mosquito repellant?

Question

im about to go camp for like a month and i KNOW imma get tons of bug bites. does anyone know of any other way besides bug spray to keep mosquitos away? is there anything i can do to prevent poison ivy too?

Answer 1

I always had good luck using Skin So Soft, from Avon, as a repellent. And since mosquitos mostly come out at night, you want to have a good mosquito net over the bed or sleeping bag as well. They have some that are already treated with a repellant, if you can find one. Aside from that, your best choice really is a regulation bug repellant because if you are in the boonies you also have chiggers and ticks to contend with. As far as preventing poison ivy, no- there isn't anything out there that will let you wander through it without effects. There is one called Ivy-Block Lotion, though, but it has to be reapplied every few hours. Best thing there is just to learn to recognize it and stay out of it. Post exposure you can wash like crazy with a grease cutting dish detergeant, yourself and the clothing. The trouble with the poison ivy is that all parts of the plant are dangerous, and the oil can stay under your fingernails, on your clothing, and such for weeks. You can get it from the clothing on other people as well, if they walked through the stuff. You do better to learn to identify the stuff, just remember to avoid plants with "leaves of 3". Even poison sumac has a cluster of 3 leaves at the top of the stem, so if you remember that rule, you should be able to avoid the really nasty stuff. And just in case, you should pack some hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, anti-itch cream or spray, and some grease cutting dish detergeant. That way, no matter what gets you, you should be able to do something to help. Have fun in the woods.

Answer 2

poison ivy can only be avoided, learn what the plant looks like and stay away from it
using a fabric softener sheet will often help to keep mosquitos at bay and is less caustic than most repellants, just rub it on your legs and arms and stuff it in your pocket, re-apply hourly.
if you get bitten, the best way to take the itch out of bites is to rub them with a slice of raw onion.