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Just_A_Human@sh.itjust.works

bug spray that's better than DEET (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by ThorrJo@lemmy.sdf.org to c/camping@sh.itjust.works

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Tried the (relatively) new picaridin bug spray (gel, actually, in my case, but there's spray and lotion as well) this season, and I am never ever going back to DEET.

No smell, no grease, no damage to synthetic fabrics, and works just as well as 90%+ DEET formulations if not better. Tested in deep woods crawling with ticks and inundated with mosquitoes. Major success.

Just thought I'd share as a bonus for my fellow federated campers who haven't heard of this stuff yet. 5/5 stars, A+++++ would slather again!

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[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Peppermint is worth a try, but from my experience it doesn't work (didn't work for me). May work for someone else though.

But put it on your skin? I don't think so.

I've had great luck with picaradin though.

And peppermint is a "chemical" too. Just get it in your eye or the oil on your skin and you'll find out how safe it is (it's relatively safe, like many things).

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Our findings demonstrate that larval salamanders suffer severe mortality and developmental deformities owing to environmentally relevant exposures to a commercially available repellent containing the active ingredient picaridin. Our experiments also demonstrate that larval salamanders are an important predator of larval mosquitos, which appear to be unaffected by exposure to repellents containing DEET or picaridin. Ecosystems contaminated with picaridin repellent may be at risk of further declines in salamander populations.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6227861/

Peppermint doesn't remove one of mosquitoes biggest predators from the food chain.

Using peppermint oil instead of picaradin means less mosquitoes so even when you forget your designer chemical, you will be but less.

For purely selfish reasons you should use peppermint, I hope that convinces you since nothing else has.

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That sucks. How are they getting exposed?

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Picaridin-containing repellents are used by humans to repel insects, and may end up in aquatic ecosystems. The picaridin-containing repellent we tested did not directly affect mosquito larvae survival or development, but trace concentrations of it caused substantial mortality of larval salamanders under laboratory conditions. We hypothesize that a loss of predators may in turn increase the emergence of mosquitos in impacted ecosystems, which can possibly trigger increased application of picaridin repellent and thus lead to a positive feedback loop. (Online version in colour.)

1 of the only 2 pictures is about how this happens...

You really should have been able to see that if you clicked the link.

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Oh, so there are no natural vectors.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

What?!

It washes off people and goes into bodies of water...

What the actual fuck do you mean "natural vectors"?

Do you think that means this man made chemical would have to occur in nature organically?

Edit:

Nevermind, I'm not going to have the patience for whatever you say next.

Ask someone else if you want this explained again

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

No, you're right. I just wonder if any similar studies have been done with DEET. Then you could tell if precaridin was worse, the same,, or better than DEET.