Hi jags!
Darragh has done a good job covering most of the common approaches, and there's not much to add. As for myself, I have decided to take a mosquito net and drape it over my helmet while taking my next ride through Eastern Oregon's Malheur Game Refuge. Last time through, I swear the mosquitoes intended carrying me off to their young. As I headed into Burns, the leading sides of my forearms were completey gray with them, and inhaled them till I gagged and spat them out again. They wadded up drowned in the corners of my eyes. They got in my ears and screamed, then I did the same.
Never again!
Hence the mosquito net for the helmet. Getting bitten to death is one thing...getting the little evil-doers trapped in my helmet vents is exquisite agony for my bald noggin; that's where the netting comes in. The thing squashes down to fit in a repurposed earbud pouch, so: Very Small.
The net I got is by Coughlan's of Canada, shown here:
http://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-Mosquito-Head-Net/dp/B003ZZWGJKThey do whole-body mesh suits (jacket and pants), too:
http://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-BUGJACKET-Bug-Jacket/dp/B002C3GXQ8Ah, but this is War, and war is never pretty, so the headnet protection will be hardened with a heavy dose of my new Picaridin bug spray. Unlike my usual 100% DEET (you bet I'm still going to carry it! War, remember?), it promises "...insect repellent without the odor. Won't harm plastics. Not greasy or oily. Won't damage synthetic materials". My current choice is Cutter Advanced Insect Repellent in a 1 oz. pump dispenser, as available here:
http://www.amazon.com/Cutter-Advanced-Insect-Repellent-Pump/dp/B000HHO2QY Picaridin has just recently become available in the States, but I understand it has been available for some time in Australia and Europe, where it has been found to be effective, so you'll likely find other brands there.
I also found the little buggies would swarm and bite my back in the lee of my own headwind as I rode along. I couldn't reach around and slap them off with any effectiveness, and hills were agonizing. As soon as I slowed or stopped, they were on me. I promised my kingdom and firstborn (both yet to materialize) for a naptha-fueled flamethrower, all to no avail. Next time, I'll treat my jersey to a good spray of Picaridin first and hope for the best. If not that, DEET it is.
Around camp..boy. That's a tough one if the bugs are as thick as they were outside Frenchglen. Once in the tent, I could slap them into oblivion (they were wanting
out by the time I got their numbers down to a mere 30 or so...), but outdoors while cooking? I gave up on warmed food one night and went with a couple of energy bars, eaten in the mesh shelter of my inner tent. Nasty little things! Bathroom time in the Great Outdoors was something else. My! I think I set new records for speed and efficiency in operations and execution.
So, give the newer, non-DEET repellents a try as well and see how they do. My early tests with this one look very promising, and it is so nice I won't have to worry about clouded compass crystals, spoiled map cases, and sticky handlebar tape as with DEET. The net is a pretty nifty thing, too, and well worth it for the size and weight while riding through midge swarms or in camp. Combine the two for relative bliss; that's what I'm planning.
All the best,
Dan. (whose vocabulary of choice in such conditions is "Yaaaaaaaaaaaah! 'Skeeters!" Yaaaaaaaaaaaah!" [repeat])
