I've heard that DEET is not too good at protecting from tsetse fly bites. Also heard that Avon Skin-So-Soft workes pretty well. My experience with it in the marshes of Louisiana (the mosquito capital of the world) is that it does not last too long. There is also a product that mixes Skin-so-soft with DEET, which I have not tried.

Anyone with first hand experience on what works best? I HATE fly bites!

GAHUNTER,

OFF makes a product that is both a sunscreen and bug dope. We found it quite effective against some really aggressive tetses in south central Tanzania.

Regards,

Mark

The US military uses 3M Ultrathon, a deet based product, for insect repellent however, deet will not work on tsetse flies. Long sleeves, long pants and netting seems to be the only protection one can use for those bastards.

John

While in Zimbabwe last year, me & my PH got into a short talk about the different bug juices. he is convinced that "Avon's Skin-so-soft" is the best he's used.

It doesn't take the finish off your gun like Deet does!!

Don't forget Promethrin. You spray it on your clothes and it keeps the ticks away. Be sure to bring pump bottles becasue the airlines won't accept the spray cans. On our trip last summer we were unable to use our promethrin. I could only find spray cans which I bought. I then sprayed the contents into an empty clean pump hairspray bottle. When we tried to use the pump bottles, nothing would come out. The spray can promethrin was too thick.
Anyway, my father and I both returned from Zimbabwe with African tick fever.

I use Ultrathon and Avon Skin-So-Soft with IR3535. Definitely keeps the mosquitoes and ticks off. The IR3535 does a pretty good job on the tsetses. My last PH ask me to bring extra for them as they thought it was about the only thing that worked on the tsetses.

Wes

Im not following, what is IR3535. Where can you buy Ultrathon. I have never heard of it.

Sprig

I got Ultrathon at www.travmed.com

John

Travel med is a nice web site.

Sprig

Has anyone used the stuff that is popular in the central america dive locations called Cactus Juice.

People rave about it in Hondurus and Belize.

Sprig

Sprig

Go to the Avon website.
It is Skin-So-Soft with IR3535.

Wes

I guess tsetses are pretty bad if you have to stoop to "the Avon lady" for relief...

GAHUNTER,
This is what worked sooo well for us.

2 weeks before the trip, start taking GNC 880 mg. oderless garlic. Take one two times a day for the first week, then 2, two times a week until you leave Africa. (Ray's tip for ticks)

We treated all clothing, except underwear, with permethrin's 6 week solution.

Every morning, coat your body, especially your exposed skin and ears, with Avon 'Bug Guard with sun screen. Don't get it above your eyes WOW!! Make sure you get this on each others back too. Keep it in your field bag since you will need touch-ups in the field.

I sprayed my boots, socks, and (gators when I wore shorts) with 100% Deet.

We never had a bite and the flies were very bad, mossy's bad, and ticks bad. Tanzania in October. I will use this system again as it worked beyond belief.

All the best,

Sam
eclemmons@hotmail.com

Permethrin is available at farm and ranch stores. I buy it in the concentrate and dilute it. Costs MUCH less than in the department stores. Oh, since my daughter owns one of the largest Purina feed stores in Colorado, it didna kost me nuttin. Best thing about it.

In coastal South Carolina where I hunt we have to contend with Mosquitos and Flys for a large portion of the season. Deet works but deer smell it very well. So often you see nothing if you spray down.

Best thing I have ever found is Shannon's bug tamer clothing. It really works!!

Thermacell's also work here and it might be the ticket hunting out of a hide in Africa but I don't know anyone who has tried it. When hunting out of a ground blind here I lay it outside the window not inside the hide. The device burns fuel and it is never a good idea to place such an appliance in an enclosed area with youself. For me the jury is still out on whether the Thermacell spooks game. But I am convinced they do repell insects.

If you use the Shannon Bug Tamer clothing you will not need the other stuff. I sell it and I use it in TZ. It works period!
I spray my booths and pant legs (if not wearing the Shannon Bug Pants) with Permanone from Repel. DO NOT get the Permanone on your skin. Spray boots and clothing until damp the night before and you are done for a week at least.
Shannon Bug Tamer Jacket was the best pc. of clothing that I take to Africa. I also use it Spring turkey hunting to keep the bugs, ticks and no seeum away.

Agreed Harry

I have used the other stuff instead of the Bug Tamer but nothing works better.

