Got mosquitoes?
I'm getting fairly annoyed with this winged devilry and I've heard the worst is yet to come. I thought I had thoroughly applied repellent this morning before birding, but the mosquitoes managed to hit spots I missed, including my brows, inner ear and scalp just below my hat line. Repellents with any amount of deet make me feel a little feverish, plus they have the potential to erode binocular armoring. I've tried non-deet products like Herbal Armor (citronella), but they don't last for more than 10 to 15 minutes and I have to re-apply. Plus, they smell pretty awful. Really, I'm fed up with applying any sort of chemical and seriously considering some brand of hat with netting, but I dislike any kind of eyesight obstruction when I'm busy looking for birds. What's a birder to do?
(No insects were harmed in the production of this blog post. Really!)
Mosquito image © 2007 Mike McDowell
posted by Mike McDowell @ 5:33 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
A birder is destined to be covered in red bumps. That's all I can figure. The ear ones sound bad though!
I just read in a factoid book the other day that mosquitoes are responsible for more human deaths throughout history than any other cause by far! (something to think about :-(
... and the answer to the several additional diseases they now carry will never be mosquito control, but more vaccines for us all to take.
Oh man, I feel for you. I'm not going out birding much right now, for fear of getting eaten alive. And you're so right--those "natural" repellents STINK! Thank goodness for all the bats around our house that keep the bugs at bay.
I went out to the shop last night to paint a bird feeder, but barely lasted through stirring the paint before a horde of skeeters drove me back inside the house. I couldn't believe how many were buzzing around. And I couldn't believe just how hungry they were, either.
John Mikes in Minnetundra
Weekend Shooter
God didn't create anything without a purpose...but...mosquitoes come close! ;)
Avon "skin-so-soft", mixed with a deet product, works very well. It's used by fishermen in NJ, smells sweet, and leaves an oilly coating on the skin, but it works very well. You still need to cover as much as possible.
Post a Comment
<< Home