An old question but: What's the best prevention against bug bites?

[VVHT]

SweetSue,

LMAO!!

[gerryg123]

Mud, you're very convincing. Weird things about mosquitos and sand fleas is some people never get bit at all and others do get bit .... The bugs are discerning .....

[Craig123]

Mud, you're very convincing. Weird things about mosquitos and sand fleas is some people never get bit at all and others do get bit .... The bugs are discerning .....

After three trips, niether my wife nor myself have ever been bitten. Coming from the boreal forrest, where mosquitos like anything warm blooded including us, I don't get it.

Is there an "off season" for mosquitos in Negril? Maybe we just miss them due to our February reaches.

[RockRobster]

if you will look at the pictures that you have posted,you will see the marks of the flea collers on his ankles.the reason being that he wore them under his sock TIGHT against his skin.i wear mine loosly on my ankles so they can slide up and down your skin and are NOT tight against the skin.i dont think the solder was getting then washed off in the water either.mine is washed of all the time im in the water and move around on my ankles.they get wet,dry off then get wet and move around.deet, that you rub, in is in contact with your skin for a longer time than the flea collers.i wear them for 3 weeks straight every year ive gone to jamaica.(20 years).without a single incident.and no bites. i write this every year you put those pictures up.a lot of people that i know have done this and have written me to thank me for the relief that they have gotten from the collers.so you can say no,no no,but i speaking from many years of wearing them,say yes ,yes,yes,as long as you wear them loosly.you might want to try them too,so you could speak from experience.i KNOW what im talking about.

The chemical DEET is FAR less toxic to humans than the pesticides in animal flea collars. That, sir, you cannot debate. There is a reason that the flea collars will brand your skin like fire....THEY ARE TOXIC TO HUMANS. I don't know what it would take to convince you of this...I suppose you are more informed and intelligent on this topic than the US Department of Defense....

You are spreading some very dangerous misinformation. There is no safe way to wear an animal flea collar. If this thing is close enough to your skin to keep any bugs away (and, if you bothered to do any research, you would find that it doesn't) then you are subjecting yourself to the same toxins as the bugs are encountering when they approach your skin.

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...1#.UIRe8obleSo

http://www.afpmb.org/sites/default/f..._collar_af.pdf

Look, if you want to wear an organophosphate neurotoxin, that is your business. Promoting its use by others is irresponsible, dangerous and inexcusable. Stop it.

[dash]

The danger is primarily the opportunity tor your body to absorb these toxins through the open pores of your skin and finding a home in your fat and organs. You would not know the contamination levels without a tissue analysis. The fact that you may have no external effects is misleading. Err on the side of caution please. Deet is not harmless but in controlled proportions is preferrable to the potential diseases contracted from mosquitoes.

[Rob]

The US Navy came out with their report in 2005 and states quite clearly that "Wearing flea and tick collars may cause illness andshould not be used by people."

http://www.nmcphc.med.navy.mil/downl..._Sheet0305.pdf

The US Military Force Health Protection and Readiness state that animal flea and tic collars should never be worn by humans:

"Flea and tick collars contain the pesticides organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids and organochloride. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these chemicals may produce adverse effects and have not been tested for human use. Flea and tick collars are not approved for humans and, in fact, are quite detrimental to the skin. Human skin is different from that of dogs, and the pesticides tend to burn the skin.

Current Facts


How do animal flea and tick collars cause illness in humans?
Sweat can draw chemicals from flea and tick collars in large quantities, even right through fabrics and boot materials. This can result in direct skin damage (like the burns seen in the photograph below) or possible damage to internal organs if the chemicals are absorbed through the skin's pores.


Why are animal flea and tick collars safer for dogs and cats?
Flea and tick collars are not as hazardous for dogs and cats because these animals do not sweat. Even so, flea and tick collars can be harmful to animals if not used in strict accordance with label directions and precautions. For example, chemical burns may result on dogs and cats if the collars are tightened too tightly."

http://fhpr.osd.mil/factsheetDetail.jsp?fact=20

As RockRobster has mentioned, promoting its use by others is irresponsible, dangerous and inexcusable. So Mud, we are asking you kindly to please stop passing on this terribly dangerous misinformation. Any further suggestions of the human use of animal flea and tic collars will be removed.

[mud]

enough said