Bug Solution for Labor Day Outdoor Adventures
Labor Day weekend is coming up. For most of us, that means time spent outdoors — perhaps picnicking or camping with the family. Unfortunately, in many areas, you can be assaulted by bugs, particularly at dawn and dusk. If you’re looking for a truely effective bug repellent system, we recommend the ThermaCELL products. We’ve used these on camping and hunting trips and they really work. A single ThermaCELL creates a 15′ x 15′ barrier against mosquitos and other bugs. ThermaCELLs dispense a small amount of repellent into the air over a long period of time. You can stay outdoors for many hours, without having to repeatedly apply insect repellents on your skin.
Right now Midsouth Shooters Supply has the entire ThermaCELL product line on sale, including the new ThermaCELL Lantern. This works great set on a picnic table, providing pleasant lighting as well as protection against bugs. The ThermaCELL antern with one fuel pack and with 3 repellant pads costs just $23.93 at Midsouth. The basic ThermaCELL unit in olive drab, costs just $19.14 with one fuel pack and 3 pads. The camo version is a couple dollars more.
ThermaCELL Science — How It Works
The ThermaCELL works by heating a mat saturated with mosquito repellent. As the mat is heated the repellent is released into the surrounding area providing an area of protection (about 225 sq. feet). ThermaCELLs employ an active ingredient known as allethrin. It belongs to a class of materials called pyrethroids, which are synthetic analogs of pyrethrin, which is a naturally occurring insecticide found in certain types of chrysanthemum known as pyrethrum flowers. Mosquitoes really do not like this material. The allethrin is contained in the blue mats, and when they are heated it causes the allethrin to “volatilize”, which is similar to evaporation. The volatilized allethrin forms a zone of protection around the unit. Although the ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent is most effective against mosquitoes, field tests have shown it to be effective against black flies, no-see-ums, and sand flies.
