Insect Repellent Clothing
Welcome to Insect Repellent Clothing - A Guide to Insect Repellents: What they are, how they work, and which insect repellent to choose?
Insect Repellents
Insects such as mosquitoes, ticks and flies, not only cause painful bites and stings but spread many dangerous diseases to humans. Insect repellents are used to deter insects which bite, sting, or suck our blood. We can show you how, with appropriate use of Deet and Permethrin, almost 100% protection can be obtained against mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies and other pesky insects.
Active Ingredients in Insect Repellents
Insect Repellent active ingredients such as Deet and Permethrin, and the inert ingredients or the carrier base, all help determine how well an insect repellent will work. What strength Deet should you use? Learn why together Deet and Permethrin are considered a "miracle combination."
How to Choose Insect Repellents
Choosing Repellents shows which insect repellent is recommended for type and density of insect. So whether you need protection against ticks, mosquitoes, flies or other critters, this quick reference guide can help you choose which repellent is best for you.
Bites and Stings
Bites and Stings cause life-threatening reactions in some people, including bites from insects not usually considered as dangerous. Pain and irritation is a common result of insect stings.
Insect bites can inject offensive or defensive poisons, or anticoagulants:
- Offensive Poisons are used to disable or kill a potential meal. Used by spiders and some wasps, these stings can cause dizziness, difficulty breathing, swelling and pain. Tissue and/or nerve damage may result, especially if left untreated. Seek medical treatment if stung by a venomous spider such as Black Widow or Brown Recluse.
- Defensive Poisons are used to discourage intruders from disturbing nests, hives or young, or for self-defense. Used by Ants, Bees, Wasps, Hornets, Yellow-Jackets, and Scorpions, these stings cause pain lasting a short time (usually 5 to 15 minutes), swelling, and possible allergic reaction. Seek medical attention for scorpion stings, multiple bites or stings, or if signs of allergic reaction develop, especially in children. Though rare, these reactions can be dangerous.
- Anticoagulants are designed to prevent a victim's blood from clotting and closing a wound after being bitten, so the insect or arachnid can drink it. Used by Biting Flies, Mosquitoes, Fleas, Ticks, and Chiggers, it's most common effects on the human victim include itching (which is the body's reaction to the anticoagulant), pain from tearing of the skin in the case of mosquito and fly bites (ticks and chiggers don't cause pain because they insert their mouthparts so slowly), and possible allergic reaction. Seek medical attention if significant swelling appears in the area of the bite, or if fever develops. Some people are allergic to antigens found in insect saliva.
Mosquitoes and Mosquito Bites
Mosquitoes, or the diseases transmitted by mosquito bites, will be responsible for the deaths of one in every seventeen people currently alive. Worldwide, mosquitoes transmit disease to more than 700 million people annually, including malaria and dengue fever, yellow fever, filariasis, and viral encephalitis. Mosquitoes are found everywhere except Antarctica. In the USA, mosquito borne diseases are uncommon and mosquitoes are mostly just an annoyance. However, just one bite from an infected mosquito can transmit disease - so use mosquito repellent clothing.
Mosquitoes can be divided generally into two types: daytime and nighttime biters. Those mosquitoes that transmit malaria and Japanese encephalitis (anopheles and Culex mosquitoes) bite most intensively at twilight or during the night, whereas Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit dengue and yellow fever, are daytime biters. Mosquitoes also bite indoors, so you need to prevent mosquitoes from gaining entry into living and sleeping quarters and to eliminate those that might already be there.