Remdies for Bugs & Bears

Counter Assault is considered a good brand of Bear Spray. You just can't beat 100% Deet, Ben's or Muskoil for bugs. A head net over a hat with a brim is nice to have. I carry one with the jack in the truck. Thin cotton pants or a t-shirt will NOT stop a mosquito, one of my buddies got over 100 bites in an hour through a t-shirt (yeah he was a lot of fun to be around for the rest of the trip). I have been bitten through blue jeans while wandering around the woods in Fairbanks. Application to clothes is the only time I'd bother with spray on Deet. If you do get a bite application of some ammonia directly to the bite is the best treatment I've ever found. Afterbite, some deodorants, or just some ammonia (cheapest by far) are good. I have heard that a heated penny placed on the bite (water hot enough that you don't want to leave your finger in it to heat the penny) works by destroying the protein that is causing the itch. Making an X on the bite with a fingernail will give some relief (disperses the proteins). Wind, a smoky fire (native americans commonly used smudges and had personal recipes for the smudges), mud caked on your skin, crushed evergreen needles rubbed on, crushed mint leaves (plentiful in BC), nettle tea rubbed on the skin (for heavens sake don't just crush nettles with your hands ;-) ), and many other native plants will provide some repellency, although it is usually short lived. Skin so Soft, citronella, etc are not very effective.