Vaseline as bug repellent?

[Arden]

Hi;
I had a weird (I think it's weird) idea last night while thinking about hiking and bugs (kind of odd that I would be thinking about bugs in December in NJ, right?).
Do you think that covering exposed skin with a layer of Vaseline would prevent bug bites? The thought is that the bugs wouldn't be able to "smell" the blood (whatever it is in our blood they sense) through the Vaseline?
Granted, this would not be a complete substitute for DEET, but it got my curiosity up. I'll have to wait for spring to try my theory, but I thought it would be interesting to get others' opinion on this.
I have read that citronella can be effective against biting flies, but I have a feeling that it wouldn't work against tics. Maybe a tic would get stuck in a layer of Vaseline though...
Of course, the down side to slathering Vaseline all over yourself on a hot day is that your skin will not be able to breathe properly, and you may overheat.

What do you think? Am I just a bit crazy - off - or is there some merit to my theory?

Arden

[Traffic Jam]

Don't know about mosquitos but you'll be scraping the gnats off

[Tri-Pod Bob]

The majority of flying, biting bugs especially mosquitos, gnats & flies, zero in on us due to the carbon dioxide we emit from exhaling, not from 'smelling' our blood.

[Drybones]

Vaseline would be pretty sticky and you may bugs stuck all over you, but, you may have something there. I've hiked with folks that got a bunch of ticks when I got none, dont know if this is the reason but I had olive oil on to help with dry skin...helps with blisters too.

[Arden]

The majority of flying, biting bugs especially mosquitos, gnats & flies, zero in on us due to the carbon dioxide we emit from exhaling, not from 'smelling' our blood.

Thanks for correcting me on that. I mistakenly thought it was blood, but now I remember reading somewhere that it is CO, not blood. Do we also exude CO through our pores? If so, that might account for the high number of bites on the legs.
I read somewhere that petroleum jelly with menthol might help to repel bugs.

Drybones; I'll have to try the olive oil. Not as greasy as petroleum jelly.
I once tried garlic. I took garlic pills for a week prior to the hike, then ate a meal with lots of garlic the night before. But when I stepped out of my car at the TH and was putting on my hiking boots, I was being eaten alive, so I applied the DEET.
I've also tried Avon's Skin So Soft, but it did nothing for me.
Maybe some of these non-toxic repellents don't take into account the sheer number and aggressiveness of the insects we have here on the east coast. I should try hiking along the shoreline, where there's always a strong breeze, or just try hiking on windy days .

Arden

[Tri-Pod Bob]

I try to avoid chem type products, if possible. At some times & in some places, one just has to use them, though. I use DEET very sparingly & will use permethrin on my outer clothing due to ticks. But, I've had good luck with vitamin Bs. I mostly bushwack when I'm out & more often than not, I'm cutting thru or near swamp/marsh/wetlands which swarm with skeeters. So, during peak bug season, I'll take a vitamin B complex supplement every 3 days, starting a week or so before bug season hits hard. The amt that is not utilized by the body is eliminated via body fluids, including sweat. I find that the biters don't like the taste of me on vitamin B. I don't know if it would work for everyone, so YMMV.

[Wise Old Owl]

Citronella, Peppermint, and Rosemary are oily pungent repellants and actually barely work and don't kill a thing... Deet is the same, and doesn't kill anything ether - it repels by confusing the bugs senses -

Vaseline? Has little or no science to back it up in this area. You have to block the carbon dioxide to be successful.

[Nick P]

Hi;
I had a weird (I think it's weird) idea last night while thinking about hiking and bugs (kind of odd that I would be thinking about bugs in December in NJ, right?).
Do you think that covering exposed skin with a layer of Vaseline would prevent bug bites? The thought is that the bugs wouldn't be able to "smell" the blood (whatever it is in our blood they sense) through the Vaseline?
Granted, this would not be a complete substitute for DEET, but it got my curiosity up. I'll have to wait for spring to try my theory, but I thought it would be interesting to get others' opinion on this.
I have read that citronella can be effective against biting flies, but I have a feeling that it wouldn't work against tics. Maybe a tic would get stuck in a layer of Vaseline though...
Of course, the down side to slathering Vaseline all over yourself on a hot day is that your skin will not be able to breathe properly, and you may overheat.

What do you think? Am I just a bit crazy - off - or is there some merit to my theory?

Arden

"Weird" is about the long and the short of it, but I've learned from this thread, so thanks!

[T.S.Kobzol]

Vaseline would definitely work for ticks. When I was a kid the usual remedy for removing ticks was to cover their body with vaseline or butter or something greasy. This would restrict oxygen intake of the tick and it would either fall off or get partially out of the cavity it bit through. Then it would be easier and safer to remove.

