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

[ironymaiden]

I have protection sleeves from these guys for sun protection, but they're meant for what you're doing: https://farmersdefense.com/

[conuly]

And your arms aren't all hot and sweaty and gross?

[darkoshi]

I have a few long-sleeve loose cotton button-up shirts I use for working in the yard. 2 are probably considered men's dress shirts, 1 is probably considered a woman's dress shirt, so maybe look for shirts that aren't specific to gardening. But they are regular, not very light weight. I almost always end up sweaty because I always get carried away doing more than I planned, but I prefer that to being bug-bitten. If you want light weight and not as see through, double breast pockets on the front help somewhat. And darker colors.

[moxie_man]

Enjoy a lot of onions and garlic in your meals. Supposedly it repeals biting insects. Otherwise, you might have to resort to chemicals (Cutter, Ben's, Off, Repel, etc.) if you don't want to wear long sleeve shirts.

[shadowkat]

My super hangs fly traps. Although not sure if that works outside - you'd need something to hang them from.

I'll try some advice offerings here

[disgruntledgirl]

1: awww that's mean in a "run up the middle to check for snipers" sort of way.

2: Placement is everything and Citronella can attract as well as dispel. So, I'd recommend fresh UNLIT citronella candles placed at the edge of the area. You can try lighting a few before you go inside for a break or before you start work - give it about 15-20 minutes and then extinguish them so the scent lingers nears the candles.

3: Try a compromise of "moisture wicking" long sleeve shirts.

4: This should be step one

5: Makes no difference here in Texas - I've been swarmed by mosquitos as early as 7am and as late as 8pm and the noon hours are no different. In fact, last week, I stepped outside at noon to try to get about 20 minutes of sun on my legs. I got distracted by my phone and after 15 minutes, I glanced down at the absolute swarm around my legs. I was surprised I hadn't felt any bites considering the sheer numbers I saw. Kevin remarked mosquitos "having been breaking the daylight accords".

[ironymaiden]

I got them early in the year so I haven't worn them in truly hot weather yet, but so far so good. Reviews suggest they do pretty well

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?

[fred_mouse]

on the flashing the neighbours: light weight tank top, then loose thin cotton on top is a common option that I've seen.

[conuly]

Mmm. The trouble with that approach is that I never quite know what'll make me itch on any given day.

[conuly]

I do have my tree on which I hang all the birdfeeders but... I don't want to kill beneficial bugs. I just want to keep myself from getting bitten.

[conuly]

Hm. That's a possibility, so long as I don't have to wear a bra.

[shadowkat]

Hmmm...found something that might work?

Use a shallow dish bowl and fill it with an inch of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar. Next, add some fruit-scented dish soap. You can leave the dish uncovered or tightly cover with plastic wrap. Make sure to poke a few holes in it to attract the flies. Although that might also kill the helpful bugs.

This is an interesting web site, but I don't think it tells you anything you don't already know?

https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/how-to-stop-black-flies-biting.htm

You either have to cover up, spray yourself with insect repellent, get rid of the areas they populate or kill the bugs. Sigh. So, not anything you don't already know, unfortunately.

[fred_mouse]

I'm thinking sports type tank tops, which work well for support (if needed) and moisture wicking, and fit tight to the skin.

[movingfinger]

This method works really well for drain flies and fruit flies, but is too diffuse to make a dent in outside flies...

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.

[kareina]

Years ago, when I was doing field work in the Brooks Range, where the mosquitoes are so numerous that they turn surfaces black, I wore a long sleeved silk mens dress shirt which was cool and comfortable, but densely enough woven that they didn't bite through it, even though I wasn't using mosquito repellent save for my expised hands. No idea if it is also fly proof.