I went to the Austin Shakespeare Festival at Zilker Park yesterday. The free event was outdoors, so I had to bring a blanket to sit on to protect my bum from the bugs. After my pink Hello Kitty blankie was mocked, the Offskintastic was passed through the group. I had reason to fervently snag that bottle. If a mosquito is within a seven-mile radius, she will find me and attempt to feed. However, I declined. For what reason would I do such a thing? I have this theory that bug repellant is like human sauce to mosquitos. The times when I don’t wear bug spray, they suck my blood. The times when I spray it on, they suck my blood. Why bother spraying chemicals on my skin, long-term side effects on me unknown? Plus, it seems like after years of use, mosquitos would develop some sort of human smell sense. Is it that they smell sweat, or blood, or bug spray to determine where they will insert their proboscis? If they detect us by sweat scent, then spraying this stuff on my skin would do no good being that in Texas, standing outside for more than two minutes will make your sweat glands cry uncle. Then the spray runs… and ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ they find you, slurping your blood and probably drinking the spray like whipped cream on a coffee. mmmm. To spray or not to spray, that is the question.
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Much ado about bug spray
May 19, 2008 — ohmyafly8 Responses to “Much ado about bug spray”
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May 19, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Not to spray. Let me explain. Some repellents have a chemical called Deet. If this chemical gets in your eyes or lungs, it becomes difficult to not go temporarily blind or feel dizzy and confused. I used a deet-based repellent on a golf course and 4 holes later the ball was disappearing from the tee at my feet and I starting seeing black things streak across the sky out of the corner of my eye. It wasn’t much longer before I didn’t know my name or where I was and my vision was 20/Infinity. So now I’d rather let anything stick their proboscis in me than go through that again.
May 19, 2008 at 6:59 pm
EW haha
Glad you didn’t have a seizure. http://www.epa.gov/TEACH/chem_summ/DEET_summary.pdf
I agree with not to spray. The stuff stinks.
May 19, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Proboscis? Wow! Where’d you learn that? I bet you looked it up on wikipedia before you wrote this. HA! Bottom line, don’t use deet, it is dangerous for some people. But I have found other non-deet sprays very helpful, especially in places where there is a high concentration of mosquitoes, like my high school bonfire.
May 20, 2008 at 12:35 am
Oh you!
If I’d venture a guess, it was the pink blankie that attracted them. Or maybe your BAC after fiending down (practically inhaling) your glass of wine…and beer…and another wine.
Yes, that must be it. The mixed smell of sweat, fear, methanol, and pink (if pink had a smell).
May 20, 2008 at 1:53 am
Thomas: What can I say? I was an odd child who liked to know what things were properly called. You know what they say about what happens when you assume…
Germanito The Encourager:My BAC? O:
As I remember it, beverages were discussed and poured faster than I could drink…haha Whatev. I’m on vacation. Life intoxicates.
June 4, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Which blog to respond to???? Isn’t one enough?? AAAAHHHHHHHH!
June 8, 2008 at 6:03 pm
All of them. (:
Nuh uh. It’s far more fun to have variety.
June 8, 2008 at 10:37 pm
,