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Product review: Tred-Not deerfly patches

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    • Product review: Tred-Not deerfly patches

      I've mentioned these already, but it's time to do a more formal review.

      My last hike was at low elevations in the Adirondacks, in mid-August, the very worst of deerfly season. Unlike mosquitoes, deerflies are only moderately deterred by DEET. I find their bite to be quite painful, and the little cross shape that they saw into the skin bleeds, stains clothing and invites infection.

      [IMG:http://www.deerflypatches.com/images/trednotdeerflypatches001002.jpg]

      I happened to see on another forum a recommendation for Tred-Not® Deerfly Patches. These are a mechanical means of control. In effect, they're fly paper that goes on the back of your hat. I bought a bunch, not expecting very much, and tried them on a trip in the Adirondacks (three days hiking, one day canoe) in early August - the peak of deerfly season.

      I was quite pleasantly surprised. On three days of hiking, I wore a boonie hat from Dorfman Pacific, and stuck one of the patches to the back of it each morning. I don´t think that there was a single evening that I didn't peel off the patch with fifty deerflies stuck to it (and no other kinds of bugs, just deerflies). And despite having that many flies about, I had not one deerfly bite. I wore the fourth strip from the 4-pack the next day for a short paddle, and found that they worked just as well on the water as they did on land.

      For the limited testing I did, these puppies work.

      The glue did stain the hat a little, but the hat was already stained with various substances, including spruce gum and balsam, which are even more persistent. A slightly dishevelled appearance is well worth the freedom from deer fly bites.

      Some people might be annoyed by having their hat buzz with the trapped insects, which take a while to succumb. Instead, by the third day, the noise simply gave me a profound sense of schadenfreude. "Try for my blood, will you? You won't be trying that again!"

      In addition to the manufacturer´s site, they're available at amazon.com. The manufacturer claims that Ace Hardware and Home Depot carry them, but I've not seen them locally.

      Disclosure: I have no relationship with the manufacturer or any of its retailers other than as a satisfied customer.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      I've mentioned these already, but it's time to do a more formal review.

      My last hike was at low elevations in the Adirondacks, in mid-August, the very worst of deerfly season. Unlike mosquitoes, deerflies are only moderately deterred by DEET. I find their bite to be quite painful, and the little cross shape that they saw into the skin bleeds, stains clothing and invites infection.

      [IMG:http://www.deerflypatches.com/images/trednotdeerflypatches001002.jpg]




      Some people might be annoyed by having their hat buzz with the trapped insects, which take a while to succumb.
      Not me...Suck on this you Be-otches!
    • Drybones wrote:

      Deer flies were excellent motivators when we lived in upstate NY and went mountain biking on Rattle Snake hill...person in the rear gets the flies.
      I like pullin' the ole toot and scoot, kinda like crop dustin.

      you walk over to your buddy and when the flies are now around ya's...ya split real quick leaving him in a fix a flies.
    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      I've mentioned these already, but it's time to do a more formal review.

      My last hike was at low elevations in the Adirondacks, in mid-August, the very worst of deerfly season. Unlike mosquitoes, deerflies are only moderately deterred by DEET. I find their bite to be quite painful, and the little cross shape that they saw into the skin bleeds, stains clothing and invites infection.

      [IMG:http://www.deerflypatches.com/images/trednotdeerflypatches001002.jpg]

      I happened to see on another forum a recommendation for Tred-Not® Deerfly Patches. These are a mechanical means of control. In effect, they're fly paper that goes on the back of your hat. I bought a bunch, not expecting very much, and tried them on a trip in the Adirondacks (three days hiking, one day canoe) in early August - the peak of deerfly season.

      I was quite pleasantly surprised. On three days of hiking, I wore a boonie hat from Dorfman Pacific, and stuck one of the patches to the back of it each morning. I don´t think that there was a single evening that I didn't peel off the patch with fifty deerflies stuck to it (and no other kinds of bugs, just deerflies). And despite having that many flies about, I had not one deerfly bite. I wore the fourth strip from the 4-pack the next day for a short paddle, and found that they worked just as well on the water as they did on land.

