Underside DEET/Permethrin Spraying

**anarky321** · 04-21-2008, 21:37

can someone who's been spraying the underside of their hammocks with DEET/Permethrine/etc. tell me how effective it is on mosquitos and if they have noticed any heath/comfort effects

thanks

PS: how do you edit the thread title?

**headchange4u** · 04-21-2008, 21:52

This thread may be helpful:

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ght=Permethrin

**Skeeter** · 04-21-2008, 22:52

I'm a big believer in Permethrin. I once watched a large wood ant fall off a leaf onto my hammock netting that had been treated with Permethrin. In less than 30 seconds he started to tremor and stumble, and in a minute or so he fell off dead. I think it's great stuff.

**pure_mahem** · 04-21-2008, 23:05

Your gonna want to be careful with deet it will eat some of your gear.

**anarky321** · 04-22-2008, 07:09

there's something about inhaling all night a chemical that can kill an ant in 30 seconds that i just dont like

**Hector** · 04-22-2008, 16:43

> there's something about inhaling all night a chemical
> that can kill an ant in 30 seconds that i just dont like

You're a little confused. You spray it on the fabric and it dries, it doesn't remain a gas.

> its not the smell that would bother me, its the long-term health effects

That certainly sounds ominous! What are these long-term health effects, anarky321?

**catnip** · 04-22-2008, 07:55

Once the permethrin is dry, it doesn't smell. Stinks to high heaven while wet, though. Treat your stuff outdoors!

**anarky321** · 04-22-2008, 08:04

its not the smell that would bother me, its the long-term health effects, and something that can kill other life so efficiently almost HAS to have health effects on humans..negative ones

im pretty chemical-avoidant in general though maybe im overly phobic; i just had a bad run-in with breathing in Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner spray once and since then ...very cautious with chems

**Youngblood** · 04-22-2008, 08:30

Originally Posted by anarky321

its not the smell that would bother me, its the long-term health effects, and something that can kill other life so efficiently almost HAS to have health effects on humans..negative ones

im pretty chemical-avoidant in general though maybe im overly phobic; i just had a bad run-in with breathing in Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner spray once and since then ...very cautious with chems

I can symphatize with that. On my AT thru hike I started out using the small bottles of almost 100% DEET, jungle juice, and got to where I couldn't hardly stand it. If I use DEET, I like the time released lotion as it isn't as high concentration or just a weaker solution that I have to reapply more frequently.

DEET is for application on the skin and Permethrin is a contact insecticide used for treating clothing. You see Permethrin in dog shampoo, head lice products, insecticides, etc. It has been widely used for a long time. DEET and Permethrin are used as a tandem, one on exposed skin and the other on clothing. There is a new product for skin that became available in the USA a few years ago that is supposedly comparable to DEET in its effectiveness called Picaridin. I have some of the Picaridin but have never had the opportunity to test in the high mosquito concentrations that I sometimes found on my AT thru hike and I am very thankful that I haven't had that opportunity.