Things to know about Insect Repellent
A number of good insect repellents are available. The best of these is deet (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide). Deet tends to last longer on the skin than the other repellents. Other effective repellents are ethyl hexanediol, dimethyl phthalate, dimethyl carbate, and indalone. Combinations are sometimes used. Higher concentrations of these agents are more effective and last longer, but sometimes are rather oily. Most are available in a variety of vehicles such as sprays, sticks, oils, and saturated pads. They may damage synthetic fibers and plastics.
Repellents do not literally repel insects. Rather, they make the skin unsatisfactory as a landing area. Insects will land on untainted skin even if repellent is quite near; it follows that all skin that is accessible should be treated.
If the repellent is present on the skin, insects will hover around the surface and sometimes land, but depart hastily. When the repellent begins to wear off, insects will land and walk around. At this point, the repellent should be reapplied. Some individuals are protected for longer periods than others. In warm, humid conditions, a single application of deet protects for no more than two hours, at best. In more moderate weather, deet protects for about four hours.
The repellent should be applied to the entire area that is to be protected. Most repellents will sting cuts or mucous membranes. The face should not be sprayed directly. The repellent can be applied to the face with the fingertips. One application will usually last several hours, but wind, heat, humidity or profuse sweating may remove the repellent more rapidly. Much repellent is rubbed off by clothing and other objects. These agents should be applied to clothing in areas which are susceptible to bites such as the shoulders, upper back, and thighs.
One useful method is the impregnation of all outer clothing with a repellent. About 2 1/2 ounces (five tablespoons) of the repellent is used for each jacket, shirt or pair of trousers or socks. This is done by dissolving the repellent in dry cleaning fluid and thoroughly wetting the garments with the mixture. The garments should wet thoroughly without any excess. This process usually requires about three pints of the dry cleaning fluid for each heavy cotton garment. The fluid should ,be allowed to evaporate before wearing the clothes. An alternate method is to dissolve 2 ½ ounces of an emulsifier or 1 ounce (two tablespoons) of a laundry soap in water; then add the repellent while stirring vigorously. The clothes are saturated with the emulsion and dried before wearing. Trousers and mesh soaked in repellent are available but may be expensive. They may offer protection for several weeks.
Repellents do not literally repel insects. Rather, they make the skin unsatisfactory as a landing area. Insects will land on untainted skin even if repellent is quite near; it follows that all skin that is accessible should be treated.
If the repellent is present on the skin, insects will hover around the surface and sometimes land, but depart hastily. When the repellent begins to wear off, insects will land and walk around. At this point, the repellent should be reapplied. Some individuals are protected for longer periods than others. In warm, humid conditions, a single application of deet protects for no more than two hours, at best. In more moderate weather, deet protects for about four hours.
The repellent should be applied to the entire area that is to be protected. Most repellents will sting cuts or mucous membranes. The face should not be sprayed directly. The repellent can be applied to the face with the fingertips. One application will usually last several hours, but wind, heat, humidity or profuse sweating may remove the repellent more rapidly. Much repellent is rubbed off by clothing and other objects. These agents should be applied to clothing in areas which are susceptible to bites such as the shoulders, upper back, and thighs.
One useful method is the impregnation of all outer clothing with a repellent. About 2 1/2 ounces (five tablespoons) of the repellent is used for each jacket, shirt or pair of trousers or socks. This is done by dissolving the repellent in dry cleaning fluid and thoroughly wetting the garments with the mixture. The garments should wet thoroughly without any excess. This process usually requires about three pints of the dry cleaning fluid for each heavy cotton garment. The fluid should ,be allowed to evaporate before wearing the clothes. An alternate method is to dissolve 2 ½ ounces of an emulsifier or 1 ounce (two tablespoons) of a laundry soap in water; then add the repellent while stirring vigorously. The clothes are saturated with the emulsion and dried before wearing. Trousers and mesh soaked in repellent are available but may be expensive. They may offer protection for several weeks.
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