Repellents vs. toxicants as clothing treatments for protection from mosquitoes and other biting flies

The effectiveness of applications of the repellents deet and the military clothing mixture M-1960 (contains 30% 2-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol to protect from mosquitoes and biting flies, 30% benzyl benzoate to protect from chiggers and fleas, 30% N-butylacetanilide to protect from ticks and 10% non-ionic emulsifier) and the toxicants resmethrin and permethrin to military fatigue clothing in protecting the exposed untreated hands and faces of test subjects from mosquitoes and other biting flies was evaluated in laboratory and field tests in Florida and Georgia; the insects involved were Aedes aegypti (L.), Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say and Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) in the laboratory tests and Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wied.) and Chrysops atlanticus Pechuman in the field tests. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that resmethrin-treated clothing gave significantly greater protection from bites on exposed skin than did repellent-treated clothing. When clothing treated with the repellents was worn in combination with that treated with permethrin, the protection time was significantly longer than that obtained when untreated uniforms or uniforms treated with M-1960 were worn.