how to avoid mosquito bites?

Is there a way to keep mosquitoes off when I spend 5-10 minutes in my vegetable garden during day time? When I do extensive work, I spray DEET on exposed skin and clothing. It works wonderfully but requires a shower.

Internet hits are all about removing water puddles. We don't have water puddles here in the desert-like summer weather of Texas.

 

We use Deep Woods Off, which I think is very effective, and unscented and isn't sticky or whatever so you can spray it on and forget about it. If you want something even less intrusive or whatever you might try one of those clip on fans. A friend of ours makes jam so she's in the woods along roadsides a lot, picking berries, and she swears by those fans.

 

Very recently my wife and I have started using picaridin as a lotion. No odor, not greasy, pleasant to use. We use it to repel ticks as skeeters aren't much of a problem in our particular area. We bought the lotion on Amazon. We have bottles in our vehicles, house and outbuildings so we can conveniently apply it. Tick borne diseases are getting worse here. Looks good against skeeters, too.


https://www.outdoors.org/articles/am...sect-repellent

 

If there were a solution malaria, dengue, yellow fever... and a lot of other diseases wouldn't infect millions of people every year.

Deet works well but as you know it can be a bit oily, it's hard on synthetic fabrics and it has that wonderful smell of summer. We take picaridin wipes with us when we are in malaria areas for quick protection. Just tear open the packet and rub the sheet all over exposed skin.

I also treat my clothing with permethrin. It doesn't do anything to keep mosquitoes off exposed skin but it does stop them from sticking their blood sucking needles through thin clothing and it's good for ticks and other insects as well. I let my clothes go about 6 weeks or 6 washings before treating again.

Then there is ThermaCell. It's a small device that takes a butane cartridge and a mosquito repellent pad. It gently heats the pad emitting the repellent in a cloud around you. It's great when you don't want to put anything on you and it really works well... when it's not windy... and when you are in one place. Since it forms a "cloud" the protection works best when that cloud stays in place around you. But, even in a slight breeze I think it also helps as mosquitoes can't follow your breath upwind to find you.

 

Besides deep woods off, it seems like someone recently posted something about Spartan mosquito eradicators... some of the reviews are pretty glowing. Not sure if it's snake oil or not but buying a couple of them might be worth it. I know how annoying it is to go out in the evening to work in the garden when you practically get eaten alive.

I need a shower anyway after being outside in the heat so I don't mind dousing myself in the deep woods off. Except for how it turns my lips numb. LOL