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Aug. 12th, 2025 03:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mary_j_59This entry is going to be--shall we say, a little different? I'm thinking I may actually put it up (or a brief version of it) on the LL Bean review site. I might want advice about that. Anyway, here goes.
Some years ago, I bought Ex officio bug-proof hiking pants for my sister and me. My reason was that we'd both had Lyme disease more than once, and these were recommended as a good defense against ticks. Lyme, though not fatal, is really unpleasant, and the antibiotics you have to take for it are unpleasant, too. I will say I haven't had a tick bite since purchasing these clothes. BUT!
Here comes the caveat. I got a really nasty bug bite, most likely from a black fly.
I then thought the pants must have lost their bug-proofing over the years, so I bought new ones from LL Bean. And they are excelllent; a good fit and comfortable to move it. But, once again, I ended up with a nasty bite. Two, actually, again from a black fly. They are small, fast, and persistent, and I've read elsewhere they will even bite through fabric. Nasty. And here's the thing.
These pants are not treated with a repellent. They're treated with insecticide. I suppose the unfortunate ants who were crawling on us at one point might have survived. I hope so. I have nothing against ants. The clothes work well against ticks because they will typically crawl around for a while before trying to attach. So they'll stay on you--IF they get on you--long enough to get injured or killed by the permethrin.
Not so with black flies. They will try to reach your skin through any gaps, and if they find one, they'll bite. And they'll keep on biting. The only thing that helps against these is an actual repellent. So you have to double up if you don't want to get bitten. Deet or Picardin work; Cedar oil is some good, though not as effective. You need (I learned) to use one of these three things if you're going to be safe from bug bites.
Also, if you use repellent, you'll keep away beneficial insects who might otherwise land on you and be harmed by the insecticide in your clothing. Not that insects usually land on me! But it happens.
Some years ago, I bought Ex officio bug-proof hiking pants for my sister and me. My reason was that we'd both had Lyme disease more than once, and these were recommended as a good defense against ticks. Lyme, though not fatal, is really unpleasant, and the antibiotics you have to take for it are unpleasant, too. I will say I haven't had a tick bite since purchasing these clothes. BUT!
Here comes the caveat. I got a really nasty bug bite, most likely from a black fly.
I then thought the pants must have lost their bug-proofing over the years, so I bought new ones from LL Bean. And they are excelllent; a good fit and comfortable to move it. But, once again, I ended up with a nasty bite. Two, actually, again from a black fly. They are small, fast, and persistent, and I've read elsewhere they will even bite through fabric. Nasty. And here's the thing.
These pants are not treated with a repellent. They're treated with insecticide. I suppose the unfortunate ants who were crawling on us at one point might have survived. I hope so. I have nothing against ants. The clothes work well against ticks because they will typically crawl around for a while before trying to attach. So they'll stay on you--IF they get on you--long enough to get injured or killed by the permethrin.
Not so with black flies. They will try to reach your skin through any gaps, and if they find one, they'll bite. And they'll keep on biting. The only thing that helps against these is an actual repellent. So you have to double up if you don't want to get bitten. Deet or Picardin work; Cedar oil is some good, though not as effective. You need (I learned) to use one of these three things if you're going to be safe from bug bites.
Also, if you use repellent, you'll keep away beneficial insects who might otherwise land on you and be harmed by the insecticide in your clothing. Not that insects usually land on me! But it happens.