Alaska... Mosquito Repellent. Spray, Patch, home remedy what works best???

Hey guys,

So i thought i'd put this out there to the forum and see what you guys have found works best.

I plan on going to Alaska for 6 weeks during July/ August and camping pretty much the whole time. The mosquitos dont really bother me growing up in Australia they're kinda just part of life and you eventually get used to them or they leave you alone. However my South Florida girlfriend read in a book that there are swarms so big they block the sun in Alaska and now she is freaking out.

I'd be interested in hearing what you guys have used or come up with. Please help save my trip my sanity and my relationship.... (im not so worried about the last part)

Someone suggested these patches but said they can smell a little http://www.themosquitopatch.us/

Anything else?

Cheers
 

DirtWhiskey

Western Dirt Rat
I backpack about 800-1100 miles a year in the west. Not the same as Alaska, but the Uintas and the Wind Rivers can produce dinosaur-era levels of skeeters from June-August. Canyon country can produce the worst plumes of biting deer-flies you can imagine. I grew tired of smearing toxic sludge all over myself in the form of sun-goop and skeeter juice. Now I wear long sleeves, hats and pants treated with permethrin. Works like a charm. It is toxic while its wet and you have to be careful in application, but I'll never go back to the other crap. If it's really bad, grab a net-cover for your hat.
 

Scoutn79

Adventurer
The best I have found is 100% DEET. THe stuff that some companies mix with DEET such as sunscreen or other ways of cutting it don't work well. Get only 100% DEET. I like it in a tiny spray bottle that puts out a fine mist. this way you can spray your clothes/hat/bandana and skin and get even coverage. You can get 1oz spray bottles at Wally World that work well.
I have only used this in Colorado...Can't tell you how Alaska, Michigan etc flyers will be affected.
Darrell
 

Colonal Angus

Adventurer
Skin So Soft by Avon works well with North Florida skeeters. It's made by Avon and its by far the most effective and best smelling repellent I've used. Also, snag a couple ThermaCells, one for each of you. Maybe try the Buff Headwear Insect Shield. I use a Buff for UV protection while fishing...never tried the insect shield one though.
 

AK Allen

2012 TTSE FJ Cruiser
I live here, near Fairbanks. I am out hunting, fishing, and cutting firewood all the time. I swear by Ultrathon by 3M. I have found nothing that comes remotely close. And yes the mosquitos are the true predator of Alaska, people worry about bears, moose, and wolves. But, mosquitos are the thing to worry about. You can yell at most bears, and moose and they go away. But yell at a mosquito and it flies down your throat! lol If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Ultrathon/Products/
 

Honu

lost on the mainland
when I lived in Honduras and would go into the jungle %100 deet
around town avon skin so soft worked

but the best thing was long sleeve shirts and keeping minimal skin exposed
 

TheThom

Adventurer
According to PhD entomologists DEET=King. At the military medical briefing they recommended Ultra-Thon brand. Silly name, but it works well. I spent last summer deployed in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia. In 3 months I had maybe 2 bug bites. If you use neutrogena sport sunscreen spray (DEET goes over sunscreen) then you are really protected.
 

Acetylene

Explorer
I live in east central Florida on Mosquito Lagoon (guess how it got its name) and the first step is to reduce the amount of skin exposed (should be doing this for sun protection anyway). The second step is Ultrathon by 3m. The third step is a Thermacell in a personal holster - these really work very well. This has worked well for me on the Wilderness Waterway in the glades also. I have found nothing better yet.
 

Yellowkayak

Adventurer
Believe me this works great for ALL pests. Take a tube of deep heating rub, place in a QUALITY spray bottle 16 OZ, add rubbing alcohol (leave about 1 inch from top not filled), and shake until it is all disolved (this will take awhile but will stay disolved). I heat up water in a pan and remove from heat, then set bottle, alcohol and heating rub mixture to help in the dissolving. Once all well and disolved, spray it on ANYTHING but your eyes...it will burn like hell in your eyes (don't ask). Yes you will smell like a football player after a tough game, but it works on mosquitoes, gnats, flies, and no seeums! DO NOT spray on tent material or non-rip matierals. Just your skin to be on the safe side. It WILL eat some rubbers so be careful with that too. Or you can go with old faithful...eat lots of garlic for a week prior to going there, yes you will smell like a Korean Restuarant, but that works also. Have a safe a good trip!
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
The best I have found is 100% DEET.
Darrell
I was the general manager of one of the largest guide companies in AK. For our multi-day trips we'd have to effectively ban DEET from our tours. It eats through sunglass lenses, shirt collars, tent fabrics, and in general...is nasty stuff. I'd only recommend DEET for regions where mosquitos threaten to transmit illness. Otherwise, why subject your body and clothing to such a caustic chemical. I'm the buyer for an outdoor store currently. Frequently we'll have to send DEET products back to the manufacturer because the fluid has leaked and literally eaten through the packaging. No kidding, DEET melts most plastics. Want to spray that all over your face?