I have to agree with Shannon's Bug Tamer suit. I'm from the coast of N.C. and the season starts early and the mozzy's are thick. This suit works great for deer hunting where smell is important.

Use a black magic marker to black out the area that you look through on the face shield. You'll see much better.

Sam

Here my 2c of experience.Deet is the best for american mosquitos,never worked for canadien black flies for me.In TZ Deet wworked for about 1 hr if sprayed on clothing or skin,worked means fewer TseTse bites not none.We didnt have mosquitos.I used the Avon stuff religously,my long sleeve shirts and pants were soaked in the stuff.It had little effect on the Tse Tse's.Finally I had to overcome false pride and used the faceshield of my Shannon Bug jacket.Worked like a charm.No messy sprays or creams.Bought the pants 2 weeks ago from Cabelas.I expect to come back home in fine shape this time

Here is a copy of a magazine article I wrote. It pretty much covers the types of repellents and clothing treatments available, it is a fitting subject for this booklet.

How many times have you tried to remain motionless with big game staring your direction and a Mosquito is boring a hole into your forehead? You have to wonder how many animals you have spooked while swatting at flying and buzzing insects around your head as well. What is the best Insect repellent, and what are the ways to use insect repellents to get the best use of their research and development?

Are they safe to use? What amounts are safe to use for extended periods? What is the best carrier or base to use? Lotion, aerosol, or oil based? I am sure that like me, many of you just squirt the Bug dope of choice on your hands, rub it all over your skin and figure that is good enough. Of course it must be safe, it has been tested, and certainly the government would never allow anything unsafe for the consumer to purchase.

I hunt in Africa each year with groups of hunters I put together from the USA, Europe and even the Middle East. Africa may not have the worst bugs by volume that I have ever experienced but they do have some of the most dangerous insects around. Malaria and tick fever are common problems, which can be deadly. Even though I have been under full attack by so many Mosquito's in Alaska that I was inhaling them while breathing, at least they did not carry a deadly strain of a virus!

I tested several brands of insect repellent and insect killer while I was there for my hunting groups this spring. I also did quite a bit of research on this before I left the states to base my findings on with the various products I tested.

There are lots of different brands of bug repellents on the market. However there are only two basic types. Those that repel insects, and those that kill insects. The most common chemical used to repel insects is N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide. Otherwise known as Deet. This is the current day "buzz word" in insect repellents. Used in various strengths from 5-10% all the way to 100%. Deet has been so well studied that I have too much information to repeat here on the subject. I can tell you that it is universally agreed that concentrations over 35-40% deet give little to no additional benefit in protection to the user. There is a point of diminishing returns beyond 35%. Billions of people have used Deet since 1954 with no known long-term problems. There has been some concern over Deet being absorbed through the skin. During all of the testing done by the EPA it was found that no trace of Deet could be found in the body after 72 hours of using it.

Where did Deet come from? Deet was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and patented in 1946 by the U.S. Army. The general public approved it for use in 1957. The EPA estimates that more then 38% of the population use a Deet based insect repellent. Worldwide usage exceeds 200 million people annually. I think if we were going to have a problem with a product containing Deet, we would have seen it by now.

Is there a down side of using Deet? Some people have sensitive skin and could see a rash with prolonged use. There is however no evidence that it promotes skin sensitivity or allergic reactions. Deet can damage plastics, synthetic fabrics, leather, and painted or varnished materials. Deet does not damage any natural fibers such as wool and cotton, and has no effect on nylon.

How does Deet work? Moisture, warmth, carbon dioxide and odors produced by humans attract mosquitoes, ticks and flies. Deet works by blocking the receptors on the insect's antenna. To be effective all exposed skin must be covered. Insects will easily find any exposed and untreated skin to bite, burrow into, or suck blood from. So we positively have to cover all of the exposed skin, but what kind of base is best for the application of Deet? Aerosol spray is probably the most common and is often in an alcohol base. This media will quickly evaporate and reduce the effective duration of its use. Alcohol also promotes opening of skin pores, which increases the absorption rate by the body. The oil based formulas usually packaged in a small squeeze bottle work much better and last longer but to me they are uncomfortable to use. I hate the greasy oily sticky feeling I have with these kinds of products. The cream lotion feels the best to me, it is the longest lasting formula, is the least absorbed by the body, and can be applied to the places you need it easily. In 1998 a new development came about called Sub-micron Encapsulation, this is a big fancy word. What it means is that it contains the longest lasting and most advanced delivery system available. This is a product that is 50% more effective and much more gentle to the skin.

