Thread: combating hungry mosquitos

Long sleeves, long pants, and boots up over the ankle, like Wellingtons or Ropers. Repellants should be put on the cloth not on your skin, if you can avoid it. I react to a great many of them worse than to bug bites; so I seldom spray down. The boots are specifically to protect against deer flies, to keep them off your ankles and lower legs. I will spray down the uppers of my boots in deer fly country though.

Deer fly bites (like horse fly bites) very often swell up to the point that getting a shoe on the affected foot is nearly impossible. The biting bugs are always worst in the swampy areas; so you want the camp to be as open and breezy as possible, since that is very likely where it will be worse for bugs than open water is.

Mosquitos are always worse in low light, early or late in the day. IMO the worst are the little striped queens that come out around dusk, and right after dark. In camp if the cabin has a porch light that is not a bug repellant bulb, ask if you can replace it with one. The fewer you attract to the door the fewer will sneak in to pester you when you are trying to sleep. Some always get in anyway; so we do a daily swat patrol and keep the fly swatter handy for any incidentals we see.

Some will swear by this repellant and some by that, but for me there is nothing that is really fool proof. When the fish are biting though I don't seem to notice any bug problems!

Edit: You will never find me fishing in sandals, shorts or sleeveless.

ThermoCell, maybe 2 of em. Worth every penny

Originally Posted by no1son

When the fish are biting though I don't seem to notice any bug problems!.

I have the same reaction to deer and horse flies. Not good - especially when getting bit more than once in the same area.

I soak my clothing, shoes, boots, even underwear,,in permethrin. I also use it on all my backpacking gear. Its good for many washings even. Repells, tics, skeeters, and all bugs. You can get the concentrate at most Farm supply stores, small quantities at all sporting goods stores or online at Sawyers.com. Works like a charm especially against tics and skeeters.

I use 100% deet and spray my clothing more than I do my skin. I will give the hair, ears and back of the neck a rub of the deet though and if they start on the backs of the hands, then there as well. The thermacells will work great unless you have wind, then you'll be back to square one.

Wear dark clothing, stay in the sun [I try to avoid shade when these critters are out and about] and areas where there is steady breeze. All of these pests are attracted to exhaled co2 from your lungs and that co2 which escapes thru your pores. If you're doing anything that has you huffing and puffing, you'll be the target of swarms of the bugs.

If you spend any time at all around these things you'll figure out ways to deal with them. Those little black flies are the absolute worst.

Folks, thanks for the suggestions. Will give them a try.