[pct-l] Mosquitos

[Paul Cronshaw]

Piper writes:

"Anyway, for general mosquito protection, long pants and sleeves and a 
head net work wonders. I didn't have any particular brand of any of 
these items. I was amazed at how few people had head nets. I would be 
hiking along in my head net and boy scouts, paragons of 
unpreparedness for actual conditions, would be slapping their necks 
and eyeing me with envy."

 On my 14 day Section H (JMT) trip in July,  the mosquitos were out in swarms in a number of locations. Being a beekeeper, I must admit that swarms of mosquitos are nothing like honeybees in their defensive mode!   I pretended that the mosquitos were just like bees, only smaller, and with a different sound. The more time you spend on the trail, the more you become accustomed to them. 

I agree with Piper's suggestion of using a mosquito proof tent, wearing non-chemical clothing and a head net.  I love my Simblissity head net. 
 
http://www.simblissity.net/

It is lightweight, and compacts to nothing.  Best feature: it does not obscure one’s vision like a number of other head nets I saw on the trail. 

I wore it over a Sunday Afternoon Adventure hat. 

http://www.sundayafternoons.com/?id=324838616988&c=Men's_Hats 

The broad brim of this hat provided a nice voluminous mosquito-free zone around my head. 

Bottom line, IMO, DEET is very toxic to human skin, and believe that we are promoting DEET-resistant mosquitos with our constant use. Tread carefully.

The Beeman
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