What is Permethrin? Permethrin is an insect killer not a repellent. It is the same kind of chemical used to kill head lice in children. Again, as with Deet, this was the result of the U.S. Military needing a clothing treatment. The research and testing on the current product exceeded everyone's expectations. Permethrin is a clothing treatment that will kill insects that crawl across as little as ten inches of the material once treated. Permethrin is a synthetic insecticide, which mimics the form a natural Pyrethrin found in the Chrysanthemum family of plants. It has two very desirable features. It is a very effective insecticide, and it is broken down into non-active compounds by ultra violet light. During development the Permethrin was enhanced to prolong it's use in sunlight or to prevent the breakdown by UV rays for several weeks. It was enhanced to bond better to fabrics, be completely odorless when dry, and to withstand at least two detergent washings.

While I was in Africa we hunted quite a bit from blinds near water holes while sitting on the ground. The past year in much of northern South Africa there has been an 80-year record for rainfall. What this means in the very warm climate of South Africa is that there is a lot of insect breeding grounds with the puddles of water everyplace you go. Several evenings while sitting up at these water holes while I was with clients or other Professional hunters I would watch them pick off ticks for 2 hours straight, swatting at the relentless mosquito's buzzing just out of reach.

With my permethrin treated clothing and the lotion based 35% Deet I did not get a single tick bite in nearly 6 weeks of hunting in these conditions every single day. I think I probably had half dozen-mosquito bites during the entire trip, which was probably from lack of effort on my part. Not the fault of the Deet or the permethrin I was using. The correct use of these products comes with each one you buy. However they do not come with instructions to work together as a system. For your benefit I will tell you what I found to work the best for me.

I treated 4 pair of pants, 4 shirts my jacket, vest, two hats, and every pair of socks I brought with me. Using the permethrin. I was doing this on a bed sheet spread on the floor of my garage to keep out of the breeze. I did one side of the clothing at a time exactly to the directions. After drying I turned them over and did the other side. Several times while checking them I noticed dead ants, spiders, moths, and flies, on the clothes and the bead sheet. Clearly this stuff was working already! When all the clothes were completely dry I folded everything up and put them inside of black plastic lawn and leaf bag to keep them out of direct light. So much for the preparation of my clothing, that was easy.

When hunting I use the cream based repellent of 35% Deet on my wrists neck and face especially around my ears. Plenty was on my hands while applying it too. I only did my legs from my knees to my ankles. I also used it around my waist as this is the primary location ticks like to dig into. Another common location is under the elastic of your socks. However with the permethrin treated socks I was not too worried. I did get some bites in my scalp but nothing serious and I am not sure how to solve that except with a hat and head net. With long pants and a long sleeve shirt using this system of applying these insect repellents and insecticides I was able to live for six weeks in a very hostile insect environment with less then a dozen bites. Those were in my scalp, which could have been avoided by the continuous use of a treated hat or head net. The others on this trip had as many as 20 tick bites and uncountable mosquito bites in total.

With a little preplanning and some attention to the details you can avoid things like tick fever and lime disease here in the USA as well. Remember to keep your treated and unused clothing out of light. Once treated keep them in a black plastic bag. Also remember spraying your clothing with insect repellent (Deet) will not keep bugs off of you or your skin the insects want your blood and have no interest in your clothing. The trick is to fool their receptors, which you cannot do by spraying your clothing. On the other hand spraying the insecticide (Permethrin) on your skin will not help you either. The two different products must be used within the exact design they were intended or you will be bitten up and feel the Permethrin and Deet did not work for you.

In closing I will say that Permethrin has no downside with the exception of the cost. Deet is the most effective insect repellent known. It is completely safe when used in proper concentrations and with common sense. Also keep in mind that the cream lotion is going to be the longest lasting repellent and the percentage of Deet has a diminishing return when you go over 35-40%.

For Tetsi flies I have found that Skin Tastic works best for me....

I am of the opinnion that our body chemistry has a lot to do with what works for each of us..and that is why you get so many different opinnions on what works best.

I know a few folks who simply do not get bitten by Tetsis, me not being one of them...

You want to be safe from Tetsi fly bites, then take me along on your safari and they will all bite me and only me...I am convienced that is why Saeed insists on my presence at his safari camps......