BEATING BUG BITES

You can count on mosquitoes to drain the fun from just about any summer activity. Fortunately, travelers have some new weapons this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov) have issued new recommendations that tout Picaridin, popular in Europe and Asia, as an odorless alternative to DEET. It's found in Cutter Advanced ($3.99 to $4.99 for the 6-oz. spray), which fights mosquitoes for four hours (Off!, with DEET, can work for up to seven). For the organically inclined, oil of lemon eucalyptus, found in Repel (about $4.99), offers seven hours of protection, according to a recent USDA study. With West Nile virus present in every state but Washington, the CDC recommends wearing repellent whenever you go outside, "but especially from dusk till dawn," says the CDC's Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez. And that goes for city slickers and country folk alike.

© 2005