...)

-liam-

Will Deet sting when it gets in scratches etc ? Obviously the bottom of my legs get a little cut and scratched by brambles and other green stuff

Jonesy.

Forget DEET, it melts plastic, it will sting like hell if it gets into a cut, and it doesn't work anyway.

I find the best mozzie repellents are the ones that use a combination of citronella / eucalyptus oil. Mosiguard isn't bad: http://www.mosi-guard.com/. You have to use a lot though.

Also, it's not 100% preventative, it'll just reduce the amount you get bitten. But there's not much else you can do - apart from covering your skin in a thick layer of mud to stop them from reaching you. Or you could just behave like Bear Grylls and eat them before they eat you.

-liam-

Thanks Jonesy. I'll order some of that and give it a try.

Cranks

Also Avon do a great mossy repelent, smells alright too

Richard-Dublin

As far as I know the Avon product is just a moisturiser that just happens to be a great insect repellant - called "Skin so Soft" I think?
I got "eaten alive" myself last weekend - first time ever - from my knees down is not a pretty sight!

-liam-

It seems to be 10 time worse this year than last. I don't recall having any trouble with bites same time 12 months ago. Probably a combination of the heat then alot of rain I guess because it is alot warmer this year than last. Went out yesterday and have ended up with another 5 bites which I was wide awake scratching at 3am this morning. 90% of the time they are on my lower legs but occasionally I get one above my waist line. We have no animals and they do only ever occur following a bike ride, unless I go somewhere foliage free like Llandegla.

Bossangel

yes skin so soft by avon is the best ive found, when im in the highlands i dont wash for a week and cover myself in that stuff and dont get bitten

-liam-

Perhaps it is the not washing for a week that keeps the bugs away ?

Just ordered some anyway. My missus will think I'm on the turn when it shows up

Bossangel

That helps as well as Mozzies love clean skin as cleaning apparently opens the pores of the skin up

ratty2k

Garlic?
I use Jungle Formula, seems to work well...

cee

The Skin so soft is pretty good, but just MTFU and get the deet on....

yes it will melt the cranks right off your bike...but you will have 0 midgie bites!

TimesLikeThese

Skip the deet and go for the avon.
deet destroyed my sunto watch seals and it flooded with seawater destroying it.
Apparently the army uses this avon stuff as its the best they've found for midges.
Not sure which field trial they discovered that one in....

-liam-

Avon stuff arrived this morning. It better work because I'm going to smell like a girl

andrewjoseph

I've been using the Avon Skin so Soft for the last few years, if it's good enough for the SAS it's good enouhg for me.

and it makes me smell like a girl too!

lesz42

at llandegla i got bitten by midges, really badly :oops: :oops: :oops:



used a oil based skin softer, vitamin b complex, it worked!

couldashouldawoulda

Avon if they dont bother you too much / you dont react to the bites.

DEET for the 100% protection. Sure the stuff is nasty to plastics etc. But you dont get bit. DEET is the main ingredient in a lot of branded insect repellent (jungle formula / boots / ...) but you can buy 100% stuff on ebay and mix it with moisturisers etc yourself and save a bomb. It doesnt mix with water btw. Alcohol is good but you'll smell really bad!

A word of warning - the stuff eats plastics. Eg camera bodies, mobile phones, grips, plastic bags, camelbaks, ..... If you put the stuff on then wash your hands!!! I learnt this the hard way. Otherwise just sit back and laugh at everyone else getting eaten.

-liam-

Ho Hum. Avon stuff doesn't work for me.

Sprayed it over my legs and arms , rubbed it in a bit and went out.

Still kept on having to swipe the already sucking bugs off my legs.

Probably 5 or so bites in total which are now driving me bonkers. Will try it again, putting on really heavily, but it is fairly oily and not like it will easily come off.

Looks like I'll be trying Deet.