Do mosquitos bite you through your clothes?
When you venture into the great outdoors, regular mosquito repellant doesn’t always cut it. Pre-treating your clothes with Permethrin is the answer!!!
I have lived and travelled all over Latin America and Africa where mosquito bites don’t just cause annoying itch, but can also carry dangerous diseases. Unfortunately, mosquitos love me! Early in my travel life I took several trips to jungles and rain forests where the bug spray kept the mosquitos away from my arms and legs, but then they would bit me right through my clothes! I have even been bitten through a thick pair of jeans in Costa Rica! A friend of mine who is an avid hiker told me to spray my clothes with Permethrin before I traveled to mosquito infested areas and my life has never been the same!!!
I went immediately to the local REI (my favorite outdoors store) and asked about permethrin treatment for clothes. There is a spray, a machine washable liquid treatment, and clothes that come with permethrin already imbedded in their fibers. The washing machine method does not seem to saturate the clothing as well, and the clothing you can buy with permethrin in it’s fibers is effective but very costly. (Insect Shield and ExOfficio)
I prefer to treat my own clothes a few days before my trip. You will need a place outside or in a garage to hang the clothing so that you can spray both sides and then let it dry for a few hours. It is not recommended to breathe in the permethrin. Do not do this the day of your trip, or the clothing may not dry completely. I usually make sure all my outdoorsy clothes and sweaters and jeans are clean a few days before travel, spray them all (including socks) one or two days before I travel to be sure they are dry for packing.
Pre-treating my clothes with Permethrin has been an absolute game changer for me. Instead of re-applying bug spray over and over, putting it all over my clothes, and still getting bit, I now have this invisible permethrin shield around me that the mosquitos will not penetrate.
If you are roughing it and sleeping out in the open, on a cot, or in a room without screens on the windows, using a mosquito net is highly recommended. If you spray the mosquito net with Permethrin, it will prevent the mosquitos from getting close to the net and they will not get through , even if there are small holes in the netting. I have watched mosquitos hover about 3-6 inches away from a net or away from my clothes, buzzing with frustration, but never coming close enough to bite. It is very satisfying!!!
The Permethrin will stay active for 2-4 weeks and through about 6 washes. If you are on a long trip, you might take a bottle with you to reapply.
The three products listed below are poplular, but my favorite is the Sawyer brand that can be bought on Amazon.com.
Sawyer Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellant
Repel Permethrin Clothing and Gear Insect Repellant
Coleman Gear and Clothing Permethrin Repellant