      For the limited testing I did, these puppies work.

      The glue did stain the hat a little, but the hat was already stained with various substances, including spruce gum and balsam, which are even more persistent. A slightly dishevelled appearance is well worth the freedom from deer fly bites.

      Some people might be annoyed by having their hat buzz with the trapped insects, which take a while to succumb. Instead, by the third day, the noise simply gave me a profound sense of schadenfreude. "Try for my blood, will you? You won't be trying that again!"

      In addition to the manufacturer´s site, they're available at amazon.com. The manufacturer claims that Ace Hardware and Home Depot carry them, but I've not seen them locally.

      Disclosure: I have no relationship with the manufacturer or any of its retailers other than as a satisfied customer.
      Would they be as effective stuck on the top of your pack?
      RIAP
    • A.T.Lt wrote:

      AnotherKevin wrote:

      I've mentioned these already, but it's time to do a more formal review.

      My last hike was at low elevations in the Adirondacks, in mid-August, the very worst of deerfly season. Unlike mosquitoes, deerflies are only moderately deterred by DEET. I find their bite to be quite painful, and the little cross shape that they saw into the skin bleeds, stains clothing and invites infection.

      [IMG:http://www.deerflypatches.com/images/trednotdeerflypatches001002.jpg]

      I happened to see on another forum a recommendation for Tred-Not® Deerfly Patches. These are a mechanical means of control. In effect, they're fly paper that goes on the back of your hat. I bought a bunch, not expecting very much, and tried them on a trip in the Adirondacks (three days hiking, one day canoe) in early August - the peak of deerfly season.

      I was quite pleasantly surprised. On three days of hiking, I wore a boonie hat from Dorfman Pacific, and stuck one of the patches to the back of it each morning. I don´t think that there was a single evening that I didn't peel off the patch with fifty deerflies stuck to it (and no other kinds of bugs, just deerflies). And despite having that many flies about, I had not one deerfly bite. I wore the fourth strip from the 4-pack the next day for a short paddle, and found that they worked just as well on the water as they did on land.

      For the limited testing I did, these puppies work.

      The glue did stain the hat a little, but the hat was already stained with various substances, including spruce gum and balsam, which are even more persistent. A slightly dishevelled appearance is well worth the freedom from deer fly bites.

      Some people might be annoyed by having their hat buzz with the trapped insects, which take a while to succumb. Instead, by the third day, the noise simply gave me a profound sense of schadenfreude. "Try for my blood, will you? You won't be trying that again!"

      In addition to the manufacturer´s site, they're available at amazon.com. The manufacturer claims that Ace Hardware and Home Depot carry them, but I've not seen them locally.

      Disclosure: I have no relationship with the manufacturer or any of its retailers other than as a satisfied customer.
      Would they be as effective stuck on the top of your pack?
      That's using thee ole noggin'...no pun intended. :D
    • socks wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      Deer flies were excellent motivators when we lived in upstate NY and went mountain biking on Rattle Snake hill...person in the rear gets the flies.
      I like pullin' the ole toot and scoot, kinda like crop dustin.
      you walk over to your buddy and when the flies are now around ya's...ya split real quick leaving him in a fix a flies.
      Was glad to finally catch on to what the wife was doing to get rid of her black flies, she would get close behind me and swat down slowly leaving all her flies around my head.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • A.T.Lt wrote:

      Would they be as effective stuck on the top of your pack?
      They did a few studies about this. I don't know if they tried a backpack, but they did try having the strip on a subject's shirt. It didn't work. The flies apparently come in for a landing first on the back of a person's head, and the strip works only there.

      The guy that came up with them says that he thinks a blue cap works best. A grad student at University of Florida tried to study it and published the results. No significant differences among the colors that he tried.

      I've heard from people who've tried to use duct tape wrapped in a loop or ordinary double-stick tape. It's not as effective. Apparently it's got the wrong sort of stickum.

      The thing is quite specific to deerflies. It didn't catch any mosquitoes when I tried it, and Lord knows they were out there. But DEET works well with them, and doesn't work with deerflies at all.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.