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Hate DEET? Here are Bug Juice Alternatives

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.06
Travel & Nature

philbrick.jpgThe New York Times asked Maine fishing guide Stephen Philbrick, who usually mainlines Deep Woods Off!, to test DEET free alternatives. All Terrain Herbal Armor Spray seemed to win-“deerflies, mosquitoes, everything, stayed away.” although it smelled so bad that it repelled people as well. Others, such as Burt's Bees repellent, were less effective. Bite Blocker Herbal Spray did not do well- billed as waterproof and sweatproof, it wasn’t- Mr. Philbrick said. “If you sweat, bugs will find that spot where the product has dripped off.”::New York Times

Comments (8)

Try natural repellents with catnip oil in them. Here's an article that reports on a study on catnip oil as a repellent. It is possibly ten times as effective as DEET.


http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/83/8331catnip.html

jump to top Eric [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

But then what do you do to keep cats off of you?

jump to top dru says:

We recently went camping, the bugs were thick and biting like crazy but all I had was some Aura Casia Lavender aromatherapy mist (probably any lavender would have done...). After a few sprays not only did we smell great, the bugs HATED us. I've also read that lemon eucalyptus works as well as DEET.

jump to top Mia says:

this won't work on your skin, but in order to keep ants away from your trash, simply take ordinary chalk (like from the teacher's blackboard) and draw a thick ring around your trashcan.

jump to top Laurie says:

As someone who often hikes in areas known to contain mountain lions, I don't think I'd be interested in covering myself in the crack-cocaine of the catnip world...

jump to top jasno [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

I know a few of you are being facetious ;) but catnip oil isn't going to make you cat-bait ;) Now, if you cover yourself in valerian tincture, you might have a problem. Or the cats will just go so wild and run away that it might as well also be cat-repellent! :)

But, if you don't mind the medical problems associated with DEET, then by all means... ;)

jump to top Eric [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

No mention of Picaridin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picaridin)? It isn't green (as far as I know), but it is an alternative to DEET. I just bought some Cutter with picaridin and it seems to work as well as DEET.

jump to top Terp says:

The product that works best for us is made locally by a company called Irie Star, here in St. Louis, MO, where the mosquitos run wild! It's called "Backyard Bliss" and it's a sprayable lotion. The lotion itself is water and aloe based, so it's light and not sticky or goopy. It's a catnip product, rather than citronella, and smells wonderful - sort of a lemony-vanilla scent. I was looking for something I could use on my 4 year old that was chemical free, and the sales clerk at Whole Foods told me that it's safe for babies 6 months and older. (The URL link is a link to their website page). Hope it helps!

jump to top Lynn says:

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