I went out to garden and got bitten by several flies

[conuly]

Or maybe one fly several times.

Google says flies that bite are most active in the morning and late afternoon. This is when I am most active.

Possible solutions:

1. Get A to come outside with me?

Problem: A is a mosquito magnet, it's not clear if this will carry over to flies. Also, they might object to being used as bait even if I don't tell them that's why I suddenly want so much company.

2. Citronella candles?

Problem: Does that work on flies? Also, citronella smells great, citronella candles smell blech, especially if they're made of paraffin, which of course they all are.

3. Long sleeved shirts?

Problem: I'd want to order lightweight ones to protect against bugs and also weeds. However, lightweight summer gardening shirts seem to be made entirely of polyester. Lightweight summer shirts of linen and cotton, if I look at the photos at online stores, are exceedingly thin, perhaps a bit thinner than is really necessary. Would I be flashing the neighbors?

4. Find out everything that might be a source of stagnant water, drain it? (I have to do this anyway.)

Problem: Ugh.

5. Go out in the middle of the day?

Problem: It's hot in the middle of the day!

Comments

Re: I'll try some advice offerings here

[movingfinger]

I've used insect-repelling long-sleeved button down shirts over the years and can report that they really do work, even in a swarm of midges in Greenland. (The heavy chino gardening pants Ex Officio used to sell, with elastic cuffs, under the NoSiLife brand, were outstanding, but too heavy for your use, I'm sure.). The shirts I have purchased have mostly been well ventilated with mesh panels. Recently I bought some designed expressly for Women Hanging Out Outdoors from LL Bean and they seem less expeditionary. The men's shirts I bought from them before safari were better; they had better pockets, they had better mesh panels, and the ony drawback was they were boxy and oversized. But worked well. The fabric on the Bean shirts was more like a tight cotton than the older versions of such shirts I have had and I suppose that there have been advances in spinning or fabric production, but those mesh panels in the back and under arms are important. Look for mesh panels for breathability.

Don't buy blue.

I suggest looking through the Ex Officio, REI, and other outdoor stores to see if they have something marketed for hunting, fishing, hiking use. Gardening wear tends to be ladyfied. Sierra Trading Post used to be a good source of marked-down discontinued colors and stuff. The treatment wears off with multiple washings, so used is not so feasible, but eBay sellers offer new old stock sometimes. Get the minimum usable number and rotate if necessary, washing seldom, as it's for outside use when you garden, who cares. They dry fast, so even one would do.

I prefer the repellent clothing because it is easy to transfer the spray or cream repellents applied to skin to a cat or dog's fur, and the repellents are not good for them. And it doesn't sweat off.

Re: I'll try some advice offerings here

[conuly]

Why no blue?

Re: I'll try some advice offerings here

[movingfinger]

Blue can attract certain species of biting insects! In general it's to be avoided if you want to not get bitten.