Given all of the Malaria chatter as of late, figure I'd better lather-up with some kind of no-bug potion.

What is the best overall bug dope for Zim?

I'm heading over next week and want to get a fair supply for the trip.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

A small bottle of Uncle Ben's, Muskol, Off, Cutter's or about anything works fine. By Alaskan and Canadian standards, African mosquitoes are real easy to repel. Thank god ours don't carry malaria or we'd really be in deep kimchee.

I just got back and I DID get a light case of malaria. But I was somewhat lax in using my repellents, relying instead on the Malarone to protect me (which it ultimately did, which is why mine was a "light" case).

When I did use repellents, I liked Avon Bug Guard best, because it worked well against mopane flies as well as mosquitos. I don't like DEET products because DEET literally takes the finsh off my rifle and melts the nylon on my jacket. Of course the whorehouse-fresh scent of the Avon product makes your PH look at you funny. Depending on your particular orientation, this may not be a problem.

To continue what GAHUNTER said: The Avon Skin So Soft with BugGuard is the best. I was in the Zambezi Valley the last two seasons and that product was what my PH's recommended. It is good for mopane flies, mosquitos, and too a point works for Tsetse flies, although you will need to apply it two or three times per day. I also tried some "Off" for comparison sake and found it did not work nearly as well, not to mention greasy. If you chose the Avon product, get the cream in a tube, not the spray can or bottle. The cream last longer and is not messy.

Ramrod, I just had my secretary check her catalogue and they only show it in lotion - probably about the same thing.

The Avon works the best, GAHUNTER, right on!!

I forgot to bring bug juice this year, I got back from Zim just about 2 weeks ago.

I'm still scratching bites!!!!

I used Avon SSS but it did not work for me.

What has worked it a combination of taking garlic pills 3x/day plus using a 10% DEET repellent.

Add to that a bug jacket for the evening and you are all set.

Jeff - On tsetse's, Deet (including Off and Bens) didn't cut it for me at all, whereas the Avon SSS (in the tube, not pump spray) worked wonders last Sept in Zambia. It will wear off after a lot of walking, as Ramrod said above.

But talked to a guy who just came back from the Zambezi who said it did not work for him a few weeks ago (at least to his anticipated/expected satisfaction...). If you are in tsetse country, you are gonna get nailed, part of the experience

I found both okay on mosquito's and mopane flies, neither on common flies around the villages. Regards, Bill

Jeff,

It might help to understand a little about the biology of the Anopheles mosquito, the one that carries malaria. It is a very small mosquito that comes out in the early evening. It is usually dormant during the day. Only the female bites to get blood to feed it's developing young. You are most likely to get bit from early evening through dark hours. I changed into long pants before the evening hours when we would sit around the fire before dinner. I kept one set of long pants and a long sleved shirt to wear in the evening. I sprayed these with Deep Woods Off every three or four days and never had them washed as I only wore them for a couple of hours each day. The PHs were constanly swatting mosquitos at dinner but didn't bother to spray or wear long pants. I found that the Deep Woods Off also worked really well om mopani flys and more importantly on tetse flys. Be sure to spray your mosquito net each night.
465H&H

Jeff, I'm going over on Monday also. What is your airline and route.

Jeff,

I used ultrathon by 3M and make sure you use cream and not spray...For malaria malerone once a day and no major problems with it...Take avon and any cream with 30% or more deet...Long sleeve shirts...Get the Pyrthin spray for your clothes that kills insects when they land on it by it at walmart camping dept I even sprayed inside of truck we rode in...

Mike

Cunningham,

I'm going over on SAA....Wed. AM actually!

Thanks everybody for the intel on the bug stuff....especially appreciate the bit about the long britches and shirts.

Thanks again,

JW

Oh I'll add that given the variety of suggested brands / compositions, I'll be taking a couple of different selections an will use of course that which works the best - duh!

BTW, where can one get the Avon stuff?? Available through retailers....Or, do I have to chase down one of the "ladies" and get me some (bug stuff that is!)?

JW

JW

Has anyone tried treating their clothing with Permethrin? I've found that in the US it repels mosquitos, biting flies, ticks and chiggers really well. You spray it on your clothes, it lasts for a month, even with washings, and doesn't have any smell.

Pete

JW

Go to page 3 and you'll find where Bill C has posted a link for Avon products.

Talentrec- I have used Permethrin twice, in RSA and MOZ. It really works.We were mostly concerned with ticks and you could actually observe them crawling along and turning when the reached a treated product. They then went straight to my untreated PH. I paid particular attention to boots and gaitors, plus the usual points of entry, but with an all over application. I used the "Repell" product that was availible at Walmart.Mosquitoes would land for a second and then take off.

