Ways to keep misquitoes and other bugs away from you while running

The Kenyans have to worry about being attacked by cheetahs and jaguars. Stop being such a freaking wimp.

I don't know what the solution is, but "ok then" obviously is smoking something... "Attacked by cheetahs and jaguars"... Some people do attract more bugsmosq and the impact is not just during the run but afterwards it is painfull and annoying as well, I would like to know what helps too.

bugs and mosquitos need discipline. Rather than be some passive Texas teenage running geek, you need to take control, be more assertive. There needs to be consequences.

Mosquitoes hate having their name misspelled. Try an empathetic and compassionate approach to them.

Cheetahs have never attacked people in the wild and Jaguars live in South America. Perhaps you mean Leopards and Lions.

I live in the woods in Maine and have no problem even in the peak months of bug season, just stop trotting at a 10 minute pace and they shouldn't bother you.

Hey man, I'm with you on this. I have tried off too, and it works until I start sweating it off. I am trying to find something else that works better too.

Screw the rest of you immature cold hearted bastards. You act like you know everything and every part of the world. Insects are worse in certain areas, so quit assuming we are jogging at 10 min mile pace because frankly even when I go sub 6 min pace for 20 mile runs I still get bothered by those damn flies most of the way. Depending where you are, the biting flies can be even worse than just pests that run into you.

agreed. Most of my problems come from large horse-flies that will follow me for a mile or two, never really being able to land on me, but always bumping into my face and neck. It's more annoying that anything else.

I've tried alot of things and have come to the conclusion that DEET containing products aren't very effective in deterring attacks by members of the order Diptera.

The best strategy is to change speed and direction radically, especially around large objects, sharp turns in the trail, or after you jump over/run under a fallen tree. Most Dipterans track by sight and are attracted to shiny, sweaty skin and hair. However, due to their compound eyes, their distance vision is not very good. If you can get 20-30 feet away from one, you become invisible to it.

Besides turning 90 degrees sharply and going from 7:00min pace to 800m pace for a short burst, changing habitats works well too. As soon as I get out of the forest, where its damp and dark, and into a field, they seem to leave me alone. l.

The mosquitos are horrible in Texas. It doesn't matter how fast you run because they'll get you the second you stop. So unless you bolt out the door and start your run, and don't stop until you get inside the house, you will likely get bitten. Actually, you aren't even safe inside your house because they easily fly in with you. This is starting to sound like a horror movie... They can be aggressive too. I don't wear repellent because I sweat it off, but a girl I ran with the other day did. She sprayed it everywhere except her face, so of course that's what they went for. She was spitting them out the whole time. So my advice is keep your mouth closed and wear sunglasses to keep them out of your eyes. Mosquitos like humidity (Houston must really suck) and stagnant water, so avoid both if you can.

ok then wrote:

That's entirely laughable. The best solution for all you bug-infested kiddies would be to bring your cell phone with you and when the bug bites begin to be unbearable, call mom and have her pick you up in the family SUV.

LOL That's been the best response in the thread.

... So far this summer I've swallowed two bugs. Yuck! I do most of my runs in a State Park here, and it seems to be at random when the bugs are out. I had four runs last week, two of them were perfect, barley any bugs. The other two were awful, they were bumping into my face and bouncing off my chest as I ran. So there's got to be some sort of pattern to their madness.

Calamine lotion always helped for me, always wear a hat as well.

Here in upstate NY, people smoke cigars to keep the gnats away. You might try that while you run.

nyloco wrote:

Here in upstate NY, people smoke cigars to keep the gnats away. You might try that while you run.

Really? How does that work? They don't like the smell?

... Isn't there some kind of device that like you clip on your shorts (not an iPod) that gives off some sort of "noise" that keeps bugs away? I thought I've heard about this on one of those late-night infomercials. So it's got to be legit right?

I hope it's at a frequency you can't hear because that'd be freakin annoying to run with

I thought those were for birds.

What I'm about to say is easily the best information I've ever conveyed on this message board. I think I may have even got it from Letsrun in the first place.

The key is ... fabric softener dryer sheets. Before your run, take one and rub it on your hair, neck and shoulders. Then, if things are really bad in your area, put the sheet in the back of your hat. I don't know what it is, but if you do this, you won't see a single fly around your head during the run.

Try it out. Thank me later.

dg

no, dryer sheets are marginally effective! The best way to avoid those pesty bug bites is to rub BAT GUANO all over your face!

White wine vinegar.

Yup.

Simple, cheap, available just about anywhere and non-toxic.

Maybe you might smell a wee bit like cole slaw, but it DOES keep the critters off.

There is a pre-existing thread on this somewhere.

Bring a gun with you on your runs, and when the bugs start to bother you, blow those annoying bastards to hell!