Best insect repellent for Africa

wvfred said:
What is the best insect repellent on the market now for Africa?
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Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard lotion. It is sunscreen and a unique insect repellent that repels even tse tse flies. This along with a pymetherin sprayed neck gaiter and I can tolerate most any situation when it comes to bugs.
 
Burn elephant dung and let it smolder in the back of the truck in an old coffee can, that alleviates the bombardments of the fly at the truck.
 
Unless you're going into the bush for an extended time, you probable won't need anything. You'll be spotting from the back of a truck, then short stalks.
I always carry Deep Woods repellant in my pack but never use it.
 
coreydb said:
Unless you're going into the bush for an extended time, you probable won't need anything. You'll be spotting from the back of a truck, then short stalks.
I always carry Deep Woods repellant in my pack but never use it.
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That might be true in South Africa but that doesn’t apply everywhere particularly on tracking hunts like buffalo or elephant.
 
uplander01 said:
Burn elephant dung and let it smolder in the back of the truck in an old coffee can, that alleviates the bombardments of the fly at the truck.
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Definitely helps when the Tsetse flies are following the truck
 
wvfred said:
What is the best insect repellent on the market now for Africa?
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I used Repel 100 (100% DEET). I guess it worked but I never saw a mosquito in Africa in two trips. It's what I use in other tropical places where I do see a.lot of mosquitos. I also used a.permithrin spray on my pant cuffs and socks to avoid ticks. I did see those on some animals but none on me.
 
Don't forget that animals have a better sense of smell than humans. Any product you apply to yourself or your clothing can be detected by the game you are hunting. I never put anything on myself or my clothes; I just grit my teeth :LOL:
 
I usually don't use insect repellent. I have hunted Africa 7 times and I have only been "bothered" on three occasions:
  • In Zimbabwe's Zambezi valley in late October (Mopani bees)
  • In Mozambique's Zambezi Delta in late September (Tse-Tse flies) and
  • In South Africa's Eastern Cape in mid-June (I was bit several times on the legs by what is similar to our North American chiggers, but the itching wasn't as bad nor did it last as long. I am not sure what it was. The culprit didn't latch on as a tick would).
From what I gather from this discussion, and for future consideration, Avon's Skin Soft is the only product that keeps Tste-Tse flies at bay, and any DEET-based repellent used on skin or Permethrin treated clothing would work on anything else I have experienced. Am I correct?
 
Aardwolf said:
I usually don't use insect repellent. I have hunted Africa 7 times and I have only been "bothered" on three occasions:
  • In Zimbabwe's Zambezi valley in late October (Mopani bees)
  • In Mozambique's Zambezi Delta in late September (Tse-Tse flies) and
  • In South Africa's Eastern Cape in mid-June (I was bit several times on the legs by what is similar to our North American chiggers, but the itching wasn't as bad nor did it last as long. I am not sure what it was. The culprit didn't latch on as a tick would).
From what I gather from this discussion, and for future consideration, Avon's Skin Soft is the only product that keeps Tste-Tse flies at bay, and any DEET-based repellent used on skin or Permethrin treated clothing would work on anything else I have experienced. Am I correct?
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Permethrin and DEET are really different. DEET is best for mosquitoes. It’s kind of a repellent. It confuses them so can’t bite. Permethrin is an insecticide that binds to clothing. It’s best for ticks. It won’t necessarily stop anything from biting you but should kill them in a short time.
 
TSIBINDI said:
A short story about "Bug Juice."

We were in Zambia, August 2003 and occasionally we were in an area of tsetse Flies. Nothing we had with us seemed to deter them. My wife noticed one of the trackers had a pail of liquid and a rather unsightly rag in it. The tracker mentioned it was good "Muti" to stave off the flies. I have no idea what the ingredients were, but there seemed to be a very faint aroma of diesel fuel.

We dipped a kerchief into the liquid in the pail and applied same. Lo and behold...no more problems with the tsetse flies!
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You would make that man a millionaire if you could find out and market what is in it! PLEASE.
 
Hyde Hunter said:
Sawyers just came out with a spray for your skin
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Sawyers also has a 20% picaridin lotion that has worked well for me on mosquitos. I mainly use it on face, neck and ears.
 
In my line of work, we like to use "engineering controls" to eliminate hazards nearly 100%, and in this case that'd be going to (presumably some Southern African country) in the southern hemisphere's winter time (our Summer.) That alone will eliminate all but the smallest insect hazard. Using PPE is the last line of defense (bug spray in this case.) Been there 6x and NEVER used any. Saw 1 or 2 mosquitoes and lots of ticks (on certain animals,) not the hunters. Got Mamba/Cobra/Adder spray??
 
*There are little harmless insects (sweat bees-flies) but they don't bother me as I'm used to gnats/blackflies at certain times of year. Certain biting insects prefer certain blood types.
"Mosquitoes are most attracted to Type O blood, followed by Type B. Studies consistently show that people with Type O blood are landed on and bitten nearly twice as often as those with Type A blood. [1, 2, 3, 4]
While blood type plays a distinct role, mosquitoes use a variety of chemical and visual cues to locate their targets. You may be considered a "mosquito magnet" due to several other factors: [1, 2]
  • Body Odor & Skin Bacteria: The specific chemical makeup of your sweat and the unique bacteria on your skin play a major role in how appetizing you smell to a mosquito. [1, 2]
  • Carbon Dioxide: Mosquitoes track CO₂ from a distance. People with higher metabolic rates (like those exercising, or individuals who are pregnant) exhale more CO₂, drawing in more mosquitoes. [1, 2]
    • Body Heat & Sweat: Higher body temperatures and increased sweat (which releases lactic acid) make you easier to locate. [1, 2]
    • Alcohol Consumption: Drinking certain alcoholic beverages (like beer) can raise your body temperature and alter your body chemistry in ways that attract mosquitoes. [1, 2]
    • Clothing Colors: Mosquitoes are highly visual. Wearing dark, bold colors like black, navy blue, or red makes you stand out to them"
A lot of good info above!
 
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