This is my nemesis, the mosquito. Supposedly, only the females bite...I won't say anything else about that; my wife might have something to say about any further comments.
I've noticed that getting off of the beaten path here on Okinawa usually involves being subjected to well coordinated attacks by wave after wave of large mosquitoes. I'd like to get your input on the best ways to prevent being targeted by these voracious beasts. Commercial bug repellent, B-complex vitamins, dousing yourself with gasoline? What's your favorite bug-proofing method?
Let me know in the comments.
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8 comments:
Haven't found a good repellant yet, but if you wear sunglasses and a hat, it does help to keep them away from your face a bit.
We encounter all kinds of irritating flying critters on our hikes, and I've found that wearing my sunglasses really helps.
I'd really like to hear of a good repellant, though. Hopefully someone will let us know...
Repellent....Deet..100% Works well here in Minnesota, the land of ten thousand of the pest. In fact they are our state bird.
Deet? I guess I'll have to get a hazmat license so that I can import barrels of the stuff...the skeeters over here sound like a CH-53 flying by.
Yep -- Deet, and plenty of it. Also remember that moisture defeats it, so whether you swim or sweat, you need to keep applying it frequently for it to be effective.
...and, yes, those girls are the blood suckers that keep you distracted and uncomfortable!
(there, I said it ;-) )
OK, it took me a while to remember, but while at Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe a few years ago, we were introduced to some of the best bug repellent known to man.
Here's the web site:
http://www.allterrainco.com/insect_repellent.html
It isn't cheap but it kicks butt!
When I was in college back in the '70's, I worked as a lifeguard at a Girl Scout camp in the Poconos (Pennsylvania) for a summer. All of the staff were encouraged to take a daily thiamine supplement, to ward off the skeeters.
If I understand the science correctly, any excess thiamine that your body doesn't need is excreted in your perspiration; this in turn emits an odor that is undetectable to humans, but repellent to mosquitoes. It seemed to work!
Thanks MG; I'll definitely give that one a try!
Ooh Rah Gunny!
Thanks for the link and I've added you to mine.
Nice blog you have here. That would be fun to do some caching in Hawaii. We want to make a trip over there hopefully our next big vacation. I've never gone after a cache that involved, "heading into the jungle"
I was in the Coprs 93 to 97. I was stationed in 29 Palms, a tank mechanic for what was called CSSG-1 at the time, part of 1st FSSG. Nice to have another "jarhead" in the game.
See you around!
BTW, no mosquitoes here!
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