[Ozarks_1]

I generally wear sweat pants all year round because I simply find them more comfortable than jeans. They don't sag in the rear or bunch up in the crotch (and there's not a whole lot worse than THAT after bouncing around on a tractor seat for a few hours).

 

[Guest]

I wear these cheap pants from walmart in the summer. They have an elastic wasteband, pockets and well that's about it. 9.99 a pair and real light cotton/mix.

if I'm going to go out into taller weeds or under trees, I assume I am going to get some ticks and just immediately take those clothes off and throw them in the laundry then check myself out quick including my hair. Haven't had one get attached this year and have found over a dozen.

count me as one of the ones with brown arms and snow white legs

Mel-

 

[Blu3duk]

In the olde dayz our Kilts were made of wool, which in the summer months was at best a little scratchy but kept us cool, then came along a fasinating company with a vision that fits just about every working man there is today........ www.utilikilts.com

William

 

[Guest]

I too have snow white legs. My arms and my neck are (as my grandmother would say) brown as a ginger cake. Lately, I've been sporting a new look. When I'm on the riding lawn mower, looking after the kids or gardening, I like to wear my one-piece bathing suit with shorts. About once an hour, I turn on the sprinkler, run through and get my hair wet, and then go about my chores. I love it, and the kids love that mom plays in the sprinkler. No one can see me, we're pretty secluded. It energizes me and I could work all day. For tougher jobs, I wear jeans, a T-shirt and boots. I too hate OFF, the smell of it, that is. We have ticks here pretty badly. Each night before baths, I line the kids up, everything off but underwear and do a tick check. I can't stand those things. We don't have mosquitoes as bad here as our old house, not very much shade here. Around dusk, I may rub some kids OFF lotion on everybody if it's bad, but otherwise we're okay.
I'm having trouble logging in -- This is Leigha in Alabama.

 

[CJ]

I wear those cheap cotten pajama bottoms with the drawstring waist from Walmart. That or scrubs, with hubby in the nuclear business we get a bunch of them free, they're just a bit big on me but they're what he wears. In the yard we wear sandles, out in the pasture or woods we always wear knee high boots. This is copperhead country!

 

[Amy Jo]

I also wear scrubs. They were leftover from when my youngest daughter worked in housekeeping in a nursing home. They are much cooler than jeans. I spray them and my boots with off. I also spray my hat with off (even under the brim to keep the little bugs away from my face.) And I spray my arms with OFF - usually once in the morning and once after supper if needed. We're still clearing and burning and piling and digging and spending our nights in a tent, so we're usually outside from about 8 in the morning to 12 at night on the days we're working out there.

They now have a botanical (more expensive) form of OFF made from eucalyptis (sp???) extract which smells very fruity. It has to be reapplied every 90 minutes, according to the bottle. It worked for us the other night and I could put it on my face without worrying.

I want to try that vinegar drink.

Today I'm going to spend at least 30 minutes reading in the sun in a pair of shorts... my legs have gotten pretty white, as most all my time outdoors has been in long pants trying to clear the property.

 

[southerngurl]

Deet (active ingredient in OFF) enters your blood stream and it's long term affects are unknown. Don't forget what you breath in when you spray it.

 

[Phil - MO]

How does this vinegar mix work?

In the Missouri Ozarks I have so many ticks and chiggers I use every chemical spray out there including treating clothes with permethrin (sp?).
I hate seed ticks. Get covered with them and I'll try about anything.

My son always says he doesn't get chiggers, but I think it's just that he doesn't go out much in the summer.

 

[southerngurl]

We used to have seed ticks, horrible, everywhere. We got chickens, and there are no ticks in our yard or the surrounding area. The dogs have frontline on them, so they are like walking traps too.

 

[Mrs_stuart]

I have heard of putting small amounts of vinegar in goats water to help keep the flies off of them. it is suppost to raise the acid level in their body that the flies are not attracted to them anymore. I have never tried it though.

Belinda

 

[MomInGa]

Some interesting replies! Never heard of the drink before and will have to try it out.

Probably the biggest nuisance of a bug I hate are the ticks. Lots of woods around. Ants, mesquitos, and all the normal bugs, but I dislike ticks, and hate finding them on my clothes.

We get snakes too, but usually they are not at the house, but in the woods. Dont think I would walk the woods without jeans on.

We are going to figure out a way to move the chickens around the gardens and yard for some organic bug control, but havent gotten to it yet. (Huge to-do list here)

Reading the postings are giving me some new ideas and thanks.

Although..... I may pass on the bear grease one. (grins)

 

[Guest]

Some interesting replies! Never heard of the drink before and will have to try it out.

Sakinjabim is GOOD stuff- most of my SCA and renn fair friends swear by the stuff for rehydrating on hot days. (And yes, we're not doing physical labor in the sun- but we're walking around in medieval clothing of MANY layers... ^_^)

I need to go make some. ^_^

Cait

 

[januaries]

For afternoons on the porch (not heavy yard work), I made an insect repellent out of essential oils and alcohol. Citronella, Tea Tree, Lavender, and a couple others that smelled like they might repel bugs. I put it in a little mister-bottle and spray it on my ankles because they always seem to get bit first. It works well, but I haven't tried it on "heavy duty" stuff like ticks.

 

[Amy Jo]

Anyone use Avon's Skin So Soft as an insect repellent? My mother suggested I use that.

 

[Thumper/inOkla.]

well, I don't, all of the chigger bites I have had out here where inside my socks, so don't where socks where the chiggers are thick, all of the tick bites have been under my clothes, ....so,


Yes, I still wear clothes, but I wear as little as possible, I feel most of the ticks crawling on me before they ever bite, unless they get inside my clothes, Thumper hiking through the woods= no socks, bike shorts, sports bra= no tick bites.

 

[Jan Doling]

Take a pair of pockets from another pair of jeans, sew the pockets over the knees of the good jeans, insert a kitchen sponge in each pocket and you have built in knee-pads, plus the jeans will wear longer. This is also a great trick for pants for crawling babies .

 

[almostthere]

Amy Jo-my sil uses that. She swears by it. I have actually seen her sit side by side with someone else and the bugs wouldnt go near her. I don't know how well it would work on ticks, but for the gnats, biting flies, no see-ums and the like it works well. i think you have to sure it for an extended period of time, to build it up.

 

[Ozarkguy]

.

No undies, no socks, no nothing extra.

No place to hide, so you find any hitch-hikers right away. Tick season sometimes a "light spray" of whatever just around the ankles. Shirt and socks only if heavy brush or chainsaw work.

Soooooooo...........

Cut off blue jeans and sneakers. That's it. Hot days add a hat and sunglasses.

 

[frontiergal]

.

No undies, no socks, no nothing extra.

No place to hide, so you find any hitch-hikers right away. Tick season sometimes a "light spray" of whatever just around the ankles. Shirt and socks only if heavy brush or chainsaw work.

Soooooooo...........

Cut off blue jeans and sneakers. That's it. Hot days add a hat and sunglasses.

Sounds to me like Sakinjabim and switchel are of the same makings in a way and are both a good thing.

 

[babetteq]

Wow! I'm glad you started this thread 'cause I'm being eaten alive by noseeums and mosquitos. The noseeums make ti through the screen in my window and I can't stand to have the house shut up all day when it's glorious outside, but boyo boy, I look like i"ve been run over witha prickle bush!!! This vinegar drink is going to become a staple around this house!

babs