What do I use to thwart Tsetse flies?

[spike.t]

Only a cup and only a week... sheesh, ive been training way to hard for way to long... time to go hunting... tsetse's or not!!

yeah pete but gin and tonics on the lake dont count.......

 

[PeteG]

yeah pete but gin and tonics on the lake dont count.......

They do when Elise pours doubles!

 

[spike.t]

They do when Elise pours doubles!

sorted can send elise in to scare the tsetse away they wont mess with her

 

[CAustin]

Have mercy! I knew this was a dangerous game hunt but I didn't know I would be the one hunted!

 

[Royal27]

Have mercy! I knew this was a dangerous game hunt but I didn't know I would be the one hunted!

And Charlie, when you are eating that rare steak for dinner right before you sit in the blind just make sure you don't let any of the juice drip into your lap. If you think a tsetse fly bite to the nuts is bad then you sure don't want to try leopard!

 

[CAustin]

Message received and understood Royal.

 

[siml]

@Royal27 , best be vegetarian for the hunt.

 

[gizmo]

I'm pretty sure a tsetse fly bite to the gentleman vegetables causes instant and permanent impotence. Probably best to soak both jocks in deet before putting them on.

 

[spike.t]

I'm pretty sure a tsetse fly bite to the gentleman vegetables causes instant and permanent impotence. Probably best to soak both jocks in deet before putting them on.

not sure about that have you seen what that stuff does to the finish on a wood rifle stock or some synthetic/plastic things?..........

 

[spike.t]

Tough guys drink a cup of deet a day for a week before they leave. It ensures you will never be bitten.

now come on wayne just because you have the force with you you cant change it now, it cocks up the flow of humour.......

 

[spike.t]

i would also like to thank @rookhawk for providing this thread, and enabling some of us to provide such detailed information on how to avoid tsetse fly bites, and the unfortunate consequences if stabbed in certain delicate parts of the anatomy . this information took a lot of self sacrifice to come by and we hope its much appreciated by anyone on here travelling to tsetse areas now or in the future.................

 

[Longwalker]

I have only encountered Tsetse flies on one trip, in Tanzania. they were numerous, and annoying, but no worse than the deer flies/horse flies/ bulldog flies that live in northern Canada. I like to think of them as " protectors of the wilderness" ;-)
If swarms of biting flies are a serious problem I have found that the best practical solution is a mesh jacket with hood, that is soaked in 100% DEET. The jacket keeps your hands free of the stuff so that you don't strip the finish off of rifle stocks, and you don't have to rush to the shower as soon as you are in camp, you can just take the jacket off. Don't know if they are available in Africa or the USA, but the jackets are pretty common in Canada. Keep the jacket in a big ziplock plastic bag when not in use.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I have only encountered Tsetse flies on one trip, in Tanzania. they were numerous, and annoying, but no worse than the deer flies/horse flies/ bulldog flies that live in northern Canada. I like to think of them as " protectors of the wilderness" ;-)
If swarms of biting flies are a serious problem I have found that the best practical solution is a mesh jacket with hood, that is soaked in 100% DEET. The jacket keeps your hands free of the stuff so that you don't strip the finish off of rifle stocks, and you don't have to rush to the shower as soon as you are in camp, you can just take the jacket off. Don't know if they are available in Africa or the USA, but the jackets are pretty common in Canada. Keep the jacket in a big ziplock plastic bag when not in use.

Got a link to the store where they can be purchased?

 

[no1waterdog]

Brickburn the mesh suits do not work.My friend had two of them from Cabelas and after two days in fly country he gave them away. John

 

[BRICKBURN]

Interesting.

 

[Longwalker]

Mesh suits do not work on their own, agreed. If the mesh is against your skin, the bugs just poke their jaws through. The one I use is Shoo Bug brand. It is not meant as a physical barrier, but as a carrier for the DEET. It is a open weave mesh with cotton threads distributed throughout. It is placed in a ziplock bag, a half bottle of 100% DEET squirted in, and sealed for day or so. When not wearing put back in the bag. It does work to repel every type of biting fly we have in Canada, I can't imagine why the same system would not work with Tsetse flies. But, like so many other products for outdoor enthusiasts, once you find something really unique, that works perfectly, they stop making it. After a search there is no evidence of this company on the internet. Sorry. But something similar could be home made.

 

[spike.t]

It does work to repel every type of biting fly we have in Canada, I can't imagine why the same system would not work with Tsetse flies.

because these are hardcore special forces type flies not some backwoods types ..........

 

[Philip Glass]

Not many tsetse flies most places. I had my Avon skin so soft but never needed it anywhere I went.(caprivi and Zim). It's great because it has sunscreen and insect repellent.
Philip

 

[Red Leg]

In Moz there are tsetse's. Sometimes they attacked in squad strength, and every now and then they would strike in battalions and brigades. You would go for an hour without a bite, and then be swarmed for the next hour. I had assumed everything I had heard about them was somewhat exaggerated. If anything, it was understatement. And having grown up in South Louisiana, I am not easily impressed by a bug. You truly can't slap them and kill them - not without doing yourself serious bodily harm. You have to roll them against your arm, leg, whatever until you hear and feel crushing noises. They will indeed crawl up your pants leg and nail your thigh (haven't been hit higher - yet). We kept three or four cans of insect spray in the vehicle which was imported from Russia. It was so potent that I suspected it was likely brewed in an old bio-chemical warfare lab (hell the cans were OD colored). A blast or two of that and every insect within a couple hundred square feet fell out of the sky. I only hallucinated for about a week after returning to the States.

 

[Longwalker]

this is the sort of jacket I was suggesting. Not on the market any more in Canada, but the concept is effective and perhaps a similar product is being sold somewhere.