# Looking for an effective non-DEET insect repellent **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906 "2012-03-27T01:30:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/21 "2012-03-28T15:04:21Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > **gracer** , in the US those are generally known as black flies or gnats, and you are correct that DEET (or any of the other bug repellents) don’t work nearly as well against them. Thanks **Telemark**! Clearly this a whole new kind of evil. Does anything work against them? Holy water? Stake through their heart? Exorcism? The only two options I have ever found are: retreat or grin-and-bear-it. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/22 "2012-03-28T16:37:02Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > **gracer** , in the US those are generally known as black flies or gnats, and you are correct that DEET (or any of the other bug repellents) don’t work nearly as well against them. > > **Trinopus** , Natrapel uses Picaridin as its active ingredient. They are neither black flies (Simulium sp.) or gnats (which is a non-scientific term referring to pretty much any small dipteran insect). They are what are commonly known as “no-see-ums”, or ceratopogonids. These are a family of biting midges, tiny things with bites completely out of proportion to their size. Culicoides is a common genera. DEET will work on these, but not the 10% DEET found in your typical OTC repellent. You need much higher concentrations. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/23 "2012-03-28T18:01:29Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > They are neither black flies (Simulium sp.) or gnats (which is a non-scientific term referring to pretty much any small dipteran insect). They are what are commonly known as “no-see-ums”, or ceratopogonids. These are a family of biting midges, tiny things with bites completely out of proportion to their size. Culicoides is a common genera. I defer to the biting insect professional. 🙂 I didn’t think he was referring to no-see-ums from his description, but you may be right. I’m not fond of them either, but black flies, IMO, are a much worse problem and keep me off the hiking trails during the worst of Black Fly Season. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/24 "2012-03-28T21:55:54Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > They are neither black flies (Simulium sp.) or gnats (which is a non-scientific term referring to pretty much any small dipteran insect). They are what are commonly known as “no-see-ums”, or ceratopogonids. These are a family of biting midges, tiny things with bites completely out of proportion to their size. Culicoides is a common genera. > > DEET will work on these, but not the 10% DEET found in your typical OTC repellent. You need much higher concentrations. Aha! Thanks **mozchron**! We always call them midges, but I thought we were being ignorant there 😉 I now feel like I have powerful knowledge (ignorance fought, **mozchron**!) with the secret of industrial amounts of DEET to kill the little fuckers. Muhahaha, until we meet again, midges!! ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/25 "2012-03-29T04:24:49Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > . . . **Trinopus** , Natrapel uses Picaridin as its active ingredient. ??? Is Picaridin the same as DEET? Is it bad? I don’t understand; what am I overlooking? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/26 "2012-03-29T11:03:31Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > ??? Is Picaridin the same as DEET? Is it bad? I don’t understand; what am I overlooking? Picaridin is one of the three effective bug repellents mentioned by the CDC in the link above. It’s not quite as effective as DEET but it’s better than all the other alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/27 "2012-03-29T14:07:10Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > A wacky guy I know is convinced that dryer sheets are fantastic insect repellents. He walks around with dryer sheets safety pinned to the back of his cap, the ends of his shirt sleeves, etc. > > I don’t know about insects, but it sure works at repelling people. I don’t know about the pin thingy but Bounce sheets were recommended to me when I was doing some mission work in the South and they worked fairly well. Used them on my clothes and rubbed myself down good with a fresh one every morning and night. Had to be Bounce though for me. Tried a discount store brand and got bit all to Hell and back. Now for mold and stuff ------- Fell’s Naptha Soap. But you may want to test a small area first because its basically a laundry soap and will remove the skin right off some more sensitive people. ---
**Author:** ![wigwag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f1d935/32.png) [@wigwag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wigwag)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/29 "2013-06-16T14:31:43Z")
So, will Deep Woods Off do nasty things to my dog if I spray her with it (obviously avoiding her face)? She brings a cloud of mosquitoes wherever she goes… which leads me to the tangential question of whether mosquitoes are more attracted to the colour black. Is DEET toxic if ingested in small quantities, say in the amount a dog would ingest by licking itself?.. One more thing before I head off to mosquito-land… are ALL those electronic mosquito machines crap? Is it true that “Mega-Catch” authors their own good reviews? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/30 "2013-06-16T14:57:20Z")
> [@wigwag](#): > > So, will Deep Woods Off do nasty things to my dog if I spray her with it (obviously avoiding her face)? She brings a cloud of mosquitoes wherever she goes… which leads me to the tangential question of whether mosquitoes are more attracted to the colour black. We use Bayer’s canine Advantix on our dogs. The label says it kills and repeals mosquitoes as well as fleas, ticks, and lice. ETA: seems to work as claimed. ---
**Author:** ![wigwag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f1d935/32.png) [@wigwag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wigwag)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/31 "2013-06-16T15:45:47Z")
Hmm. Will have to check that out. We already use “Revolution”. Perhaps this might be overkill, or over-off, or something… ---
**Author:** ![wigwag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f1d935/32.png) [@wigwag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wigwag)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/32 "2013-06-16T15:55:17Z")
Okay. Advantix is “dangerous to aquatic organisms,” and “extremely poisonous to cats”. Not quite right for THIS swimming dog with cat companion. ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906/33 "2013-06-16T15:55:51Z")
I use bounce dryer sheets in pockets and under my sun hat, but my big thing for keeping the mozzies and gnats off is crushed catnip. Yeah sounds weird but it does work for me. Rub it on clothes and skin, sprinkle some in the hair, add a couple bounce sheets and off I go. My cats love me. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-an-effective-non-deet-insect-repellent/616906.md?page=1)