You’re putting your insect repellent on wrong

May 15, 2024

This story was originally published in June 2021.

Maine is home to the trifecta of irritating biting flies: mosquitoes, black flies and noseeums. But that doesn’t stop residents from enjoying time outdoors. We simply put on insect repellent, cover our skin as much as bearable and try not to go crazy at the incessant buzzing in our ears.

But what if we’re doing it all wrong?

“There’s actually a right and a wrong way to put on insect repellent,” said Michael Bentley, staff entomologist for the National Pest Management Association.

A nonprofit organization founded in 1933, NPMA provides the public with a wealth of online resources about pest management, including a two-minute video on how to correctly apply insect repellent.

Here are the basics:

Also, while this is certainly up for debate, the NPMA claims that the most effect insect repellents include one of the following ingredients: 20 percent concentration of DEET, 20 percent concentration of Picaridin, 30 percent concentration of lemon eucalyptus (or para-menthane-diol) or 20 percent concentration of IR3535.

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Aislinn Sarnacki is a Maine outdoors writer and the author of three Maine hiking guidebooks including “Family Friendly Hikes in Maine.” Find her on Twitter and Facebook @1minhikegirl. You can also... More by Aislinn Sarnacki