Nothing ruins a summer evening more than the constant buzzing of mosquitoes. If you or one of your family are particularly prone to mosquito bites, it can turn a relaxing evening into a sleepless night. Products containing DEET (N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) or picaridin are proven to be effective in repelling insects and are used in most over-the-counter brands.  These are deemed safe to use through both research and experience over the years.  However many people continue to search for natural alternatives, concerned about unmeasurable long term effects both to humans and the environment. So a question we have been asked is whether Crazy Arms are a good way to stop the mossies?

A definite ‘maybe’?

From feedback so far, we haven’t heard of anyone being bitten through their Crazy Arms. (We haven’t conducted formal testing; putting kids in a room of mosquitoes with one arm covered and one exposed felt a bit unethical!)

The good news is that the tight weave of the fabric will provide a reasonable barrier, and certainly make the arms less attractive to a blood-seeking mossie. 

The bad news is that the mosquito proboscis is one of nature’s swiss army knives, and in theory can find its way through most fabrics. There are suggestions that with more loose-fitting garments, it is harder for them to get through to your skin, although this opens up paths for those devilish mossies to sneak right up underneath your clothes.

New Fabric Insect Repellants

We were intrigued to see Aerogard advertising a fabric insect repellent.  Clothing needs to be sprayed in advance before wearing. As with deet or picaridin, the active ingredient, transfluthrin, is a toxin, and so It comes with a whole series of first aid warnings on the can as well.  The product was approved in March 2019 by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.  Manufactured in Malaysia, the Aerogard brand owners, Reckitt Benckiser, don’t seem particularly proud of it, as its not on their website, but they have gone to air with a TV commercial?! When we test-sprayed Crazy Arms there was no discolouration. Our test subject suffered no bites.  Our verdict?  Probably a ‘last resort’ if the mosquito problem is severe, but it is another low level toxin entering the environment.

The natural approach.

The Crazy Arms team’s preferred approach is still to use natural repellents such as citronella candles, and the likes of lavender, tea tree oil, or lemon eucalyptus oil, in combination with t-shirts, Crazy Arms and long pants.  The chemical repellants obviously do work, but we try to limit the use to extreme mossie havens, so we can minimise toxin use on ourselves and into the environment.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and experience.

#crazyarms #sunsmart #sunprotection #sunscreen #clothingisking #mosquitoes #mosquitorepellant

Our blog articles are based on our own experience and research. For expert advice, please contact a medical professional.