Remdies for Bugs & Bears

[trcgolf]

Only 60 days till lift off so its getting down to the nitty gritty..

For those who have been there previously...can you give us all some wisdom on the best mosquito/black fly solution?
We have read both that they are not a problem or they are a terrible nuisance. Is there a preferred insect barrier that works above all others? do Thermocell units work? Is it a combination of things that you'll need to do? Do foggers work while in camp?

Bear spray.... Are their certain kinds can't be brought across Canadian border? seems like I read that. It is doubtful we will be venturing for walks in the deep back country, but we do plan on fishing so there is a chance for an encounter. What is the recommended bear spray for both legality and effectiveness.

[PA12DRVR]

SkipStock wrote:
100% Deet and a .45-70..................

100% Deet makes you taste bad to the bears and the muzzle blast from the 45-70 keeps the skeeters away

🙂

🙂 🙂

[SkipStock]

100% Deet and a .45-70..................

100% Deet makes you taste bad to the bears and the muzzle blast from the 45-70 keeps the skeeters away

🙂

[okgc]

midnightsadie wrote:
we,ve used skin so soft ,a avon product with good success. spray your cloths to. only bear thing I have is a 357.mag .

The 357 might work on your Ohio bears but you cant take to Canada

[Tee_Jay]

Too funny Sue. I was going to cook burgers for a large group on Elmenfdorf near Anchorage and had the fire in the large grill started and preps underway. In walked 3 good sized black bears. I had a large metal spoon and a metal trash can lid, but lacked a crazy lady screaming. Still, it took a while but it worked and they stayed gone.

In the years in Alaska i have never had bear spray or a firearm, except during hunting season.

[sue_t]

It's the small cans of spray, the ones you can easily conceal, that will get you into trouble at the border. If you have a big can that is clearly labelled "BEAR" spray, then there will likely be no problem. However, if it is a small can labelled for personal protection, then you may have to hand it over at the border.

We don't carry bear spray anywhere here. That stuff can harm the humans using it if the wind is blowing wrong. The bear needs to get too close for it to be effective too. Instead, we have "bear bangers" here at the cabin. When ejected towards the bear, these tend so scoot them off in the other direction. Smaller to carry too. Although, banging pots & pans while screaming like a crazy lady also works well, and I'm speaking from experience. :B

[EEWally]

We crossed into Canada 3 times on our trip last year and told the crossing guards that we had 2 big cans of bear spray. Who wants a small can of bear spray!? They didn't want to look at it when phrased that way.

[Johndeere4955]

lonnie4801 wrote:
Swat the bugs; don't swat the bears.

On one of our crossings, and there have been many, one of the customs officers asked my what I was going to do about protection against bears since I had told him I didn't have any bear spray. My answer, "stay away from them".

I agree with your logic on bears...just stay away. Don't be like those idiotic tourists that feel the need to get off the tour busses or rental cars and see how close they can get a bear or worse yet...feed it food. And you don't need to go very far in the back woods to find wildlife in Canada. Be careful around your campground in the parks as there always wildlife roaming the campgrounds.

Welcome to Canada!

[GaryKH]

Be careful if you use permetherin. It is very toxic to fish & cats!

[PA12DRVR]

lonnie4801 wrote:
Swat the bugs; don't swat the bears.

On one of our crossings, and there have been many, one of the customs officers asked my what I was going to do about protection against bears since I had told him I didn't have any bear spray. My answer, "stay away from them".

...and therein lies some wisdom that is often absent from discussions about bears.

On my trips, I use Bens.....as I get older, my tolerance for the smell/feel/general ambience of Ben's is becoming limited, so I also carry several varieties of headnet. For a long trip, I slather the Ben's for a couple of days, decide the smell and stickiness is bad, put on a headnet for a couple of days, decide that they are a PITA, go back to Bens, and so forth....

[lonnie4801]

Swat the bugs; don't swat the bears.

On one of our crossings, and there have been many, one of the customs officers asked my what I was going to do about protection against bears since I had told him I didn't have any bear spray. My answer, "stay away from them".

[2gypsies1]

...and then some summers are drier and the bugs are much less. We lived in Michigan at one time and we didn't think the mosquitoes were as bad in Alaska.

Just like the horror road stories, the bug stories can be glorified, too!

[soos]

agesilaus wrote:
We ordered head nets and permethrin to soak them in:

Head net

Permethrin

My vet says that the Permethrin spray is safe to use on dogs.

We also ordered some good DEET thinking it would be 2 or 3 times as much in Alaska:

DEET

We also bought and used all of these items. The Permethrin can said NOT to spray it near cats-in a liquid form it can cause central nervous system damage, but once its dry its ok.

And some of us already own things like bear spray and would rather not have to throw it out and buy new stuff just to cross into Canada-which-by the way-you will probably be doing several times along the trip. It would be crazy to keep geting rid of pet food, bear spray, vegetables, fruit etc everytime you cross during the summer.

We had bear spray with us and just listed it when asked if we had anything for personal defense.

[EsoxLucius]

tonymull wrote:
Mosquitos target, potassium, carbon dioxide, and body heat...

Lactic Acid

[tonymull]

Ah, I see you ordered 40% Deet. Keep it for use on clothes (cotton or wool) but buy some 100% for use on skin. Oh, almost forgot! Start taking B vitamins about a month before you leave, B-6 is the key one. Don't eat bananas or potatoes for a week of two before you go. Mosquitos target, potassium, carbon dioxide, and body heat...and probably a million other things 😉 The B-6 is widely used in the Alaskan bush. Double or triple the dose on the vitamin bottle. Your pee will be bright yellow but you'll get fewer bites. Dark colors are also said to attract mosquitoes, like I said a million things.