Bug Repellent

[Scott nthQld]

Hey I don’t know if this is the right place to post this, but I have a never failed recipe for a mozzie and sand fly repellent, that is cost effective and works every time, especially up here in Townsville.

Get one of those squeezy sauce bottles from the shop and fill to just under halfway with dettol, than put the same amount of Baby oil and shake until combined well.

Once mixed up up 1teaspoon of tea tree oil for every 400ml of the oil and dettol mixture and shake again.

This can be kept for months on end and works brilliantly, every time I use this mixture instead of other repellents I never get bitten. Give it a go.

I said it was a repellent but its more of a killer, as after a while, though I have had no insect bites my arms start to get tiny black specs all over from dead sandflies and mozzies.

[tigermullet]

Thanks Scott - Your recipe has been copied and printed for use this summer.

Do you reckon it would work if mixed up in one of those 500ml spray bottles?

[mudrunner]

my concern is always the residue of smell left on bait or lures. how do you ensure no smell contamination that may scare fish?

like the idea though..

[Chimo]

Had one given to me that was 1/3 detol 1/3 babyoil and 1/3 metho. There was no teatree oil tho. The metho made it go further and the oil stopped the metho evaporating. It was also good for cuts and fish hook scratches, never got any infected using this brew. Certainly cannot see that the teatree oil would not help as i use it neat on any bites and it sure helps to take out the sting and push the swelling back into the body!.

Anythoughts?

Cheers
Chimo

[Noelm]

easiest cheap insect "bugger offer" is plain old Cloudy Amonia, cheap as chips, you can get it at Supermarkets and it works, mind you one time we were in the mangroves up north and forgot the bug stuff, a quick dip of a hankie in the Petrol Tank and then a wipe over the legs and arms, never saw another mozzie or sandfly all day! probably not too flash if you are a smoker though! hhmm did I say "flash"?

[tigermullet]

Thanks Noel - another one to try. Your first idea, that is. I'll leave the petrol technique thank you. Being a smoker I don't want to end up as a yellow flash on someone's horizon.

I have been using that Avon product, 'Skin-so-Soft' but it becomes expensive if used in large quantities as some of us must do. Never thought of ammonia - no mixing required either. Sounds good.

[Lucky_Phill]

Yep, Chimo is on the money with his ' recipe '. and I agree, a drop of Tea Tree Oil would be benifical.

I have been using this brew for many years now and even in places like Turkey Beach ( sandfly capitol of the world ) it works.

Phill

[tuppence]

goodday scott,
have same with a bit extra euclypt and citronella but dont be like me put it on before you get there went up cattle creek a couple of weeks ago said to the mate great no bities
came home looking like we had the dreaded pox!

[Ausfish]

Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) works well. Aboriginies have been using it for thousands of years. Cajaput (Melaleuca Cajaputi) also works well. If you do not have the oil with you and need some protection you can simply break off a branch from a tree/sapling and start swatting the bities with it. Each time the leaves hit your body the leaves will be slightly bruised and will leave some of the oil behind. So you are not just chasing away the ones that are there at that time. Tea Tree oil is great for killing just about any bug, well within reason. Oyster cuts, tinea, fish spike wounds, coral cuts, etc, etc. First Aid Kit in a bottle, grab a bottle and have it in the boat/tackle box at all times.

[disorderly]

Gday Scott nthQld,

We also use your recipe to deter March Fly's.
During their season they drive us nuts so we liberally coat ourselves with the dettol/oil brew.
The only problem is with gardening type work the soil and dust also sticks to the oil and I end up covered with a layer of red dirt.

I agree with tigermullet re skin so soft.Its a great product to deter the midgies.

Scott

[mudrunner]

does anyone find that these recipes affect catches due to the smell tainting the bait, lures etc. i realise one can wash his hands...but still it is difficult not to touch yourself , forget, then bait up...

[Noelm]

there is always a possibility that it may act as an attractant as well mind you, not just a negative effect on bait!

[Scott nthQld]

In regards to the bait question, I've never experienced a lower catch rate due to this mixture, I've often found that it does however out perform other comercially bought repellents such as aeroguard, rid and bushman's. Even when stupid enough not to use a repellant I still get the same amount bites in the water while turning myself into one big bug bite. I've used this stuff when fishing sandfly creek (there's a good reason for this name), and not a bite (insect), mind it doesn't kepp the sandflies away, but it does stop them biting and kills a few in the process, anybody who has used this before will also have seen, the black specky arms and legs after a day on the water.

To recap, no I haven't experience a reduced catch rate because of this repellant but have increased in many instances by not being distracted by billions of hungry sandflies.

[Noelm]

a funny thing I have found that bugs seem to be attracted to certain people, not too sure why, blood type? but there is 4 in our family, my daughter and I hardly ever get bitten by anything, but my son and wife get attacked by every mozzie, sandfly and general insect in the whole area, why is it so??? and oddly enough my daughter and I hardly suffer when spiked by Flathead and stuff.

[rosspatrick]

a funny thing I have found that bugs seem to be attracted to certain people, not too sure why, blood type? but there is 4 in our family, my daughter and I hardly ever get bitten by anything, but my son and wife get attacked by every mozzie, sandfly and general insect in the whole area, why is it so??? and oddly enough my daughter and I hardly suffer when spiked by Flathead and stuff.

Apparently this has something to do with vitamin b levels so I've been told.
Eat more vegemite.

Also my dad used to have a similar mix for a repellant but it had brown vinegar in it, don't know why but he was sure tanned at the end of summer. It was like a dye on his skin.