Men's Health

How to Be Repellent -- to Bugs

Safer Alternatives?

Another approach is to attract bugs to their death. This is the idea behind zappers. "I tell people to put those in the neighbor's yard," laughs Holscher. "After all, (zappers) attract insects before supposedly killing them."

A fourth approach is to make yourself or your campsite or patio so disgusting bugs will fly away on their own. After all, how is a mosquito going to find juicy old you in this vast world without a great sense of smell? "I would rather go inside than sit next to a big bucket of burning citronella," Holscher says, "but people use it."

Using the same principle of grossing bugs out rather than killing them, a skin application newcomer called Repel Lemon Eucalyptus, now on shelves, claims to be perform as well as DEET and has been registered by the EPA.

Other folks, Holscher says, recommend garlic taken as a pill. "I wouldn't want to be in a tent with you," laughs Holscher.

What about Skin So Soft, the Avon lotion that some fans consider to be the best bug repellent going? "Some like it, some don't," Holscher says. Interestingly, however, Skin So Soft works by putting a barrier over the skin so bugs can't bite through -- it's not the smell, it's the goo.

So What's Left to Try?

To avoid gassing yourself or slathering your children with poison, the best strategy is to keep bugs from getting to bitable areas in the first place.

• Stay away from places known to be full of ticks or mosquitoes or during seasons or times of day they are known to be most active (summer, usually, and dusk and dawn)
• Avoid wearing strong-smelling cologne
• Wear a hat and light-colored, loose clothing (no red)
• Tuck pants into boots, wear long sleeves
• Use mosquito netting on beds in infected areas
• Check for ticks after coming out of the woods

Or you could just go to a movie. The summer ones usually are pretty decent.

Star Hope Lawrence is a medical journalist based in Chandler, Ariz.