Mosquito Repellant on Synthetic Stocks

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Edchef

Edchef

Well-Known Member
Hello
Setting off for Scotland next week and I am told the midges are horrendous this year
I was intending to use a 'mozzie repellent - Jungle Formula - that contains "Deet" and I was wondering if it has any effect on synthetic stocks at all?
I have always used it against leeches and mosquitos but have been careful not to get into onto optical equipment so I don't know how it reacts to plastics or polymers
Any clues anyone?
 
Try the search button on here. I recall several threads relating to damage done by deet to synthetic stocks. Similarly try a search for the alternatives under midge repellents and you should find several relevant threads with lots of info.
 
Look for products containing Icaridin. Some are quite expensive for small quantities eg. 'Smidge'. The best value I found on the 'net was from Biteback Products, called Flies Undone 250ml. 20% Icaridin bitebackproducts.co.uk.
It works well. I am off to Lewis very soon and it will definitely be in the suitcase.
Keep it off your fingers if going fishing though, as it is reputed to be a fish repellent too.
 
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Junswo said:
Correct, this stuff is the best midge repellent, bar none...
Click to expand...

Is this statement based on your testing of every single insect repellent on the market, on many people, or just what you find works for you ? I was told by a friend who used it regularly, that the formula had been changed, and no longer had the repellent element ?

That said, I have a bottle of the old version, I stole from him (thanks Orion ;) ) and it works ok, and keeps my hands nice and soft. Smells better than Jungle Formula too.

I find Jungle formula works better for me, but it stinks, and likes to eat some rubbers, and plastics. It destroyed the rubber coating on my old Pulsar thermal, which was kindly replaced under warranty by Thomas Jacks, but be very careful with it.
 
Avon skin so soft, The green one. I keep a bottle in the pickup and one at the back door. The midges are torture just now and the avon works the best and keeps my skin nice and soft:eek:
The stuff with deet melted my sun glasses and the rubber cheek piece off my 80 in 30 min flat.
 
If you look at the history of the development of RID, the Australian Deet containing formula, it has useful information about the advantages of the lower percentage blends with regard to the plasticiser problem.

The higher percentages do not extend the effective life proportionally and are likely to damage plastics.

Alan

ps We go walking on Arran every year and Smidge has worked well. Though there have been a couple of dense clouds of little biters which overcame it by sheer weight of numbers.
 
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Perhaps there was indeed an 'old' and 'new' version of Avon Skin So Soft ? Did the original contain Icaridin but the latter not so ?

On the fen nature reserves we have the 'supersized' version of the Scots midge. (I have been attacked by both, so fully aware of the difference:shock:)

Some of our staff used to swear by Avon Skin So Soft, but then got badly bitten, so something must have changed at that time?

We have the descendants of the mosquitoes that used to give us the Fen Ague (Malaria) in times past. Thankfully that is no longer the case, but their bites are nasty and soon become infected.

Icaridin products work for me but I have not tried Avon Skin So Soft, so cannot offer an opinion.
 
I purchased some Skin so Soft from Bushwear about a month ago and that seemed to work fine, obviously I don't know how long they have had it sit in stock
 
Is there one that doesn't take the coating off sako synthetic stocks?

I bought one one from a guy who used Avon sss and the coating had gone where it had come into contact with him.
 
My sister died 10 years ago next week and there are still some products in the bathroom that she used to take on her overseas holidays. They include Boots Repel(contains 50% Deet), Dr Johnson's Mosquito and Insect Repellant, Crocodile Herbal Insect Repellant(from DEETfree Limited), Avon Skin-so-soft. I can't see Icaridin mentioned in any of the fine print. I also have 4 bottles of Neem, that I must have bought after an Internet recommendation.
Not sure how effective any of it is.
Skin-so-Soft used to be popular among British Special Forces, I was once told.
 
Skin so Soft is fine if you are watching an especially tricky episode of Countryfile. There was an older version of it (I think they are now making it again specifically as a midge repellent) which contained an extract of lemon oil (something like that) which some people believe is a mild/moderate repellent for midges but they changed the formula and so more recent versions, except the one specifically marketed as an insect repellent, contain nothing at all that will repel insects. I suspect some people get it to work by applying a layer thick enough such that the midges can't get through or stick to it and drown.

DEET is OK, but melts everything including your car, rifle, fly line, fishing rod...

The active ingredient in Smidge (and some other preparations) was produced by Bayer to repel midges - they did the science and produced the product. Even when the midges are bad it works with the big positive that it doesn't melt anything and, as I understand, even the EPA consider it safe to use on kids. On this basis it would be my recommendation - get something designed to do the job rather than something that might work a bit if you get lucky. The active ingredient has been marketed under a range of names including saltidin, icaridin, bayrepel and picaridin so look for something with one of those in it. The Smidge people claim their unique selling point is that their preparation is waterproof and my experience is that this seems to be true providing common sense is applied. The other advantage with Smidge is that just about every Tesco, fishing shop, post office, ourdoor shop etc. north of Perth sells it :-)

Interestingly I've been out in Ireland on a few calm days recently and have not found the midges at all bad, despite conditions being ideal, but they have been bad in Scotland. Bad is a sort of relative thing though as even a modest attack can make your life a misery.
 
I do remember a Which report from 5 years plus ago. Skin so Soft did not perform at all in their lab tests.

The approach by the RID inventor was to have the lowest effective Deet content (no repellant advantage over 20% Deet) so reduced the problems with the plasticiser, and to include an antiseptic salve to deal with any bites of the beasts that did get through.

As Smidge works so well and is so readily available it seems to be the obvious choice.

Alan
 
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Old SSS has an active shelf life of one year. So your bottle in your glovebox probably wont work.
Try sugar, it rots their teeth.
 
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