toepick
member
Reged: 09/26/07
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Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
#5281788 - 06/21/12 04:27 AM
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Since mosquito season is upon us, my wife bought me an Off Clip-On to try. I really don't like having mosquito repellent on me. I don't like the smell,or sticky feeling all night long. Does any body have an opinion if this will cause any damage to my eyepieces, or optics? The place I normally observe at the bugs will carry you way during the summer, and they are a pest when you're trying to observe.
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jchoy46
super member
Reged: 02/08/12
Loc: Port Orange, FL
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: toepick]
#5281836 - 06/21/12 06:34 AM
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i have use the clip on an for me it doesnt work that well. those bugs love my blood. i think the best protection out there is the deepwoods one (non greasy). i would not ever spray anything near my optics or EP's... however if you dont mind the cost they have one that is a yard sprayer. ive sprayed an area about 10x10 feet before i set up and i was bug free. i used this in georgia and florida.
just an fyi.... the florida bird is the mosquito now
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sshres
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/07/10
Loc: Silver Spring, MD
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: jchoy46]
#5281955 - 06/21/12 09:15 AM
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So one thing that people on here have raved about is Thermacell - basically it consists of mosquito repellant pads that are heated to give off the repellant. Thus nothing to put on your body and Ive never experienced anything bad on my optics - many people on here use it. That being said, It didnt work for me at all - I did the OFF deep woods dry spray and it cut down on the bites but thats it - and it wasnt very dry either. I just started using the Avon skin so soft lotion and it has helped me more than anything else out there. If you get bit a lot it ends up just being a game of trial and error because everybodys different
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desertstars
Reged: 11/05/03
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: jchoy46]
#5281956 - 06/21/12 09:15 AM
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I grew up using Off as a teenager, and my old refractor and its eyepieces survived untouched, so products that need to be applied to your skin can be used. If you're careful.
Which begs the question of what to do if you hate having the stuff on your skin. And I do. The Off Clip-On and the Thermacell both have their fans around here. I use a Thermacell and have been very pleased by it, and in years of use have seen no problems with lenses or lens/mirror coatings. I've seen similar comments regarding the Clip-On. Give it a try and tell us how it works for you.
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rdandrea
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/13/10
Loc: Colorado, USA DM59ra
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: desertstars]
#5281972 - 06/21/12 09:27 AM
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Thermacell.
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csa/montana
Den Mama
Reged: 05/14/05
Loc: montana
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: desertstars]
#5281977 - 06/21/12 09:37 AM
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I also have used the ThermaCell in my observatory for several years now. There has been absolutely no problems with my equipment.
Mosquitos absolutely love me, so the ThermaCell is the best I have used. Don't even see any when the ThermaCell is operating. Also for those concerned about the odor; for about the first 5 minutes or so, you can faintly smell it, but after that I don't smell it at all. I'm also one of those that hate to use a repellent on my skin, and then have to shower in the middle of the night to remove it, before going to bed.
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amicus sidera
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/14/11
Loc: East of the Sun, West of the M...
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: csa/montana]
#5281989 - 06/21/12 09:52 AM
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Yes, Thermacell works very well here against the infamous "Jersey skeeters", although my first line of defense is a fogger (Off! or Yard Guard brands of aerosol cans) used well before my equipment is set up. Burgess has a handheld propane-powered fogger that I've been investigating, and that appears to have considerable promise for large-area use.
One other item that's indispensible in this battle are the "mosquito dunks" that contain BT (bacillus thuringiensis) that are placed in any nearby standing water where breeding can take place (old tires, buckets, garbage cans, poorly-draining gutters, swiming pool covers, etc.), and kill the larvae.
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Cotts
Just Wondering
Reged: 10/10/05
Loc: Toronto, Ontario
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: csa/montana]
#5281999 - 06/21/12 10:03 AM
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Well, I'm old school. I use the original Muskol liquid which is 95% DEET. About two or three drops in my palm, rub briskly and apply a thin film to exposed skin. When I'm done I run my palms through my hair (what's left of it) and then clean my palms with a towel so I don't get any on my equipment. Spreading this tiny amount of the oily liquid over a bunch of skin does not leave me feeling oily or greasy at all.
I have three bottles of this stuff - it has been unavailable anywhere at the 95% level for many years - and, at the rate I am using it I'll have to leave two bottles to someone in my will.
Dave
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REC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/20/10
Loc: NC
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: Cotts]
#5282113 - 06/21/12 11:08 AM
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Thermacell and the Clip off. Also some nights I have tried a small box fan placed on a table blowing at my back....skeets don't like wind it seems, plus keeps me cool and doesn't effect my scope.
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tecmage
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/13/10
Loc: Groton, CT
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: Cotts]
#5282115 - 06/21/12 11:09 AM
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I got out Friday night to a dark site and used Deep Woods Off dry, Thermacell and a bug zapper. We had a lot of rain at a key time, so there's a bumper crop of skeeters ready to feast around here. The Thermacell works fine for me, but I wasn't taking any chances.
