Ever noticed when you get your water fed pole out - insects seem to want & come & join the party? More intriguing, in my inbox yesterday I received an email advertising a Bug Repellent T-Shirt. Not just any T-shirt! A t-shirt that actually keeps mosquitoes & other insects at bay. I thought I'd look at this a little closer & found out that the T-shirts are actually impregnated with "Permethrin" - a common synthetic chemical, widely used as an insecticide and insect repellent. It belongs to the family of synthetic chemicals called pyrethroids and functions as a neurotoxin, affecting neuron membranes. It is not known to rapidly harm most mammals or birds, but is highly toxic to cats and fish. Apparently it generally has a low mammalian toxicity and is poorly absorbed by skin - hence all the other stuff in insect repellents - so it does actually go into your skin. Permethrin is also used in health care, to eradicate parasites such as head lice and mites responsible for scabies, and in industrial and domestic settings to control pests such as ants and termites.
Mosquitoes are my main bugbear - It's actually only the females that stick their little syringes, or proboscis, into your skin & draw blood to help develop their eggs. While males typically feed on nectar and plant juices, the female needs to obtain nutrients from a "blood meal" before she can produce eggs. The lifespan of a female mosquito can be anything from 3 to 100 days, but that's enough time to put a dent into your summer work. It's also enough time for a female mosquito to have anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 baby mosquitoes. It doesn't take long for these little guys to grow up either - they mature into adults in less than a week. And, if most of the mosquitoes in your yard look familiar, it's because they rarely travel more than a mile from where they were born. You may also notice that they tend to die down at night. That's because most mosquitoes do their work like you and me - from dawn to dusk.
Bug zappers, those electric lights may be fun
for the whole family, but they actually kill beneficial insects and attract mosquitoes without killing them. Notre Dame University performed a study that showed a 10 percent increase in mosquito bites for people that had zappers in their yards. Citronella candles and smoking coils work, but only if you're extremely close to the smoke they emit. Bug sprays are an effective way to keep them from biting you, but ingredients like DEET have been shown to be toxic, especially for kids. If none of these methods for achieving a mosquito-free life work for you, there's an alternative the technology that's built into the clothes you wear.
And there's no need to walk around smelling bad because you're afraid to wash your insect-free t-shirt. Most of the new line of insect shield clothing can stand up to 70 washings and maintain effectiveness. The technology works on most any fabric as long as you don't have the garments dry-cleaned. You can buy the goods online from a variety of outdoor gear Web sites, and you have a plethora of duds to choose from. Most of the garments are suited for the outdoor window cleaner - pullovers, cargo pants, bandanas, hoodies and fishing vests. They also offer visors, floppy hats and a line of kid's clothing. You won't know any difference between clothes treated with permethrin and regular clothes either, aside from being bug-free.
Mosquitoes are my main bugbear - It's actually only the females that stick their little syringes, or proboscis, into your skin & draw blood to help develop their eggs. While males typically feed on nectar and plant juices, the female needs to obtain nutrients from a "blood meal" before she can produce eggs. The lifespan of a female mosquito can be anything from 3 to 100 days, but that's enough time to put a dent into your summer work. It's also enough time for a female mosquito to have anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 baby mosquitoes. It doesn't take long for these little guys to grow up either - they mature into adults in less than a week. And, if most of the mosquitoes in your yard look familiar, it's because they rarely travel more than a mile from where they were born. You may also notice that they tend to die down at night. That's because most mosquitoes do their work like you and me - from dawn to dusk.Bug zappers, those electric lights may be fun
for the whole family, but they actually kill beneficial insects and attract mosquitoes without killing them. Notre Dame University performed a study that showed a 10 percent increase in mosquito bites for people that had zappers in their yards. Citronella candles and smoking coils work, but only if you're extremely close to the smoke they emit. Bug sprays are an effective way to keep them from biting you, but ingredients like DEET have been shown to be toxic, especially for kids. If none of these methods for achieving a mosquito-free life work for you, there's an alternative the technology that's built into the clothes you wear.And there's no need to walk around smelling bad because you're afraid to wash your insect-free t-shirt. Most of the new line of insect shield clothing can stand up to 70 washings and maintain effectiveness. The technology works on most any fabric as long as you don't have the garments dry-cleaned. You can buy the goods online from a variety of outdoor gear Web sites, and you have a plethora of duds to choose from. Most of the garments are suited for the outdoor window cleaner - pullovers, cargo pants, bandanas, hoodies and fishing vests. They also offer visors, floppy hats and a line of kid's clothing. You won't know any difference between clothes treated with permethrin and regular clothes either, aside from being bug-free.Well they have me interested but I'm still waiting for some customisable versions. "Sawyer" do a DIY permethrin spray-on clothing insect repellant. Insect shield seem to have most apparell covered. Amazon also do a couple of sweat shirts, OK if you are just walking around, but no good for window cleaning work unless it's late in the evening or early morning. Click on the picture links for more outlets. I've also heard that lavender & curcumin are the natural alternative - google it!
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