4 ms·

Meh. The military pre-treats jackets with Permethrin so in general you can assume that small quantities of well diluted product on the skin are okay. Probably 2

Meh. The military pre-treats jackets with Permethrin so in general you can assume that small quantities of well diluted product on the skin are okay. Probably 2%, but do your reading and consult a doctor. That being said, there is much to be said for simply eating healthy in order to prevent certain bug bites. If you want really safe external repellant, you could probably go back to sulfur powder. It stinks like eggs, but it seems to work okay. Maybe that's why all the bigger campgrounds seem to have sulfur-water.

mox1 7y ago
Wait, are you saying that if I eat healthy a deer tick is less likely to give me lyme disease? Can you explain how that works?
- Something1234 7y ago
  Old wives tale. Stinky hippies didn't seem to get sick or bitten up outside. They are a different diet. Therefore diet has an effect on bug bites.
- DoreenMichele 7y ago
  Some people attract more bug bites than others. My general impression is that hormone levels and blood sugar both impact this outcome. To the degree that blood sugar can be moderated by diet, staying on top of blood sugar issues might be helpful. I don't know about ticks, but my military spouse had good results from eating a match head once a day to discourage chiggers when he was in the field in Georgia. He later replaced this policy with taking garlic supplements. I bought his supplements. He specifically asked for the smelly garlic pills, not the ones that advertise low odor. From what I gather, his co-workers were insanely jealous of his general lack of miserable bug bites in spite of laying in the same grass as them. He was very introverted and closed mouth. Unlike me, he was entirely disinclined to helpfully blather on about such things to people unlikely to believe him. He was probably wiser than me in some sense. I would likely get a lot less flak if I didn't remark on such things myself, kept it to myself and privately gloated.

mox1 7y ago

Wait, are you saying that if I eat healthy a deer tick is less likely to give me lyme disease? Can you explain how that works?

Something1234 7y ago
Old wives tale. Stinky hippies didn't seem to get sick or bitten up outside. They are a different diet. Therefore diet has an effect on bug bites.
DoreenMichele 7y ago
Some people attract more bug bites than others. My general impression is that hormone levels and blood sugar both impact this outcome. To the degree that blood sugar can be moderated by diet, staying on top of blood sugar issues might be helpful. I don't know about ticks, but my military spouse had good results from eating a match head once a day to discourage chiggers when he was in the field in Georgia. He later replaced this policy with taking garlic supplements. I bought his supplements. He specifically asked for the smelly garlic pills, not the ones that advertise low odor. From what I gather, his co-workers were insanely jealous of his general lack of miserable bug bites in spite of laying in the same grass as them. He was very introverted and closed mouth. Unlike me, he was entirely disinclined to helpfully blather on about such things to people unlikely to believe him. He was probably wiser than me in some sense. I would likely get a lot less flak if I didn't remark on such things myself, kept it to myself and privately gloated.