Smoking And Mosquitos

[+Polgara]

I was thinking, the other day about bug repellent, and I remember as a kid we used to light up those things called, "punks", maybe they have a different name where you live.

 

The smoke from these help repel insects, and I was wondering for the cachers that smoke, does lighting up help deter insects?

 

I don't smoke, and I wouldn't start just because it may help keep mosquitos away, I was just curious.

 

Please keep this on topic and do not turn it into a 'smoking is bad for your health thread'.

[+carleenp]

My Dad smokes a pipe and I have seen mosquitos still come and bite him.

 

Citronella torches and such seem to help, but with West Nile the way it is here, I just stick with losts of Deet anymore.

Edited April 13, 2004 by carleenp

[+Monkeybrad]

I smoke and skeeters seem to like me just fine.

[+briansnat]

I find a good cigar keeps them from buzzing around my head, but doesn't do anything for the rest of my body.

[+carleenp]

I find a good cigar keeps them from buzzing around my head, but doesn't do anything for the rest of my body.

I don't know about mosquitos, but cigar smoke keeps Carleens away (at least this one)!

[+El Diablo]

I smoke and my wife doesn't and I have more problems with them than she does. So maybe smoking actually attracts them? One more reason I need to quit.

 

El Diablo

[+Stem]

I'm a smoker and 'skeeter food , unless I deet myself on down

[+Mastifflover]

I smoke and it seems to keep them away from my face but doesn't help anywhere else.

[+tirediron]

As someone who smoked for quite a few years, but quite 2+ ago, as far as I am concerned cigarette smoke did nothing to keep away the little vampires. 'skeeters (and most other stinging/biting insects) home in on the CO2 from your breath. Since smokers probably exhale a whole lot more than non-smokers, it makes sense that they are going to be that much more attractive as a smorgasboard. Not a scientific analysis, but my $00.02 worth....

[+Sparky-Watts]

I smoke and it seems to keep them away from my face but doesn't help anywhere else.

Yup....this is true.....it keeps them off my face and head, but doesn't have much effect anywhere else.

[+Lone Duck]

I smoke and it seems to keep them away from my face but doesn't help anywhere else.

The hard part is hitting them with a puff of smoke before they land on you.

[+Hemlock]

If you're drunk and a mosquito sucks your blood will the mosquito get drunk too?

[+Sparky-Watts]

If you're drunk and a mosquito sucks your blood will the mosquito get drunk too?

Have you ever watched a mosquito fly around? Living in Kansas, I don't have much else to do, and I can tell you that your theory is probably correct!

[Wanderingson]

Generally speaking, skeeters will avoid the actual smoke stream itself. Unless you can provide a continuous smoke stream in a 360 degree pattern, it would become usless to take up smoking to deter these pesky blood suckers.

 

The next time you are at a campfire, try sittin down wind in the smoke stream of the fire, you may just find yourself with a few less sketter bites. You may also find it a little more difficult to breath, but you will find a few less sketters. Thats, why they too tend to avoid the smoke stream itself. They like to breath as well. You see they can fly around and avoid smoke patterns and adjust accordingly. Sneaky little boogers ain't they.

 

The best deterent for sketters is bug dope with DEET and there are other long term treatments as well. Other pests can be treated with other solutions, but I won't get into those here. I've got pages in my book dedicated just to this subject alone.

 

BTW--I would never get on a kick about the moral issue of smoking--I've been on the patch for just over a month now and doing just fine. Won't tell you how long it took me to put them things down.

Edited April 14, 2004 by Wanderingson

[dead_white_man]

My Dad smokes a pipe and I have seen mosquitos still come and bite him.

 

I smoked a pipe for 14 years. (quit in 1981) I used to swear that it stopped mosquitos from biting me. After quitting though, I still don't get bit. I probably just taste bad.

[Nick_T]

Smoking seems to keep the skeeters outa my face some, but as a cure-all for skeeter bites it ain't. There's a new product that's call a "thermocell", a self contained unit that heats up these little inserts them blows the chemical fumes out with a little fan. Alot of the guys I hunt with swear by them. The only time I used one it didn't seem to help me but the area was so thick in skeeters that I don't think anything woulda worked. For light to moderate skeeter problems it could be the trick.

 

Nick T

[+archaeor]

For those of you in California and Oregon, one of the best natural mosquito repellants is California Mountain Laurel leaves. Also known as "Bay" (yep, the spice), and for those in Oregon, it's sometimes called "Oregon Myrtle". Take a handful of fresh leaves, crush them between your fingers to release the oil, and rub them all over your clothes. I've grown to like the smell, and it really works! Those pesky mosquitos will still buzz around you, but they won't land and bite.

 

Rick

[+Ltljon]

I don't know if this worked for skeeters but Grandpa always cut a big hole out of the back of his overalls while he plowed with the mule. Said it was cooler, made it easier to scratch plus it kept the gnats out of his face

 

Might be worth a try.

[AZcachemeister]

Another fun thing to do with mosquitos, (other than getting them drunk!). Watch one on your fore-arm, and when they are starting to fill up, clench your arm-muscles. If you do this just right, their mouth-parts are trapped and they over-fill and pop! Serves them right!

[+tirediron]

Another fun thing to do with mosquitos, (other than getting them drunk!). Watch one on your fore-arm, and when they are starting to fill up, clench your arm-muscles. If you do this just right, their mouth-parts are trapped and they over-fill and pop! Serves them right!

Try cable, even more entertaining, and a lot less painful!