• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Bug repellant

essdub

essdub

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2015
Messages
1,252
Location
Greenville South Carolina area
I spend almost every day after work and almost every weekend in the woods and fields at the house. Whether I'm tending my trails and hidden gardens, camping by the creek, hunting, stump shooting, watching wildlife, or just taking a walk through the shaded paths through the dense vegetation. The problem I have is that I don't like to use commercial bug spray (and even the thermacell annoys me). So I end up searching for and plucking or burning off six to twelve ticks from various places every day. Plus spiders. Man I dislike spiders almost as much as I dislike turtles. I walk with moccasins or thick socks more often than boots unless I'm planning on needing extra foot protection, so I get bit by a lot of spiders, especially on my feet.
My question for you guys is this: do any of you make your own tick/bug repellant? If so, is any of it scent free? I plan on trying a few things, but this group of people here is generally very knowledgeable about almost everything and I learn a lot from you guys. Any advice or help would be welcome and appreciated.
I use diatomaceous earth for the chickens, rabbits, and dog so I decided it was a good idea to use on me too. If I'm not sweating badly, then it works great (except I look like I painted myself white - I'm sure I'm a sight walking around barefoot in shorts with no shirt carrying a bow through the woods if anyone was trespassing and saw me)
The problem with DE is that. The white film and the fact that it runs off when sweating .
It's already in the 80s with darn near 100 percent humidity every day so it's gonna get worse as summer presses on. I don't wanna scare game with scented spray, and don't wanna look like a Ugandan tribesmen with running white paste either. Advice? Thoughts?
 
Sawyers permethrin spray it in to your clothes and don't worry about it. I mix my own and spray all my clothes. I buy Martin's brand permethrin and mix it myself

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
 
I've had good luck with permethrin on the clothes during turkey season. Just don't touch it when its wet.
 
Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: Bug repellant

essdub said:
redsquirrel said:
I've had good luck with permethrin on the clothes during turkey season. Just don't touch it when its wet.
Click to expand...
Why don't touch it? Can I spray it on my legs? Or just clothes?
Click to expand...
I put it in my clothes that's the way it's recommended. I have had it on my skin. The Skippy jack for dog dip is permethrin. I don't know it would hurt you but it does keep ticks off you? When your clothes get wet walking in a damp field the permethrin get wet again. So I don't worry about it. It works

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
 
I bought the Sawyer band permethrin .
It does a good job, but even the"odorless"version smell is pretty intense.
I've used that before, I just didn't remember what it was called.
During spring and summer, I have been using the odorless OFF and eating lots of garlic. But I am still searching for the right odor free option.
Thanks for the help though, guys.
I'll keep using the Sawyer for now, except when I really wanna be scent free
 
Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid and is a fairly safe insecticide. It certainly is not recommended to be used as we use it in the bush - so I would not spray it on skin but in agriculture we put it on cattle through insecticide ear tags and we use it on pets without any harm and I personally would not be too worried about it on clothes or even if a bit got on my skin - keep it out of your eyes. It is very toxic to fish and bugs so be careful if using it when you fish... keep it out of water. Organic farmers realize that chrysanthemums have natural permethrin in them and they use these flowers to repel bugs. Just my farmer thoughts... :) .. I wish we could get a scent free spray too.

It is also the most common household insecticide for a reason. hope that is helpful
 
Re: RE: Re: Bug repellant

essdub said:
redsquirrel said:
I've had good luck with permethrin on the clothes during turkey season. Just don't touch it when its wet.
Click to expand...
Why don't touch it? Can I spray it on my legs? Or just clothes?
Click to expand...

You are supposed to spray it on your clothes and let it dry. It will remain effective for up to X days or X washings I believe. You are not supposed to get it on your skin, just clothes.
 
It seems to work pretty decent, but it apparently smells strong enough to spook deer. I got blown at several times in the last week or so.
Of course, I wasn't really sneaking or paying attention to wind, and I was sweating like a wh#0e in church. ..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top