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bethrodden2
May 30, 2006, 5:16 AM
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We went to Rattlesnake, Ontario on Sunday and nearly got eaten alive by black flies, mosquitoes and other beasts. The bloody things come in swarms and even when they don't drink your blood they're just insanely annoying, not to mention distracting when you belay :shock:. Man, I always hated insects, now I have an extra reason for it.
To the point: can you please recommend any effective product available in Canada that would keep the buggers off? I read on another thread that you need something containing at least 30% deet (legal maximum, apparently) - is there any specific product that you've used and worked?
Many thanks.
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foeslts16
May 30, 2006, 6:52 AM
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Registered: Dec 27, 2002
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REI Jungle Juice 100 works like a chram, used it for years.
http://www.rei.com/product/7949401.htm
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paddlegurl
May 30, 2006, 10:50 AM
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I like to use a bug jacket while I am belaying and can't swat at the bugs too much.
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can_climber
May 30, 2006, 12:33 PM
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The blackflies will really only be around for about 1 more month. Until then just wear loose fitting long sleeved shirts and long pants. With the heat we have been getting, you would sweat the bug spray off after your first route.
As long as your clothing is really light, the heat wont bother you, and you will be safe from the bugs!
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getsomeethics
May 30, 2006, 2:22 PM
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Deep Woods Off.
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slacklinejoe
May 30, 2006, 9:12 PM
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Some days you've gotta go multi-approach to the little bastards:
Clothing - thin lightweight pants & shirt if you can bear it.
Permaone (or similar) - bug coating / treatment for clothing or other gear - is highly effective but disolves on skin so is only suitable for clothing use.
Deet - Sorry for those worrying about possible high exposure issues of Deet but I've tried every other thing on the market and they just aren't as effective in high density bugs.
For the occasional skeeter the ecalyptus & citronella may work but not for swarms of them. For those who worry scream about brain damage from the stuff, just go with extra clothing / bug nets. For the rest of us in between, even water is toxic in too high of doses, so that puts deet on my list of everything else that is supposed to slowly kill me (city air, city water, pet dander, fatty foods).
Just use as the bottle says and you should be fine - however keep application frequency in mind. Even 100% deet only works until you sweat it off. If you aren't breaking a sweat the high concentration stuff (99% deet & such) last much longer but will still sweat off as fast as the lower concentrations so you'd be re-applying too high of dose to maintain below your ideal threshold so in those situations go with lower concentration mixes. I have not found the sweatproof bug sprays / lotions nearly as effective as the other stuff - if someone has please post that product up.
One thing worth noting is that sometimes the Permaone treatments are just as effective at keeping bugs off your skin as skin based repellants in mild bug infestations as long as you still have some clothing coverage (i.e. your treated hat keeps them away from your face, your shirt keeps them off your upper arms & neck - that lets you use much less or even no skin based stuff to get the job done.
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phaedrus
Jun 2, 2006, 3:53 PM
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phaedrus moved this thread from General to Regional Discussions.
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