Protection From Bugs Whilst Filming

I've used a new deet product that has a time release and keeps the deet on the surface of the skin so it is not absorbed into the blood. It's available in army navy stores and the name starts with an S....also my bug shirt worked great. net over the face and some material the bugs didn't bite through

Rich

Please don't be so coy...

You can advertise anti bug spray here...or even, as my typo nearly got through, anti bud spray.

Cheers

Geoff Boyle

My girlfriend (who shoots, so this isn't off-topic) claims that DEET can harm plants, and she's a serious gardener. She figures that deet from her arms will kill the plants she's repotting... she's tried the citronella balls, and bracelets, but no luck.

Anyone know about DEET and roses, or daylilies?

In Houston, we have mosquitoes galore. "Off!" and other deet products work fine, but leave you greasy, and often contain a solvent that can damage polyester, resin, or glass filter & lens coatings--a danger when you're working.

A surprisingly effective mosquito repellant is made by Avon, called "Skin-So-Soft" (search "skin so soft" on www.avon.com). It was formerly a skin cream, but was found to have an uncanny ability to fight mosquitoes, so now it's even marketed as bug repellant. Never mind what that says about what goes into make-up...

In any case, it repels mosquitoes, and leaves your skin feeling soft to boot. ;-) It's not nearly as nasty as the sprays, either.

Of course, I have no affiliation whatsoever with Avon, etc. etc. Just passing on some advice from an ex-southerner.

Rich Schmidt AC

Brooklyn, NY

I find "Skin-So-Soft" inconsistent as it seems to work for some though not others. I've tried it with my kids with no success.

One thing to consider is if you must try DEET (which is NOT recommended at all for kids) is to use the repellant on your clothes. By applying it to your clothes, hat, and socks, you eliminate a lot of the risk of it. I use it fishing on everything but my skin and tackle.

Has anyone had success with garlic tablets? I've heard this works and is healthy for you as well.

Jim Sofranko NY/DP

I've tried garlic oil tablets and they seem to help, if you can deal with burping it up all day long. But in bad conditions, say, Minnesota at magic hour, they'll be worthless. Of course, in Minnesota at magic hour almost NOTHING works. Them buggers are nasty!

And what about those Canadian mosquitos?

Phil

Garlic does nothing for mosquitoes. If you must use a natural method, try either palmarosa oil or citronella oil mixed into a spray bottle with an almond oil, vodka or even water base. You'll smell good too. The old myth that garlic will chase away mosquitoes has no scientific merit. It is similar to the old wives tale that giving garlic to dogs will repel fleas or that yeast repels fleas. Mosquitoes are attracted to CO2 and heat. The belief that they are attracted to peoples skin because it smells sweet is far fetched. Think of how many people wasted their money on those blue light bug zappers which do little to nothing for biting insects but only kill beneficial bugs. For anyone that wants a recipe for a natural spray that will naturally repel everything from ticks to mosquitoes e-mail me.

I bought one of those little electronic repellers from Sharper Image, called "Mosquito Contro" because I was doing some photography in the UP, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It's about the size of a wristwatch and has a wristband, but I preferred clipping it to the bill of my cap.

It has switchable output: The sound of a male mosquito (supposedly anathema to the pregnant females who do the actual biting); and the wingbeat of the dragonfly, which is supposed to be mosquitos' biggest enemy. I always use dragonfly, which I can hear; the other one is supersonic to me.

I don't know whether or not it is actually effective, haven't used it very extensively, but it seemed to do the job for me during the past weeks, shooting around marshes, woods, and lakes.

Didn't get a single mosquito bite. Maybe I'm just naturally repulsive...to mosquitos, that is!

Wade K. Ramsey, DP

Dept. of Cinema & Video Production

Bob Jones University Greenville, SC 29614

Is there anything besides mace that you can spray on people to make them stop talking about Mosquitoes? I thought this was a cinematography forum. There are two brands of mosquito spray that I know of: Off and Cutter(s). Both work. If they aren't working, you aren't using enough. WARNING: Don't buy a product called "ON". Garlic repels vampires and some people. Try wearing a flea collar if nothing else works. Maybe a few drops of "Advantage" on the back of your neck.

Tom "film must be dead, nobody's talking about it anymore"Jensen

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomjensen/

Whoever invented Advantage deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. They have greatly improved the lives of dog and cat owners everywhere. No more bitten ankles or bombs or sprays or weekly baths...

I wish there were a mosquito equivalent for people.

Jeff "just making Tom happy" Kreines

Its to bad that the drug imidacloprid which is sold under the name Advantage is for fleas and has nothing to do with mosquitoes.

believe it or not - a friend just sent me this info concerning bugs and mosquitoes. We are planning our annual jaunt to some barrier islands that are full of bugs. You might want to look at this as an option.

Other options include going through back issues of Backpacker magazine. They done several surveys of insect repellents and have some interesting conclusions. Sorry, I cant give you any more specifics at this time. I'm on vacation.

The web page is www.cheaperthandirt.com and do a search for 'MR 50'.

-JR Allen