The Avon in the tube works as good as anything I have found for Zim. Like someone else said, I have found the bugs not to be too bad there. Not as bad as here in Texas. I always take a little bottle of deet in case it should get bad. Australia is worse for bugs in my experience. Those green ants seem to love me.

Jeff;
Beleive it or not I have used Zodiaz dog shampoo for fleas and ticks the last five visit to Africa. My doctor said it would cause no harm. I have not had a mosie sting of tick bite since I stared using this. Use what ever Marlaia propholaxis your doctor gives you, plus repellant you should not have a problem.

May I mention again that garlic pills 3x/day really do help? No kidding.

So this trip, I will try out the following cocktail:

doxycycline 1x/day
garlic pills 3x/day
DEET many times/day
bug jacket in the evening and to sleep in (even when under a mosquito net)
dog shampoo for fleas 1x/day

Sounds like a plan.

I hunted for 21 days in the OMAY Zimbabwe June 2004. I did not use a single drop of insect repellent. I had some with me, just did not use it. Bugs were not a problem.
Also here in TX especially in tick and chigger season I usualy use a product [different compaines make it Sawer is one I believe] that you spray on your clothes [NOT YOUR SKIN]
It seems to work very good..

On the permethrin, I've used it regularly on my clothes for protection. Used it up in Quebec on last year's caribou hunt and it worked extremely well. Best place to buy it is at a farm & ranch store or feed store. My daughter owns one of these so my permethrin costs me only a hug.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:..So this trip, I will try out the following cocktail:
doxycycline 1x/day
garlic pills 3x/day
DEET many times/day
bug jacket in the evening and to sleep in (even when under a mosquito net)
dog shampoo for fleas 1x/day..

500, what is the Doxy for, anti-malaria or anti-other? Wondering if anybody has taken an anti-malaria like Larium + Doxy as an extra precaution against malaria and other bugs/ailments?

Permethrin really works good, especially for ticks. In Zambia, ticks got on my clothes and died while they were swarming the others. Do not get that stuff in your eyes!

Bill C,

Doxy is an antimalarial. But it is an antibiotic as well, so while taking it you will be protected from other nasties such as the plague. And it doesn't hurt to have some antibiotics floating around the blood before the leopard scratches you. But doxy leads to lobster-like sunburns, so use sunscreen.

JD, Larium is poison to me. I might as well drink hemlock or catch malaria, because I would not feel any worse than I do from Larium.

quote:

Doxy is an antimalarial. But it is an antibiotic as well, so while taking it you will be protected from other nasties such as the plague. And it doesn't hurt to have some antibiotics floating around the blood before the leopard scratches you. But doxy leads to lobster-like sunburns, so use sunscreen.

Okay thainks 500. I used Doxy on numerous trips for anti-malaria (at dinner to avoid sunburns). Last trip I used Larium w/o and side-effects, but like you said, I sort of miss not having the antibiotic in me as a preventative measure. I take some Doxy and Cipro along with me - but I was curious if you were taking [ingesting] both Doxy & something else like Larium.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
I used Avon SSS but it did not work for me.

For a guy who likes to sleep on rocks this is no surprise.



I have to wonder what the PH's think with all you guys wearing foo-foo smelling stuff out hunting.

Ann,

I have been looking for some leopard skin underpants to wear on safari, but so far no success. I may have to settle for Batman underwear in kids size XL.

Dan,

I recently had to process a crime scene at a store called "Lover's Lane". Trust me when I tell you they have what you are looking for in leopard print. No need to settle for little kids' stuff. Now those kind of stores probably exist in the seedier part of Salt Lake City so go have a look-see.

Come to think of it, thay had a lot of interesting "toys" there besides the "clothing".

quote:

And it doesn't hurt to have some antibiotics floating around the blood before the leopard scratches you.

A good choice to bring along for serious skin and soft tissue infections such as can be inflicted by leopards etc is Dalacin (Clindamycin.) in 300 mg capsules. It would be more effective for this use then Doxy is. But having Doxy floating around in your blood helps against Tyfus/Tickbite fever, so it's a good thing to use a a prophylactic anyway. As long as one takes it at dinner time as BillC pointed out.

Hey "500grains",

Call up "Jack-O" - bet he has some of those "Superman" kids Xls you're looking for!!!

Sick bastard (MJ that is)!

Jeff