Bugs at FliteFest?

Up here in my corner of Wisconsin, summertime flying is often plagued by bugs. Mostly gnats and sometimes mosquitoes.

Does anyone know if the Furry field in Malvern has these issues in July?

In my experience DEET only seems to repel mosquitoes, and the gnats can be super annoying.

Some say that artificial vanilla extract will repel gnats. We've only got the organic stuff however, so I haven't really tried it. :p

Any thoughts?
 

Craftydan

Hostage Taker of Quads
Staff member
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No Idea about Ohio, but gnats are getting bad down here. Dryer sheets are the popular folk remedy (can dryer sheets be considered folk?!?) for gnats. Add that to a citronella pack on your belt and you'll be one fragrent but bug repleant guy ;)
 

BankNYank!

New member
Mentor
I am going to either be buying Bens 100 or the Repel 100. I do see that on the Repel product description it lists that it repels gnats. I do not know how true this is but I will be testing it for sure.

Bens100:
http://www.amazon.com/Tender-Bens-S...=UTF8&qid=1403023925&sr=8-1&keywords=bens+100

Repel 100:
http://www.amazon.com/Repel-Insect-...sim_hpc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=08JJCC8R4060QQ1EW1G7

I live in Florida where bugs are everywhere! At my flying spot those wonderful biting gnats will show up on occasion. The kind that bite like they mean it and leave a nice red dot afterwards. My point is, I always keep a bottle of Deep Woods Off in my flight pack just for them. It works great and nothing of the insect variety wants anything to do with me after I put that stuff on! The only thing I don't like about the stuff is the smell, while not bad, is really strong. The general consensus around my neck of the woods is that anything with "deet" in it sill do a good job.

Here's a quick picture I took of what I use.
100_0368_zps52d02768.jpg


EDIT: Found it on Amazon here.
 
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TEAJR66

Flite is good
Mentor
Anyone know if chiggers will be present? I am pretty sure they will be. Grass, Midwest, wife in allergic reaction, good times! I think permethrin pre-treatment for clothing may be required. Anyone have issues with chiggers in that neck of the woods? They can be killer here in Missouri.
 
Okay, guys. So this is a classic "duah" moment.

I figured out that my hair product attracts bugs. Seriously.

A friend commented to me that it might be the case, so I went out flying several times with no product in. Little or no problem with bugs.

Someone else also recommended vanilla which never worked for me. BUT I was later told that it has to be the artificial vanilla flavor.

The stuff with synthetic vanillin (C8H8O3). I tried it, and it actually works! It dries off rather quickly so you maybe get half an hour with each application.

But the vanilla even kept them away from my hair product!

Sorry if this is weird post, but I took it upon myself to solve the problem before FF. :D
 
I'm in the rolling hills of Wisconsin, and I've never experienced them. But then I don't know Ohio. My guess however would be that since the Furry Field is hayed or has crops or is at least regularly mowed, that chiggers won't be much of a problem. But don't take my word for it. Just a guess.

Anyone know if chiggers will be present? I am pretty sure they will be. Grass, Midwest, wife in allergic reaction, good times! I think permethrin pre-treatment for clothing may be required. Anyone have issues with chiggers in that neck of the woods? They can be killer here in Missouri.
 

rcspaceflight

creator of virtual planes
Okay, guys. So this is a classic "duah" moment.

I figured out that my hair product attracts bugs. Seriously.

A friend commented to me that it might be the case, so I went out flying several times with no product in. Little or no problem with bugs.

A lot of people don't know that eating bananas attracts mosquitoes. A friend of mine kept complaining about the mosquito problem like a crazy person because her husband kept saying "what mosquitoes". Then I asked her if she ate a lot of bananas... yup.
 

ScottyWarpNine

Mostly Harmless
Ohio resident here. I live about a half hour north of were Flight Fest will be. Mosquito are pretty bad, especially in the early evening. I cannot focus on flying when i have to swat at my arms, legs and face constantly. And it is constant. I've tried super 95% Deet stuff from REI and it doesn't seem to bug them much. I still get bit. I think Citronella candles help a bit.
Ticks are only a problem in tall grasses. I would check my arms and legs every night before bed.
I don't even know what a chigger is.

Edit: I looked up what a chigger is. Judging by the pictures on Google, I can say with reasonable confidence that it won't be a problem. At least, I don't think I've ever been bit by them?
Can anybody else chime in?
 
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TEAJR66

Flite is good
Mentor
I grew up in Cleveland and we would get bit by them in the summer when playing on the lawns. They don't bother me so much. We have them here in Missouri, and my wife is terribly allergic to them (the bites are itchy, but the rest of her gets swelled up and she feels ill for a while). No worries. we will be prepared for the worst case.

Thanks for the reply. See you at FF.

Be safe and have fun,
Tommy
 

FlyingMonkey

Bought Another Trailer
Staff member
Admin
I'm surprised that Dan was the only one to mention the dryer sheets. I went on a wildfire detail in central Florida and the between sweating from the heat, and the blood loss from bugs you could be a shriveled and dried up husk in a few hours.

I would stuff a sheet or two inside my helmet, and that was enough to keep the gnats at bay for a while. I'd just have to add a sheet if they started to bite, and they would hold off from me and attack someone else.
 

Splatwillicrash

New member
First I would have to have Hair....

Okay, guys. So this is a classic "duah" moment.

I figured out that my hair product attracts bugs. Seriously.

A friend commented to me that it might be the case, so I went out flying several times with no product in. Little or no problem with bugs.

Someone else also recommended vanilla which never worked for me. BUT I was later told that it has to be the artificial vanilla flavor.

The stuff with synthetic vanillin (C8H8O3). I tried it, and it actually works! It dries off rather quickly so you maybe get half an hour with each application.

But the vanilla even kept them away from my hair product!

Sorry if this is weird post, but I took it upon myself to solve the problem before FF. :D

Happy to hear that some things work, I am gonna try the dryer sheets and use the Deep Woods Off as a last resort.
 

Craftydan

Hostage Taker of Quads
Staff member
Moderator
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Who knows, maybe this polar vortex will hit and freeze out all the lill buggers then warm back up in time for the FTFF :)

. . . a guy can dream, can't he?
 

Balu

Lurker
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
Actually bug repellent is a really good idea. My last night in France (where I was for the European meetup) was a little more than I could handle - even tough I had mosquito nets in front of all RV windows those little buggers found a way in.

moskitos.jpg

I didn't give up without a fight and took out a few dozen, but they still won the war - luckily the rest of my body didn't look that bad. I had about 40 bites on my left arm...
 

thomahawk0

Junior Member
I second ScottyForceNine. I live about 30 minutes away as well and bugs/mosquitos have been pretty bad this year in the evenings. Bring what you can to protect yourself from being bit. I almost crashed my batbone the other evening because bugs were swarming and biting. :eek:
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
While I am not an Ohio resident, as someone who has lived in the deep south and now resides in Pennsylvania, I have never encountered chiggers up in this part of the country. The chiggers I knew in Texas, also known as red bugs, did not bite, they burrowed under the skin. Nothing of the sort up this way! If you are coming from the south, you will likely not be impressed by the misquotes and gnats. And forget about fire ants - those evil bastards don't exist, here. As posted, Deep Woods Off works well. Citronella candles and any smoky fire will keep the bugs away.