Sent from my vivid imagination and delusions of grandeur

[Kookork]

We are talking about two different thing here: 1- How bugs find us ?,they can smell us from around 30 feet away and then they follow CO2 that we exhale to reach us.

2- How do they find and pinpoint the blood vessels to suck our blood? this part has nothing to do with CO2 emission.

Mosquitoes don't see very well, but they zoom in like a heat-seeking missile. In the spherical arrangement of their compound eyes, blind spots separate each eye from the next one. As a result, they can't see you until they are 30 feet (10 meters) away. Even then, they have trouble distinguishing you from any object of similar size and shape: tree stump, 55-gallon drum, etc. When they are 10 feet (3 meters) away they use extremely sensitive thermal receptors on the tip of their antennae to locate blood near the surface of the skin. The range of these receptors increases threefold when the humidity is high.


My experience with bugs is that when they are out in full force the weather is hot and normally humid.In a hot and humid day covering our body with vaseline is just a recipe for heat exhaustion.

[Arden]

We are talking about two different thing here: 1- How bugs find us ?,they can smell us from around 30 feet away and then they follow CO2 that we exhale to reach us.

2- How do they find and pinpoint the blood vessels to suck our blood? this part has nothing to do with CO2 emission.

Mosquitoes don't see very well, but they zoom in like a heat-seeking missile. In the spherical arrangement of their compound eyes, blind spots separate each eye from the next one. As a result, they can't see you until they are 30 feet (10 meters) away. Even then, they have trouble distinguishing you from any object of similar size and shape: tree stump, 55-gallon drum, etc. When they are 10 feet (3 meters) away they use extremely sensitive thermal receptors on the tip of their antennae to locate blood near the surface of the skin. The range of these receptors increases threefold when the humidity is high.


My experience with bugs is that when they are out in full force the weather is hot and normally humid.In a hot and humid day covering our body with vaseline is just a recipe for heat exhaustion.

Thanks. Very good information, and yes, I do realize the problems with petroleum jelly on hot & humid days. It was just a crazy thought - but now I have a better understanding of how bugs find and eat us!
I'll probably be experimenting with natural repellents come spring.

Arden

[Gravesbrock]

Learn something new everyday.

[Dogwood]

http://www.consumersearch.com/insect...e-insect-spray Instead of a petroleum product like Vaseline I would try one of the Berts Bees Lip Balms. When I've run out of bug juice this is what I've used to repel gnats, mosquitos, and biting flies on the tips of my ears, nape of neck, face, hands, etc. Berts Bees Lip Balms contain essential oils(Peppermint, Rosemary, Balsam, geranium, perhaps even types w/ Oregano, etc) known to have some repellancy against these types of insects. The base of shea butter, essential oils(fragrances), soybean/citrus/olive, etc oils also aren't appreciated by these insects not just as a fragrance but these insects may not like getting stuck in the coating they leave on exposed skin. They'll buzz around but often refuse to land and potentially get their feet stuck. If I don't have a Lip Balm with me I'll sometimes carry Berts Bees Res-Q-Ointment, again with essential oils like lavendar, rosemary, comfrey and olive oil which I'll use on my feet for calluses, blister prevention, as a mild antiseptic

[Drybones]

Haven't used it for hiking but for fishing and float trips I use Skin-So-Soft, a little slippery but does the job....and gives me silky soft, radiant skin.

[Kaptain Kangaroo]

Do a search for Picaridin....... The same level of effectiveness as DEET, but without the downsides of the smell, greasy feeling skin & dissolving all your synthetic gear. It has been available down here in Australia for years, but only more recently in the US I believe. Works great !

[T.S.Kobzol]

A tent as a bug repellent? Discuss.

Sent from my vivid imagination and delusions of grandeur

[Wise Old Owl]

The moment you jump into a tent in Canada after dark - it ceases to be a bug shelter. Enough female mosquitoes will follow so fast they will wait on the ceiling in the morning to let out. Too many to count.

[Turk6177]

I have used "skin so soft" from Avon, but it is very greasy too.

[Wise Old Owl]

I will share with you skin so soft will work in the backyard but doesn't work in the woods. Horribly personal I went to Canada with the product by day three I was exhausted with bites. Nothing clocks mosquitoes as well as Deet 14% or Deep Woods Off except a new product that has been thoroughly tested... SSS has not been thru the testing as much recently. Keep in mind Mosquitoes will add to your dehydration.

[squeezebox]

Vasoline does work well in cold weather as a cold blocker, particularly good on your face.