This year has been an especially bad year for mosquitoes and ticks. Just trying to spend time outside, particularly at night, can turn into a feeding frenzy. Not to mention all of the scary diseases that are being talked about in the news that these little pests can carry. We have woods and a pond in our yard, so we tend to have a bigger problem than most people. We even went as far as building a bat house one year. It worked okay but never was enough to really make a serious dent in our mosquito population and did nothing for the ticks. I have tried many repellents, and they have all fallen short of my expectation. I have tried all the tricks, but again, nothing worked.
I was over the moon to discover one that truly worked, not only for mosquitoes but ticks as well. Coleman 100 Max. I can’t recommend this repellent enough. Especially since it works against everything, and a little goes a long way. Now keep in mind, this stuff is pretty much straight-up DEET, but it really works and for hours (10 hours to be exact.) I know many people don’t like the idea of spraying themselves down with a chemical like DEET, but compared to the nasty diseases those little critters can give you, a little DEET is nothing.
It is also worth mentioning that I am someone with extremely sensitive skin. I get hives from almost everything, but Coleman 100 Max does not bother me a bit. I haven’t had any adverse reactions at all. I can’t say the same about some of the other repellents that I have tried, even the “natural” ones.
I must warn you, for the size of the bottles, it is rather expensive. However, you are getting a product you don’t need to use much of. In my opinion, this stuff is worth its weight in gold. It isn’t always easy to find in the stores. I was able to purchase mine from Amazon.
The only downside to this repellent is that it is slightly greasy until it dries. However, as I mentioned before, a little really does go a long way. A single spray to each extremity and spreading it with your hands should be enough to protect you. As long as you don’t overdo it, the greasiness goes away fairly quickly.
I can’t sing the praises of this repellent enough. We haven’t had a single mosquito bite or tick problem since we started to use it. It has been a relief not to be itching like crazy this summer. It is especially nice to be able to sit outside or take a hike in the woods and not get eaten alive.
