A sandfly repellent recipe.

[PeterSibley]

From this very good bike touring forum https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=462985&v=Q

An almost constant complaint about cycle touring in New Zealand is the sandfly: its hovering in hordes, its bite and the subsequent, persistent itching. For years on CGOAB, visitors and locals have discussed how to repel this wee beast, whose bite is worse than its bark, but with no real solution. Finally, on CGOAB, here is a simple concoction that is proven successful over generations.
Recipe

1. Mix equal parts of Dettol and vegetable oil.
2. Shake to emulsify.
3. Apply to exposed skin.
4. Enjoy the NZ outdoors with reduced sandfly hassle.

It's as easy as that.

http://www.dettol.co.nz/products/hea...ptic-solution/

[Reynard38]

From this very good bike touring forum https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/..._id=462985&v=Q

An almost constant complaint about cycle touring in New Zealand is the sandfly: its hovering in hordes, its bite and the subsequent, persistent itching. For years on CGOAB, visitors and locals have discussed how to repel this wee beast, whose bite is worse than its bark, but with no real solution. Finally, on CGOAB, here is a simple concoction that is proven successful over generations.
Recipe

1. Mix equal parts of Dettol and vegetable oil.
2. Shake to emulsify.
3. Apply to exposed skin.
4. Enjoy the NZ outdoors with reduced sandfly hassle.

It's as easy as that.

http://www.dettol.co.nz/products/hea...ptic-solution/

Sounds like your version of our beloved gnats. I've found a mix of witch hazel and Listerine (the old Amber kind) with a few drops of tea tree oil is an effective repellent and doesn't smell bad at all.

Curious? What is dettol?

[PeterSibley]

Dettol

Dettol Antiseptic Solution

• 
  Antiseptic Solution 125ml
• 
  Antiseptic Solution 250ml

Helps protect against infection, to help keep your home and family healthy

A house is not a home without a bottle of iconic Dettol Antiseptic Solution in your bathroom or kitchen cupboard! This much-loved Dettol product has been helping to fight germs and providing the whole family protection against germs for generations – and continues to care for your family today.
Use Dettol Antiseptic Solution to cleanse and help protect against infection from minor skin cuts, scratches and insect bites. You can also use it as a household disinfectant on surfaces, and to freshen linen by adding it to your laundry rinse cycle.

Sizes:

• 125ml
• 250ml
• 500ml
• 750ml

[Mcjim]

They can get quite large.

[wizbang 13]

There is an old guy walks around English/Falmouth Harbor, Antigua,smells of Dettol.
He WEARS it full strength.Smell him from 20 feet away. He afraid of Dengue.
I always thought it was floor cleaner.

[Phil Y]

Thanks Peter, I wish Imhad that when we visited NZ earlier this year.

[jonboy]

It does honk, my ma used put a dose in the weekly wash and only stopped when I came home with a bloodied nose from a hey DettolBoy bullying situation....you shoulda seen the other guy hey hey. In various Brit expat zones around the world its something, like Marmite and TCP, that they can't seem to live without

My sandfly and general mozzy repellent is that recipe but with less dettoll, a dose of pure ethyl alc, if you can get it... I'd go with the tea tree, or any of the latest fad/ wonder oils to disguise the honk...geranium, any nut oil, like almond, or eucalyptus, thyme, rosemary and of course citronella..

[The Bigfella]

There is an old guy walks around English/Falmouth Harbor, Antigua,smells of Dettol.
He WEARS it full strength.Smell him from 20 feet away. He afraid of Dengue.
I always thought it was floor cleaner.

Having had Dengue myself... I don't blame him. I'm a mosquito magnet, so I might give this a go. I guess the trick is to find the right flavour veggie oil to mix with the Dettol to create a decent aroma.

Mum used to throw a capful of Dettol in the bathwater if I came in with abrasions as a kid.

[John B]

I've only heard of dettol and baby oil. Vegetable oil seems a bit counter intuitive to me, sounds like a food source.

[The Bigfella]

I've only heard of dettol and baby oil. Vegetable oil seems a bit counter intuitive to me, sounds like a food source.

