Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Vitamin B vs. Mosquitoes?

Does anyone out there have any experience or knowledge of the effectiveness of Vitamin B(?) against mosquitoes and othere insects. I've heard reports that it can work if taken in advance of mosquito exposure, but can't find any info about it on this board.
Thanks,
...tg...

The New England Journal of Medicine

"Comparative Efficacy of Insect Repellents against Mosquito Bites"

A quote from the article:

"No ingested compound, including garlic and thiamine (vitamin B1), has been found to be capable of repelling biting arthropods."

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/347/1/13

Thanks ep,
That makes sense. DEET it is.
...tg...

Has anyone ever tried the "Buzz Off" clothing?
Is it effective?

I thought a Vitamin B complex was reported to help minimize the effect of the bite as oppossed to repel the bug. Just a faint recollection.

The Buzz Off clothing is clothing that has been commercially pre-treated with permethrin, which is both an insecticide and repellant. It is the chemical advised to be used in conjunction with DEET in areas with concern for mosquito-borne illnesses. I just bought such a shirt, but only because of the shirt design. Pricy.

I have usually been using a can of permethrin bought at the 99cent store, and you soak the garment and let it dry. It will continue to work for 3 months, or through 20 washings.

I've found, that in conjunction with DEET, I have many fewer bites than just DEET alone.
Permethrin is a benign chemical to humans and animals.

So rather than paying 50-60 dollars for one of the shirts, I can go out and buy Permethrin, and apply it to any garment?

BTW, I'm a mosquito magnet, and suffer horribly if I forget the bug spray.

I was just speaking about the eating/drinking of food/beverage to ward off mosquitoes since we hit a lake this weekend that was the worse I've seen in years.

Years ago, on 4th of July, a group of about 12 of use canoed down the Wisconsin River. On the first day, everyone in the group except me was being eaten alive. I don't think I had one bite. We all remarked on it.

The next day I joined the group as part of the feeding frenzy and did not escape at all. Same bad results on day three.

We could only attribute it to something that I had done - food, drink or bathing that prevented bites the first day but was gone thereafter.

Never did figure it out. I always wanted to attribute it to having Wheatina for breakfast. The organic chemist in our midst thought that it might be the B vitamin route.

I still recall fondly that day of escape. The reason still eludes me.

(yes, Richard, there are mosquitoes in the pacific northWET (g))

Oh, to make matters worse, last weekend, the deet was home where I placed it after discovering it in my pack on the 3rd ski trip of last season!!!