NH_Mtn_Hiker
New member
About a year and a half ago I began researching New England’s most troublesome bugs and the effectiveness of the available repellents. The purpose of this was to make a more informed decision as to which repellents worked best and more importantly, to understand the limitations and potential risks of each repellent. I learned a lot more than I thought I would. Most of the Web based data comes from manufacturer, government, medical, and university web sites. I also did some on the trail research. I thought this would be a "DEET vs. the World" contest. It appears however, DEET's nemesis is itself.
NOTE 1:
What works for one person may not work for another, and what works on one specific insect may not work on a similar species. For example; if two people apply the same repellent to themselves, one person may not get bitten once over the next 8 hours and the other person may get eaten alive after just a couple of hours, and DEET and Picaridin are each highly effective against certain species, but not necessarily the same species. The repellent you apply at the trailhead may be nearly 100% effective against the skeeters there, but two miles up the trail you may encounter a different species of skeeter who isn't bothered much at all by that repellent. In other words, "Your Mileage May Vary".
NOTE 2:
For those of you out there who are highly resistant to change please go back and read NOTE 1 again before you post how you've used abc repellent for 60 years and it's always worked and you tried def repellent once and it didn't work at all.
The bugs studied were: Mosquitoes (Carriers of Eastern Equine Encephalitis {EEE} and West Nile Virus{WNV}), Black Flies (Most persistent pests), and Deer/Blacklegged Ticks (Carriers of Lyme Disease). There are other biting insects around, but these three are the ones that many of us are most concerned with.
The repellents studied include: DEET, Picaridin, and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, which are the three recommended by the CDC. There are a few other repellents out there including Citronella Oil, Peppermint Oil, and Cedar Oil, but their effectiveness is very limited and in some cases they're as toxic as the chemical repellents they replace.
Bugs:
Mosquitoes
There are 47+ species of mosquitoes in New England, but only the females of a few species can transmit EEE or WNV from birds to mammals. It’s important to note that insect repellents are not equally effective against all species of mosquitoes.
WNV is more likely to be transmitted to humans and their pets than EEE; However, WNV usually causes only mild symptoms in people, less than 1% develop serious symptoms. Dogs and cats are unlikely to display any noticeable systems from WNV if infected.
EEE may be less common than WNV, but it is far deadlier. The mortality rate in humans is about 35%, higher in non-native species such as dogs, cats, horses, llamas, etc., and lower in native species such as: white-tailed deer, moose, and other native animals which have had thousands of years to build up a natural resistance to it.
Black Flies
Like mosquitoes there are 40+ species of black flies in New England, fortunately only the females of a few species bite, perhaps more troublesome than the biters though are the Simulium jenningsi. These are the notorious late season swarmers. As pesky as black flies are I found no information linking them to viruses or other health risks. Repellents that are effective against mosquitoes are generally effective against black flies as well, but usually to a lesser degree.
Deer Ticks (also known as blacklegged ticks)
These tiny villains are the carriers of the dreaded Lyme disease. As far as I know, Lyme disease is not fatal, but it can create a serious disability if left untreated. See the links for info on symptoms and treatment in humans.
T. J. Dunn, Jr. DVM on Lyme disease in dogs:
“Of the hundreds of cases of canine Lyme Disease that I have seen, over 90 percent of canine patients were admitted with signs of limping (usually one foreleg), lymph node swelling in the affected limb, and a temperature of 103 degrees (101 to 102.5 degrees is normal). The limping usually progresses over three to four days from mild and barely noticeable to complete disuse of the painful leg…”
NOTE 1:
What works for one person may not work for another, and what works on one specific insect may not work on a similar species. For example; if two people apply the same repellent to themselves, one person may not get bitten once over the next 8 hours and the other person may get eaten alive after just a couple of hours, and DEET and Picaridin are each highly effective against certain species, but not necessarily the same species. The repellent you apply at the trailhead may be nearly 100% effective against the skeeters there, but two miles up the trail you may encounter a different species of skeeter who isn't bothered much at all by that repellent. In other words, "Your Mileage May Vary".
NOTE 2:
For those of you out there who are highly resistant to change please go back and read NOTE 1 again before you post how you've used abc repellent for 60 years and it's always worked and you tried def repellent once and it didn't work at all.
The bugs studied were: Mosquitoes (Carriers of Eastern Equine Encephalitis {EEE} and West Nile Virus{WNV}), Black Flies (Most persistent pests), and Deer/Blacklegged Ticks (Carriers of Lyme Disease). There are other biting insects around, but these three are the ones that many of us are most concerned with.
The repellents studied include: DEET, Picaridin, and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, which are the three recommended by the CDC. There are a few other repellents out there including Citronella Oil, Peppermint Oil, and Cedar Oil, but their effectiveness is very limited and in some cases they're as toxic as the chemical repellents they replace.
Bugs:
Mosquitoes
There are 47+ species of mosquitoes in New England, but only the females of a few species can transmit EEE or WNV from birds to mammals. It’s important to note that insect repellents are not equally effective against all species of mosquitoes.
WNV is more likely to be transmitted to humans and their pets than EEE; However, WNV usually causes only mild symptoms in people, less than 1% develop serious symptoms. Dogs and cats are unlikely to display any noticeable systems from WNV if infected.
EEE may be less common than WNV, but it is far deadlier. The mortality rate in humans is about 35%, higher in non-native species such as dogs, cats, horses, llamas, etc., and lower in native species such as: white-tailed deer, moose, and other native animals which have had thousands of years to build up a natural resistance to it.
Black Flies
Like mosquitoes there are 40+ species of black flies in New England, fortunately only the females of a few species bite, perhaps more troublesome than the biters though are the Simulium jenningsi. These are the notorious late season swarmers. As pesky as black flies are I found no information linking them to viruses or other health risks. Repellents that are effective against mosquitoes are generally effective against black flies as well, but usually to a lesser degree.
Deer Ticks (also known as blacklegged ticks)
These tiny villains are the carriers of the dreaded Lyme disease. As far as I know, Lyme disease is not fatal, but it can create a serious disability if left untreated. See the links for info on symptoms and treatment in humans.
T. J. Dunn, Jr. DVM on Lyme disease in dogs:
“Of the hundreds of cases of canine Lyme Disease that I have seen, over 90 percent of canine patients were admitted with signs of limping (usually one foreleg), lymph node swelling in the affected limb, and a temperature of 103 degrees (101 to 102.5 degrees is normal). The limping usually progresses over three to four days from mild and barely noticeable to complete disuse of the painful leg…”
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