Mosquitoes aren't vegetarian

[John B]

Flies might like it tho!

Don't mosquito/ sandfly repellents work on blocking the pheromones that attract them, as opposed to actually repelling them?

[Chip-skiff]

Didn't know whether Dettol could be found in the 'States, but a search shows it available at WalMart and from Amazon.com.

The original Dettol liquid antiseptic and disinfectant is light yellow in colour in the concentrated form but, as several of the ingredients are insoluble in water, it produces a milky emulsion of oil droplets when diluted with water, exhibiting the ouzo effect.

The active ingredient in Dettol that confers its antiseptic property is chloroxylenol (C₈H₉ClO), an aromatic chemical compound. Chloroxylenol comprises 4.8% of Dettol's total admixture,^[2] with the rest made up by pine oil, isopropanol, castor oil, soap and water.

Can't see the reason for veg oil, but I'd probably use a light oil such as grapeseed. Plain mineral oil would probably do fine.

[kenjamin]

They can get quite large.

I was in a restaurant in South Texas just before the start of the Texas 200 when what I thought was a small bird landed on my arm. On closer inspection it was a mosquito. Everything's bigger in Texas!

Mom used to put Avon's "Skin So Soft" skin lotion on us kids as it was non-toxic yet very effective at least for short periods of time.

[jonboy]

'I've only heard of dettol and baby oil. Vegetable oil seems a bit counter intuitive to me, sounds like a food source.'

'Can't see the reason for veg oil, but I'd probably use a light oil such as grapeseed. Plain mineral oil would probably do fine.'

Its mostly all 'vegetable oil' if its not mineral oil, even if sunflowers or grapes aren't vegetables. Apart from neat's foot, lanolin, tallow , and baby oil, which of course is made by rendering babies.

Apart from having spent most of my leisure lifetime with boats, bikes, tools etc, so covered in oil and grease, I certainly wouldn't chose to cover myself in mineral oil.

[MN Dave]

I don't know it it will work for sand flies, but Buggins Gnat and Fly repellent works for stable flies. It says "Plant-based active ingredients with vanilla, mint and rose scent". It does not repel mosquitoes. Stable flies are a little horror that delight in my presence on the north shore of Lake Superior.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Mum used to throw a capful of Dettol in the bathwater if I came in with abrasions as a kid.

As whose Mum didn't?

[John B]

When we got to greece , we bought some retsina.
Pretty sure they throw a capfull of dettol in that.

[AlexJuvion]

I visited the forum shared here named crazy guy on a bike which is really useful.

Alex,
http://www.qualityassignment.co.uk/

[Gerarddm]

What works for gnats?

[sp_clark]

What works for gnats?

The aforementioned BUGGINS repellants seem to work very well on the kind of vicious gnats we have here in SW Wisconsin. Formulated with or without DEET, we sell gallons of it every spring at the store. The DEET-bearing's popular among fisherfolk who come from far & wide drawn by the abundance of first-class trout habitat around the Driftless Region. I prefer the DEET-free stuff, mosquitoes aren't anywhere near the problem here as what I learned to defend against back 200 miles east & 80 miles south living in NE Illinois.

No idea if gnats in NM are anything like the beasties around here though. Some folks here swear by Absorbine as a repellant, but it doesn't work for me anywhere as well as the BUGGINS stuff.
https://bugg.com/repellents/

[Arlc]

Helps protect against infection, to help keep your home and family healthy

A house is not a home without a bottle of iconic Dettol Antiseptic Solution in your bathroom or kitchen cupboard! This much-loved Dettol product has been helping to fight germs and providing the whole family protection against germs for generations – and continues to care for your family today.
Use Dettol Antiseptic Solution to cleanse and help protect against infection from minor skin cuts, scratches and insect bites. You can also use it as a household disinfectant on surfaces, and to freshen linen by adding it to your laundry rinse cycle.

Sounds like what is called hydrogen peroxide in the States. Is that correct?

[wizbang 13]

^ no, it's more like Lysol

[Breakaway]

Avon Skin So Soft is pretty good at repelling gnats.

Kevin

[lexi]

Skin so soft good for Scottish midge as well.