If you’re anything like me, you really don’t like the bug sprays that contain DEET. In spite of the EPA’s ruling that DEET is safe, there is a great deal of evidence presented by the Cornell Pesticide Information Project and the CDC that would suggest cause for concern. Many people, including myself, have experienced adverse reactions to the chemical. In most cases, I would prefer not to use insect repellent if at all possible. However, Florida has an abundance of mosquitoes. If you don’t use bug spray, then you are asking to be sucked dry. There a number of insect repellent manufacturers that make plant-based “all natural” sprays. These sprays typically contain lemon eucalyptus oil and a plethora of other chemicals. During a recent hike in Upper Hillsborough Preserve I tried two of these products.
Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent
Claimed Effective Time: 6 hours
Actual Effective Time: 10 minutes
Comments: Following proper procedure, I applied this product to exposed areas of skin. It provided a temporary respite to the onslaught of mosquitoes. However, this respite was short-lived and was far from the claims of the manufacturer.
Coleman Botanicals Insect Repellent
Claimed Effective Time: 6 hours
Actual Effective Time: 8 minutes
Comments: This product fared slightly worse than the Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent. However, given that both were exceedingly far from the manufacturers’ claims, the difference was not significant.
Overall Recommendation: I would suggest using physical barriers as your first line of defense against mosquitoes. Wearing pants, long sleeves, and a head net ($2.50 at a local store) over a hat will protect you far better than having to repeatedly apply these insect repellents. With that said, I know it is sometimes inconvenient to wear a head net, especially if you are birding. In those cases, these short-lived repellents are better than the DEET alternative. Just keep the bottle nearby!
Another alternative was recently brought to my attention. It is called 45N68W. I have not yet tried it. You can read about it here and here.
Happy Off-Trailing!