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drwho
member
Reged: 11/09/11
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: tecmage]
#5282158 - 06/21/12 11:50 AM
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Carbon dioxide and your body's heat signiture are large factors in their finding you. I use fans ---it's chemical free! Two small fans on either side
lays down a curtain of air that disperses the aforementioned attractants-
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/health/13real.html
Jerry
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drwho
member
Reged: 11/09/11
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: drwho]
#5282386 - 06/21/12 02:33 PM
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Even one fan can mitigate the bugger's attack....
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magic612
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/30/08
Loc: S. of Chicago's light dome
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: drwho]
#5282404 - 06/21/12 02:55 PM
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I've found it depends on the night. Sometimes DEET works well for me, other times, the Thermacell works. On the worst nights, neither works!
I like the fan idea - I knew that heat and CO2 were the attractants, but didn't think about using a fan to camouflage myself. I'll have to try that.
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E_Look
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/06/08
Loc: near New York
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: magic612]
#5282607 - 06/21/12 05:27 PM
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toepick- I initially used only the Off! Clip-On. I works okay by itself; I'd get five or ten bites instead of twenty to fifty.
Then I used a Thermacell by itself and that worked better, bringing the bite count down to just a few.
But I find that using both, the Thermacell AND the Off! Clip-On, I really avoided getting bitten by the mosquitoes- only a few over a few outings.
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simpleisbetter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/18/11
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: E_Look]
#5282616 - 06/21/12 05:31 PM
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Yes fans are a good idea, especially here in the midwest where skeeter season is also dew season and fans help a lot with dew.
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drwho
member
Reged: 11/09/11
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: drwho]
#5282726 - 06/21/12 06:30 PM
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I helped design a West Nile management program for a municipality I used to work for. This is what I learned:
Mosquitos have about a 100ft perception range. They breed in water including rain gutters, children's toy's, tires, flower pot water trays, birdbaths, low spots in lawns. Draining sources nearby helps a lot.
Adult female mosquitos can be confused enough not to search for you by the simple technique of moving air which dilutes the CO2, heat signiture, etc., emanating from you. Research at Michigan State University shows a simple 5-10mph air movement is sufficient. Two fans set an an angle can nearly form a 'wind barrier' and the breeze doesn't have to contact you if you set it up right, but one fan will work if it is directed on you. In fact they designed a deck with PVC pipes that directed a curtain of air around the edge of the deck. there's a PDF file of the research paper somewhere out in the internet...
Pyrethrum/pyrethrins are botanical pesticides derived from the pyrethrum daisy (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium) and C. cineum).Using it or it's synthetic analog sprayed in a 100ft perimeter works well too. Mosquitoes must rest and when they land on the sprayed lawn and plants, they die!
pyrethrum is usually sold at a a 6% concentrate in garden centers or organic farmers co-ops. Once you see how much it costs, you'll begin to understand why organic produce costs so much.
The synthetic version is called Permethrin & is sold under the following brand names:
* Repel Permanone
* Cutter Outdoorsman Deer Guard
* Sawyer Insect Repellent
It's safer than breathing Thermacell chemicals!
If you do want to wear repellent, Ben's water-based DEET skin spray won't harm optical surfaces and plastics, nor will Picaridin to my knowledge. I use the two products around the telescope.
Hope this helps!
Jerry
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amicus sidera
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/14/11
Loc: East of the Sun, West of the M...
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: drwho]
#5282810 - 06/21/12 07:41 PM
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Excellent information, Jerry! Will certainly look into the vented-deck idea.
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roscoe
curmudgeon
Reged: 02/04/09
Loc: NW Mass, inches from VT
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: drwho]
#5282812 - 06/21/12 07:43 PM
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Well, I just wear a hooded sweatshirt pulled up tight around my face, and that seems to do the trick.... I just have to make sure it doesn't creep up my back when I'm bent over the EP...... 
Russ
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Jon Isaacs
Postmaster
Reged: 06/16/04
Loc: San Diego and Boulevard, CA
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: drwho]
#5282827 - 06/21/12 08:01 PM
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Jerry
An excellent post. It had so much solid info that it almost made wish we had mosquitoes around here so I could try it out. 
Jon
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amicus sidera
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/14/11
Loc: East of the Sun, West of the M...
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Re: Mosquito repellent - Off Clip_On
[Re: Jon Isaacs]
#5282839 - 06/21/12 08:14 PM
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Jerry
An excellent post. It had so much solid info that it almost made wish we had mosquitoes around here so I could try it out.
Jon
...and here I thought gloating was against the TOS... 
Seriously, good for you, Jon! It must make for very pleasant observing sessions.
Here's a link to one item from the Michigan State University's Extension service from last year, concerning mosquito control:
Michigan State University Extension mosquito article from 2011
Interesting information.
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