"Mosquito Repellent Patches?" Topic

I'll be spending this July 4th breaking my back on the farm, where excessive Spring rains have brought a bumper crop of skeeters.

A friend recommended the patches instead of the traditional sprays/lotions, absolutely swears by them in fact. Any experiences from the group?

Patches? Of what, DEET?

Never seen or heard of a patch. I've found Deep Woods Off seems to work the best on detering the local variety.

Ok, googled it. This is what (I think) your friend is talking about.

patchcare.net

Here's a review (scroll down): link

Here's a different patch, which actually seems to go on your body: link

Best skeeter, black fly, and no-see-um solution (a *real* Maine woodman's remedy):

Before going into the woods, get a plastic hard hat, a rag, and some transmission fluid. Soak the rag in the transmission fluid, and wipe it over the outer surface of the hard hat. Don't get any on your hands; if you do, clean them off, and for heaven's sake, don;t touch your face, wipe your nose or your eyes, etc. Put on the hard hat, but don't touch the outside surface!

The critters will ignore you and go straight for the transmission fluid, which is VERY tasty. Then they get stuck in it and suffocate.

If you're going to be in the woods for a while, take the rag and transmission fluid with you in a bucket. When the hard hat is completely covered with black insect bodies, just wipe them off with the rag, and repeat the process.

Allen

There are also sprays that can be applied to you clothing
But this has to be done 24 hours in advance

So nobody has used these things? I knew what they were and read some testimonials before coming here, and I certainly like the idea of "smelling like vitamins", but I was looking for a wider sampling of experiences from people I trust.

It appears then that I will have to be the TMP guinea pig for these things.

Allen, I'm tempted to try your remedy. I suppose it works on the Plains, not just in the Deep Woods? Or will the relentless burning sun do a number on the fluid?

Sorry, I don't know anything about the patches, but I have used Ben's Max 100 many times when backpacking. 100% DEET is great stuff! I have never been pestered by bugs, even in the deepest woods, when using Ben's.

link

I prefer the lotion, not the spray, to avoid overspray. You do not want to accidentally spray DEET on synthetic materials, such as nylon or polyester fabric or the plastic crystal on your watch…

I fought such a losing battle in Mississippi against the various biting flies when I went out running the backwoods trails for exercise in the summer months…

I tried going at 5AM, with just a hint of light, I tried only in the late evening, I tried spraying down all my clothes with Deep Woods Off 20 min before, all I ever got was clouds of insects trailing me and the constant (like every ten seconds) flight across my face.

Hard to keep running for 4-7 miles with that kind of distraction. I gave up running in the summer and stuck to the treadmills.