Does Deet repel horse flies?

As you know; does deet repel horse flies? is a common question asked by a lot of folks. The answer is yes and no. Confusing? Keep reading.

The No answer comes due to the fact that Deet by itself will not or have a very limited effect on horse flies. It will only repel for a few hours, if at all, against horse and deer flies. Now if you add the special fly repellant R-326, which is effective against flies, gnats, no-see-ums and other similar insects, then you get a definite Yes. It doesn't take much of the R-326 to make a difference and it helps to keep the absorption of the Deet down to a minimum since the molecules of the R-326 are bigger than the Deet molecules and block the skin from absorbing it. Using this combination should give you 3-4hrs of relief before you have to reapply.

Since it is very hard to actually control the breeding areas of horse and deer flies, because they breed in marshes and other wet areas, we need to take a look at how to minimize the attack of the flies. Hmm, could be the makings of a movie.

There are a few things that you can do to help with prevention.

As you can see, when it comes to the question of “does deet repel horse flies?” the answer really is yes and no. There is not a whole lot that can be done about repelling horse flies as of right now but you can bet there will be a new product coming out that will have an effect. The market is just to demanding for it. We will let you know when it does. As of right now all you can do is concentrate on the prevention of the nasty critters and hope for the best.

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