went on my first night ride in shorts on thursday 
and got my first bug bite of the season 
was on double dose flucloxacillin 3x last year and just started my first course of this year and i'm wazzed off with it.
as prevention is always the best cure i'm looking for an effective repellant that doesn't sweat off, any suggestions?
thanks.
Antibiotics for insect bites?
Skin so soft is worth a try.
Skin so soft from Avon works amazingly well. Thought it was a wind up to begin with but it works better than actual bug repellants.
+1 SSS
Ride faster ?
SSS is effective but you'll end up smelling like an old lady 
SSS is NOT a repellent. It is effective against midges as long as you apply a good, thick layer of the stuff as it then drowns the little bastards.
Try something with DEET in it if you want to be 100% sure, but don't get it on any plastic surfaces (like yer sunnies).
Oh - and wot geoffj says - why do you need antibiotics?
smell like an old lady? i'm in!
anti biotics becuase i get bitten, my leg swells up, goes bright red, aches like flip, i get run down, bite area blisters and the redness then starts tracking up my leg. generally i go to the gp and they say "oh hello Mr Harrison, is it that time of year again?" they give me a prescription for anti biotics, draw a line just above my knee on the back of my leg and say "take these, if the tracking goes above this line get yourself down to a&e, good morning".
thats why!
sss? seriously? i was thinking of weapon strength deet?
Autan works well for me. I've never tried SSS, but the way it keeps getting bigged up on here I reckon half this forum is made up of Avon Ladies.
DEET
But if I reacted that bad to every bite, I don't think I'd bother with shorts
If you 're reluctant to smear DEET on your skin - nasty stuff - I've found Nikwax SkitoStop works really well. I was at a barbecue last year on the shore of Lake Konstanz, loads of biting things, found it worked brilliantly while people around me were being massacred.
If you want to use something natural and avoid Deet then 'Prevent' and 'Repel-It' both work well against midges, horseflies etc.
Prevent contains natural pyrethrin and as well as being a repellent, it kills bugs that land on you (you can use it as a safe insect killer in rooms as well).
If you are happy to use Deet then Ultrathon is the best in my experience.
ultrathon, that sounds more like it!
better than "skin so soft" anyway!
i've also seen deet repel 100 any experience of both?
is there anything called "destroy the little bastards in a 5 mile radius in an horrific manner"?
do you think it might be a good idea to use the paint stripper type stuff solely on arms and legs and sss on my face?
thanks for the suggestions?
I've used Repel 100 on my arms, legs, neck & face without problems - I managed the whole of last years Kielder 100 weekend without a single bite
It stinks though
Don't use anything that has over 40% DEET. Several tests have proven that you don't gain anything in either effectiveness or longevity by using massive DEET concentrations. All you are doing is inviting cancer.
Be careful how you put on a DEET based repellent. DEET will eat through glasses, helmets, synthetic clothing (most cycling stuff then) in the blink of an eye.
If it must be DEET 3M Ultrathon seems the best choice. Most 'standard' DEET solutions are not very long lasting hence why 3M developed Ultrathon. Still eats plastic and has the same cancer risks though. Oh and if you use DEET and sunblock together it more than halfs the SPF of the sun block.
I'd use something made from PMD (Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus), it's naturally derived, won't give you cancer, won't damage clothing and doesn't effect sun-block.
Purple Turtle is a good place to buy any insect repellents from: http://www.purpleturtle.co.uk/acatalog/Shop_by_Brand.html
jim the saint - MemberEvidence?
All you are doing is inviting cancer
Deet is the only answer. Nothing else works anything like as well.
This is the stuff we use Rob: http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/riemann-mosquit-ex-insect-repellent_1_6513.html
Be careful how you put on a DEET based repellent. DEET will eat through glasses, helmets, synthetic clothing (most cycling stuff then) in the blink of an eye.
I've managed many all day trips with 100% DEET on & I've yet to see any evidence that my clothing, glasses or helmet is in any way damaged
I'm sure I blinked a few times too
so what's the basis of your claims? experience?
The active ingredient in many insect repellents, deet, has been found to be toxic to the central nervous system. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology say that more investigations are urgently needed to confirm or dismiss any potential neurotoxicity to humans, especially when deet-based repellents are used in combination with other neurotoxic insecticides.
Vincent Corbel from the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement in Montpellier, and Bruno Lapied from the University of Angers, France, led a team of researchers who investigated the mode of action and toxicity of deet (N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide). Corbel said, "We've found that deet is not simply a behavior-modifying chemical but also inhibits the activity of a key central nervous system enzyme, acetycholinesterase, in both insects and mammals".
Discovered in 1953, deet is still the most common ingredient in insect repellent preparations. It is effective against a broad spectrum of medically important pests, including mosquitoes. Despite its widespread use, controversies remain concerning both the identification of its target sites at the molecular level and its mechanism of action in insects. In a series of experiments, Corbel and his colleagues found that deet inhibits the acetylcholinesterase enzyme - the same mode of action used by organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. These insecticides are often used in combination with deet, and the researchers also found that deet interacts with carbamate insecticides to increase their toxicity. Corbel concludes, "These findings question the safety of deet, particularly in combination with other chemicals, and they highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the development of safer insect repellents for use in public health".
Notes:
Evidence for inhibition of cholinesterases in insect and mammalian nervous systems by the insect repellent deet
Vincent Corbel, Maria Stankiewicz, Cedric Pennetier, Didier Fournier, Jure Stojan, Emmanuelle Girard, Mitko Dimitrov, Jordi Molgo, Jean Marc Hougard and Bruno Lapied
BMC Biology (in press)
Article available at journal website: http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcbiol/
Source:
Graeme Baldwin
BioMed Central
Sorry not carcinogenic but neurotoxic. Products with more than a 30% concentration of DEET were/are banned in New York and Canada.
Sorry not carcinogenic but neurotoxic. Products with more than a 30% concentration of DEET were/are banned in New York and Canada.
100% is certainly available throughout Canada
30% DEET is not twice as strong as 60% DEET it just gives you twice as long protection time
100% is certainly available throughout Canada
Are you sure?
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/pest/_decisions/rrd2002-01/index-eng.php
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/life-vie/insect-eng.php
If it is available they are either selling it illegally or it's really old stock.
Just take a fat sweaty mid 20's hormone rich lad out with you on the ride and stay close to him so they go bite him instead.
My sensible suggestion is if you react that badly to bites wear some long bottoms and put up with the fact that you have your legs covered.
I use Avon SSS too, it certainly works on midges and similar and as for horse flies, I havent been bitten by one whilst wearing it but then only been bitten a few times by one anyway (just happened to be when I have not had SSS on I think).
How about carrying some Antisan cream in your pack and pre dosing with an antihistamine before you go out?
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