Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 06:57AM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 9 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 07:07AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 2,321 |
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bigpapa
Greetings trekers!!
Has anyone out there had any real success deterring mosquitos by loading up on vitamin B1? Heading into GCT next week and am willing to try anything short of spraying poison (DEET) all over my body. Also, there are a couple of products out there like wristbands and little devices you can wear on your hip that have a small fan in them. I know that there is no real magic solution. Although I did see a guy one time that wore a full body mosquito net under his clothes. All that showed was the head net. That is pretty extreme.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 12:57PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,101 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 01:12PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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eeek
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mrcondron
Wear long pants
Last time I tried that they bit right through them.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 01:14PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,101 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 01:28PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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eeek
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plawrence
Mosquitos or biting flies?
I never have had a problem with mosquitos biting through my thick Levi's bluejeans.
That's exactly what I was wearing at the time and they were mosquitoes.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 08:03AM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 254 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 11:36AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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Hitech
I've had better (better than deet) luck with this:
http://www.amazon.com/OFF-70318-Off-Clip-On-Starter/dp/B001H1JJHG
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 11:57AM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 254 |
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plawrence
Glad to hear it worked for you. But Consumer Reports didn't have too much success with it in their tests of the product:
Consumer Reports: Testers are bugged by clip-on repellent
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 12:54PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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Hitech
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plawrence
Glad to hear it worked for you. But Consumer Reports didn't have too much success with it in their tests of the product:
Consumer Reports: Testers are bugged by clip-on repellent
Odd. I had much better results than they did. However, it may be that the effectiveness is mainly because it drives the mosquito's away. In their test they introduced them next to the test subjects. That may have interfered with how it works, I tested it by turning it off and taking note of the mosquitoes. It took a minute or two before they showed up. It also took a minute or two to start working well.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 08:32AM | Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 16 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 09:57AM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 78 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 10:14AM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 285 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 10:47AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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ryanmj
Deet works but it is nasty stuff, i had some on my leg and it ate the plastic off of the inside of my car, it also stripped the color off of our table cloth at camp.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 12:59PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,101 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 01:40PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 7,421 |
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eeek
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plawrence
I'll also second Mike's (old dude) recommendation to wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants, and a hat.
Yeah, less bites but you drown in your own sweat.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 02:08PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 141 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 02:16PM | Admin Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 17,101 |
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chick-on
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eeek
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plawrence
I'll also second Mike's (old dude) recommendation to wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants, and a hat.
Yeah, less bites but you drown in your own sweat.
Meester Eeeek, by long pants The Old Dude means hike-on pants, not your PJs.
You want a hiking pant and shirt that is a tight weave. Then they won't get thru.
If you slow down and take breaks in the shade, you won't sweat out Twinkie filling...
there's lots o trees in Yosemite... take advantage of them.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 02:20PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 254 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 02:32PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 7,421 |
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Hitech
The Off clip-on is probably more effective when stationary. However, it has worked well enough for me while hiking. But that may have something to do with the speed at which I was traveling
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 02:57PM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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chick-on
Normally mosquitoes have to be pretty thick to bother you while hiking.
General rule o thumb:
- Mosquitoes - bug da crapola outta you when u standing still
- Black Flies - bug da crapola outta you when u moving
(which is why we hate Black Flies way more than mosquitoes)
I have used the ThermaCell thingading.... and ended up chucking that baby into the gar-bage.
Deet deet deet
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 11:04AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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bigpapa
Greetings trekers!!
Has anyone out there had any real success deterring mosquitos by loading up on vitamin B1? Heading into GCT next week and am willing to try anything short of spraying poison (DEET) all over my body.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 04:48PM | Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 1,739 |
I got a Picaridin based repellent at Target for our last trip. It worked well.Quote
plawrence
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bigpapa
Greetings trekers!!
Has anyone out there had any real success deterring mosquitos by loading up on vitamin B1? Heading into GCT next week and am willing to try anything short of spraying poison (DEET) all over my body.
If you want to avoid DEET, there is a relatively new alternative to DEET that has shown to be also effective in repelling mosquitos, Picaridin. Picaridin has been approved for sale in the U.S. since 2005. And unlike DEET, Picaridin doesn't damage plastics.
There's still debate whether Picaridin is as effective as DEET as an insect repellant, but numerous of studies have shown that it does work (unlike Vitamin B1).
So look for an insect repellant that uses Picaridin instead of DEET, like the following that are sold on Amazon:
Amazon.com: Picaridin-based insect repellants
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 11:06AM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,985 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 11:12AM | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 4,173 |
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bigpapa
Greetings trekers!!
Has anyone out there had any real success deterring mosquitos by loading up on vitamin B1?
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 11:41AM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 66 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 06:02PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,985 |
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Red Lipstick
I'd be careful taking a ton of vitamins, they can do more harm, than good. I was never bothered by mosquitos until my Mammoth camping trip, of last year. If you wear anything clingy to the body, spray your clothes too. I was bit by these nasty things all the way through knit leggings, that I love to wear (instead of jeans). They bite through your clothes, I was amazed, I'd never been bothered by mosquitos, until then. I thought I was one of the lucky few, that doesn't get bothered by them, 'cause I usually am!?!?!
I found that Deet (Off Woods, I think) wasn't really helping either...helped some, but wasn't great.
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 07:01PM | Moderator Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 1,942 |
Re: Vitamin B1 as a mosquito deterrent August 10, 2011 05:37PM | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 145 |