BUG-OUT!

3 METHODS TO KEEP PESKY INSECTS AT BAY

- HILARY WHITE

You’re sitting on the edge of a mirror-crisp lake, watching the sun come up with a cup of cowboy coffee steaming up your face…when you see a flurry out of the corner of your eye. Then, you hear it. The infernal buzzing that can only mean one thing: bloodsuckers.

Nothing ruins an otherwise peaceful outdoor excursion like the buzzing of mosquitoes in one’s ears. Or spotting a tick making its slow but sure ascent up your pantleg. Or discovering a crop of little red bumps—chiggers—setting up camp on your thigh. You get the idea. We call them pests for a reason. They annoy the hell out of us, but the annoyance is the least of our worries. Most biting insects also carry the risk of disease. Brush up on the three types of insect repellents to bust bugs this summer.

1 AIRBORNE BUG RANGERS

Allethrin. You might not have heard of this one. That’s because it’s the chemical behind the name you probably have heard of: Thermacell. Thermacell devices seem to operate by magic, but what they’re actually doing is deploying a cloud of allethrin vapor into the air, creating a 15-foot-radial “protective zone” for roughly nine hours, to which bugs are not invited. A synthetic agent of a compound derived from chrysanthemum flowers, allethrin is supposedly safe enough for humans but is still considered mildly toxic. Thermacell makes systems that protect your entire backyard, as well as portable devices and tick repellent tubes.

I say use at your own risk. Allethrin does seem highly effective, but it might be overkill for the backyard, when you can choose more natural alternatives like citronella torches, candles, or coils.