Having lived, guided, and interacted with hundreds of travelers in Alaska's backcountry, the best bet is not a smear-on solution, but just full skin coverage. We'd give our clients head nets and cotton gardening gloves. A full brim hat helped with the head net. Gloves are a no-brainer as mosquitos LOVE to bite hands. It's seldom so hot in AK that full skin coverage is too hot to be comfortable.

Another tip: Ear plugs. Even with a bug net over your noggin, the incessant buzzing around your head can make you absolutely bonkers.
 
Last edited:

Honu

lost on the mainland
Deet is nasty stuff for sure :) but it works
I know off and skin so soft and all that stuff in the jungles did not work on bare skin ! also with mention of diseases its no fun to get super sick but cant think Alaska has any issues ?

having had Dengue and some other fun stuff from Central America living I dont want to go through that again :)
 
Great info guys... i knew deet was bad but not that bad. I plan on just staying covered up as much as possible and doing everything i can to keep the girly happy.
 

john101477

Photographer in the Wild
As mentioned above I like permethrin and have used ultrathon together with mixed results. In central Florida ultrathon sucked, although it worked great in Cali. my brother in law spends tons of time in the swamps and he uses some stuff called Jungle Juice. It is some nasty stuff but the state "bird" stays away for a while anyways. I sweat so bad here though I have to reapply way to often.
 

Rattler

Thornton Melon's Kid
I work for SC Johnson who owns Off but I don't have anything to do with that division. I wish Dave was on here. I met him on the first UP Overland trips. After chatting with him a bit it turned out he also worked for SCJ in their home city, Racine (I work a manufacturing site in MI). Some of you may remember the old Off commercial way back where the guy stuck his arm in the tent full of skitters. That ws Dave's arm and mosquitoes! He told several of us that reapplying Off after only a couple hours is a waste and how long it is actually effective for. I wish I could remember Dave's details! I do remember he said it didn't matter how much Deet was in it. Some of the Deep Woods stuff says 15% and some says 95%. It makes no difference he said. I can tell you it really doesn't do much for MI Upper Peninsula black flies thats for sure!
 

summerprophet

Adventurer
Experience:
I was a land surveyor in northern Canada. In the swamps. In the mosquitoes. Yes they are that bad. Seriously they are that bad. I filled a pop can with dead mosquitos while waiting for a helicopter once. I killed 13 with one ********** once. I have seen waves of them from the helicopter.

Solutions:
Deet - best solution goes on, long lasting mosquitoes will still hover around you, but will not land. The higher percentage the better. I have overdosed on Deet. (18 hour day of constant application) vision and balance were affected. Unpleasant, and I would honestly be surprised if it didn't give you cancer. It does melt plastic, and turns survey flagging into goo. I am truly surprised it hasn't been pulled off the shelves. Now with all that being said, it works. If you have any hesitation to using it, buy it anyways. Keep it with you, in the event the skeeters are ready to drive you completely mad.

Lemongrass oil- a non-toxic solution to deet, and works almost as well. You need to apply it more often, and get it in your hair. Burts Bees makes some, but they have messed with the solution a few times. You want the highest concentration of lemongrass oil possible. It will bleach your hair blonde if you use it all summer.

Citronella Candles- Place them around you when you are outside. Mixed results, but better than nothing.

Also, and I thought this was a rumour until i did it. Do not eat bananas for a week before venturing into mosquito terrain. No idea why, but it seems to help.

And lastly, attitude. Don't let the buggers get to you. Make games of killing them. Find out where they can bite you where you can flex muscles and make them explode.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,535
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top