Recently, I had a bad problem with mosquitoes down in the bottoms over in clay county. All three of us had been eaten alive despite multiple applications of Deep Woods Off. It was suggested we try a DEET-free new product called Kite Shield. So I bought a bottle from Amazon. The manufacturer's own information on repellent properties indicated that it had a short use life before reapplication needed. Kite says the spray has been proven to fight off Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes for up to 4 hours, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for up to 2 hours, and Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquitoes for up to 90 minutes. We have all these in north Texas. So basically, you have to be reapplying the spray every 90 minutes to retain proper protection. Kite Sheild says every 2 hours, but their own research says it will stop working after 90 minutes for Anopheles quadrimaculatus so logic would dictate that you need to reapply every 90 minutes. The claim is that the product makes you invisible to mosquitoes, somehow making you invisible to the mosquito's senses. They won't bite you if they can't find you, right? Twice now back in the bottoms where we had our problem previously with determined mosquitoes. Apply Kite Shield before arrival. Arrive. Get out and walk. Get eaten alive. Get chiggers as well. I don't know that Kite Shield really is supposed to be doing to repel mosquitoes. It certainly does not make you invisible to them. In that regard, I think they have misinterpreted the results of their own tests or maybe their own tests were extremely limited in the species tested against as I don't know which species were biting us. It may deter some species and it may deter some well feed individuals. It did not work well here in north Texas in the bottoms where we had a problem previously.
Ugh! Mosquitoes & chiggers. Definitely two of my lesser favorite things to encounter when out after dark. Oh well, one less thing for me to try out. Thanks!
Dang I had great hope for Kite, I have a bottle and they are going to issue a tag that keeps them away for 48 hrs to wear. Have not tried mine out yet and your review is disappointing. At dark here the mosquitoes swarm covering you up and your face by the hundreds, we have had 44" of rain 40% more than average this year. During the day I had no issues with them.
I buy permethrin and mix my own at home. It needs to be applied more often than some strong products but works ok. I use it to keep ants and wasps from going places in and around the house and it works on a hard surface for like a year it seems.
Brain, I want them blind and dead, thanks for testing for me and I know my bottle is useless but will still use and confirm
I was laughing reading your post...I never experienced skeeters that are immune to those products. lol And I get chiggers easy....my ankles are always bit up.
For "post bite", I REALLY like "After Bite" (itch eraser) pen. Applied soon after a bite, it does relieve the itching.
If it would have worked better than DEET, I would have been ecstatic! I am not a fan of DEET either. So it was worth a shot.
Many thanks Brian - indeed you are the Man. I HATE skeeters! Only relief for me is a thermocell used in a semi-enclosed blind... in an open area - not so much!
