This year 27 people in Ontario died from West Nile Virus. While more cancer kills more people hands down, I'm not too keen that a few hours outside could turn my pedestrian afternoon with friends into a life threatening activity. For most people, West Nile Virus causes mild flu-like symptoms, but there's no guarantee that healthy people won't die. I recently talked with Joe Conlon, former Naval entomologist and advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association in Jacksonville , Florida and what he said made me rethink everything I know about insect repellent.

Everyone knows DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) is the Kodak of insect repellents. But it comes with some pretty hefty side effects: it absorbs completely into the skin, smells like burnt rubber and shrink wraps to skin, clothes and jewelry. While studies show it can cause brain anomalies in kids, it's not exactly benign for the rest of us. Conlon says most people understand the dangers of West Nile Virus, but they don't know what to use for protection. "Some people will put bear fat on their arms or toad pee and swear by that," he says.

Many herbal repellents claim to be just as effective as DEET, but just because your cousin swears by it doesn't mean it really works. “The CDC is the only credible resource because their mission is to protect the health and safety of the U.S. population and their credibility is based on giving you the right information,” says Conlon. “They don't make recommendations lightly.”

In 2002, The New England Journal of Medicine compared chemical and natural repellants to help consumers sort through conflicting information. Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, the only plant-derived ingredient approved by the CDC, performed as well as low-level DEET, and it has no known risks and lasts a full two hours. Picardin, a new chemical repellent endorsed by the CDC offered the same protection. Some products not endorsed by the CDC: Soybean oil - 94 minutes, Citronella - 20 minutes, Avon 's Skin So Soft - 3 minutes.

Confused yet? Start by lowering your expectations. If you're a kayaker who is sweating profusley, you'll wear it off much faster than Grandma who is sitting in the shade knitting booties. If you want a product that's safe, understand it's going to be less convenient and you'll need to reapply it every two hours.

One thing that's clear to me now is that few repellents deliver what they promise, and going au natural isn't an option either. Like having an extra drink before getting behind the wheel, trekking through the bush slathered in bear grease isn't a sign of clear thinking. “ When people aren't using repellants, they're forcing control agencies to use pesticides in order to knock down the mosquito population,” Conlon says. And more pesticides in the environment is bad news for everyone.

We took a few brands for a test drive. Not all deliver on their promises, while others surprised us with their effectiveness. Meet me over in the forums if you want to yak more about bugs!

• Very slight scent that disappeared quickly
• Made with: Picardin and unknown ingredients
• No sticky residue – Effective on some of our testers but not on others. Seemed to work well for those who couldn't detect an odor at all
• SRP – $7.95/4 oz (www.picardin.com)

• Lemon scented (fairly strong in the bottle, but less so when sprayed on skin)
• Made with: Neem, cedarwood, eucalyptus, lemongrass, bergamont and tea tree oils
• No sticky residue – Effective for an afternoon picnic but not as effective when camping in the woods
• SRP – $6.50/4 oz (www.organixsouth.com)

• Hardly any scent
• Made with: coconut oil, citronella, cedarwood, lavender, patchouli, and juniper oils
• No sticky residue – Pretty much useless every time we used it
• SRP – $8/4 oz (www.kissmyface.com)

• Smells like alcohol and lemon (not pleasant)
• Made with 40% oil of lemon eucalyptus and 60% other ingredients (not listed?)
• Greasy residue – Somewhat effective but the feeling it left behind was a turn-off
• SRP – $5/4 oz (www.rei.com)

*Discuss this blog post in the Nomadik Forums

Technorati Profile