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Belize and mosquitoes/DEET

We are going to be spending 5 nights inland hiking and doing outdoor activities, and then 3 nights out at Ambergris Caye. We will be taking the malaria pills but I know we have to prevent the bites to begin with. I usually use all-natural type products but realize DEET is better than malaria. Any recommendations for % DEET? From what I have read it is like sunscreen, it it about length of protection not the concentration. Or does anyone have any amazing natural bug spray? Should I take both?

Re: Belize and mosquitoes/DEET

  • I like the Ben's 30% Deet wipes ( amazon and REI carry them) DH uses them for trips to Mozambique. 

    The wipes are easy to carry, don't leak, and you have more control over where it does so you don't melt your shoes like some of the sprays.

     

    The little Off fans work at home, not sure how well they'd work with a lot of bugs. 

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  • deep woods off is what you want. we used it in costa rica and got not one bug bite-and i'm a magnet for those little suckers usually.
    Friday, December 28 2012. The day I had emergency appendix surgery in Mexico and quit smoking. Proof that everything has a good side!! DH and I are happily child-free!! No due date or toddler tickers here!! my read shelf:
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  • We used Deep Woods OFF with 30% DEET in Costa Rica.  We bought a small travel size bottle at Walmart and it was enough for both of us for 8 days.  A little bit goes a long way and we mainly just needed it in the evening. 

    image
  • This is by far the best DEET product:  http://www.amazon.com/3M-Ultrathon-SRL-12-Insect-Repellent/dp/B004LA5SUC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331579945&sr=8-2

    They sell it at REI, too.

    Also, I recommend spraying your clothes with permethrin to help keep the bugs from biting through your clothes (and I prefer to spray my clothes and wear long sleeves and pants then to wear DEET).  Something like this:  http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Permethrin-Clothing-Repellent-24-Ounce/dp/B001ANQVYU/ref=dp_cp_ob_lg_title_0  They also sell this at REI.

  • I second the 3M Ultrathon, purchased from REI. We used it when we went to Belmopan + Ambergris, works wonders. Yes, it's toxic, but cost vs. benefit, right?
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  • Tritto the UltraThon.

    My doctor recommended it for our trip to Costa Rica, so it can't be totally deadly, I suppose. We were told to just put a dot throughout the body (ankles, knees, elbows, neck, etc), not to rub it all over.

    It was amazing! We even escaped jungle travel bug-bite-free.

  • We went inland to the Orange Walk area of Belize to visit mayan ruins and there were a LOT of mosquitos. We treated our clothes we were wearing in the jungle with permethrin beforehand- you can buy it at travel clinics - and the bugs didn't bother us at all. We also wore long pants and sleeves, and used repellant with DEET (deep woods) and we were fine. The people in shorts and tank tops were miserable. As long as you are in the jungle, be sure to use bug repellant with DEET. 

  • We took both a natural spray and a deet spray. I wore it pretty regularly, but not dh (bugs don't like him). Honestly the worst bites were from the sand flies on Caye Caulker. We went into the jungle (to the ruins) and cave tubing w shorts and short sleeves. I don't remember either of us getting bit hardly at all after we left Caye Caulker. We did not take Malaria pills either. We were there for three weeks. Went to CC, Ambergris, Hopkins, San Ignacio and Belize City (zoo). They say the zoo is really bad so we both wore deet. Pack some hydracortizone and don't worry so much.
  • This is what we use in the rainforests

     http://www.bushman-repellent.com/

    the bugs here might laugh at 30% and Dengue fever is not fun!

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