Battling The Bugs

[PaddlingPitt]

I want to see if I can post, but I don't really have anything to post about, having already used up all of my trip reports. Canoe trippers have many ways that they deal with mosquitoes and black flies. When Kathleen and I first started tripping, we bought head nets. After about five minutes we took them off, and never used them again. We felt way too confined. And besides, how would we be able to eat and drink wearing head nets?



So we bought bug jackets, and have been very satisfied with the results. We saturate the jacket with a 2.5 oz (74 ml) bottle of full-strength deet. Sometimes we dab a little deet on our hands and face. The jackets are open weave, so that it is possible to portage, or otherwise work hard without becoming overheated by the jacket.



It's fair to say that we have never felt tormented by bugs, even out on the barren grounds. In fact, we rarely get any bug bites at all. The most vulnerable time is when squatting close to the ground with one's pants down. I don't want to rub deet on my behind, though. I just wait to go until I really, really, and I mean really have to go.

On windy days, when the bugs are confined to the ground, we store our bug jackets in ziplock bags. Depending on how hard we are working, we don't have to re-saturate the jackets for about two weeks. I've even got to like the smell of deet. When I get the jackets out of the closet to saturate at the beginning of a trip, the fragrance just yells out, "You're going canoe tripping. Yay!"

Yes, I know the horror stories of spilling deet on glasses or fabrics such as nylon. In all the years we have tripped, we have never made these kinds of mistakes, nor have we ever rubbed deet into our eyes. I know many of you will likely reject our approach. But hey, what works for us doesn't have to work for you. It's just our preference.

Now I am going to try to post. Wish me luck!

 

[lowangle al]

Michael, would you go shirtless in that if you were hot enough?

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I've never been in the barren lands, but I've been in plenty of places with mosquitoes, black flies and deer (yellow) flies. Long sleeves, pants in socks and DEET on remaining skin and hat have always worked pretty well for me. I later bought a shirt, pants and socks permanently impregnated with permethrin, but that's about the time my tripping dwindled, so I never gave them sufficiently empirical canoe tripping tests. They seem to work well against tics on my 11 acres, though.

I always wondered what blood mosquitoes eat and how they evolve. I mean, whenever I've been in the wilderness I hardly ever see any animals and yet a zillion mosquitoes leap out at me within 10 seconds of pulling down my pants. What the heck do they feed on when I'm not there -- the invisible animals?

I read a science fiction short story as a kid. Aliens came to Earth and said they were going to annihilate the human race for being too hostile, harmful, warlike and unworthy, unless three other species would speak up for the humans. Dogs did. Cats did. But then as the annihilation clock ticked down, no other species seemed willing to speak up for humans. At the last second, a third species spoke up for man: the mosquito.

 

[lowangle al]

I agree Glen that in most situations covering up and deet on exposed skin works. It's when the bugs are so thick that you can't open your mouth to breath or eat without choking on them that the bug shirt might be a benefit.

I was never a tuck my pant legs into my socks type of guy, but I did it on my last trip after taking my wife's suggestion. Well my wife must have had thicker socks on than I did because my ankles got eaten up pretty bad. I'll keep my high boots on or spray the heck out of my ankles next time.

 

[PaddlingPitt]

[No message]

 

[Alan Gage]

It looks like you made the most of that first meal!

Alan

 

[PaddlingPitt]

Michael, would you go shirtless in that if you were hot enough?

Now I am able to post again! Happy days. Al, when we have the bug shirt on, it’s because the bugs are bad. We would not take it off. If we did, we would have to use a lot of DEET on our neck, face and hands, which we prefer not to do. And besides, the open weave means we don’t get too hot, particularly when just sitting around eating. As you also have mentioned the bugs are sometimes so bad that they fly into your ears, nose and mouth. I have seen them fly in hordes into our hot suppers. I assume that you weren’t suggesting that we go shirtless with just the bug jacket on.

Glenn, as you probably know, both the male and female mosquitoes live primarily on nectar and water. After mating though, the female seeks out blood for higher protein to enhance production and survival of her darling babies. I have seen caribou harassed incessantly by these blood sucking hordes.

 

[PaddlingPitt]

It looks like you made the most of that first meal!

Alan

Alan,

The line associated with my image did not appear for me. I guess you were able to see it though. Last weekend was our 40th anniversary. The image shows me at breakfast. French toast of banana bread, smothered with bananas, walnuts and whipped cream. Excellent, and very moist. Our first sit-down, in-restaurant breakfast in 15 months. Words can not overstate how wonderful it was!