Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Mosquito Repellent Tips

Yesterday we went for a 13km hike through Lapland's wilderness. We saw reindeers, a hare, moose poop, a fox and looots of mosquitoes. Summer time is mosquito time in Lapland.

During the summer we never go for a walk in the forest without being 'armed' with a mosquito repellent. Otherwise you will be eaten alive by mosquito clouds. I'm not kidding! There are a lot of different mosquito repellents you can buy in the local stores. We won't list all of them here but give some tips how to protect yourself against the persistent mosquitoes.

Before we moved to Lapland we had mosquito repellents from Germany that did not seem to be as effective against lappish mosquitoes. ;-) Anyway, how do you know which repellent works for you? You will have to find out but we found OFF! to be very effective. The smell is pretty strong -almost like a parfume- but it lasts for many hours and they really leave you alone. Another is US622. It doesn't smell as strong but doesn't last as long either in our experience. Then there is Djungelolja and MYGGA in Sweden. We haven't tried those as we found them to be pretty expensive.

 
You can choose between many types of repellents. Spray, oil, roll-on. Which one works best? We do different types for different purposes. Spray for larger parts of the body like legs or even on clothes (yes, they bite through t-shirts!). Oil and roll-on for smaller and more difficult places like the face.

There are also other ways to protect yourself from mosquitoes. Wear long clothes (if it's not too warm), eat loads of garlic (:although you probably would have to eat more than you can handle... it hasn't worked for us and we do eat lots at times:), wear a hat (they find their way through hair, believe me). There are lots of other natural mosquito repellents for people who do not want to use toxic chemical repellents. Peppermint oil for instance.

Another thing that should be mentioned is that mosquitoes are most active during the evenings. A good way to keep them away from you is by making a campfire. The more smoke, the better.
Taking a Break

So this is the way we survive the mosquito plague here in Lapland. Following the aforesaid does really help and makes the outdoors endurable or even enjoyable!

So tell us, which mosquito repellent works for you?

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