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Summer’s here and I’m ready to head outdoors — to hike, attend music festivals, and ride a bike around. I definitely plan to sit on a few porches and simply appreciate the green leaves and sunshine. What I don’t look forward to are the blood-thirsty mosquitoes and the exasperating nearly-invisible gnats that aim right for my ears when I’m trying to enjoy the long days. Don’t even get me started with my fear of ticks. (I’ve gotten them on me but never in my skin, and I’m always reading up on how to remove a tick in case the worst happens.)
Because #technology there are now things like a Scent-Free Mosquito Repellent Device and because I’m a child of the last century, I still occasionally use a spray with DEET. (I have type-O blood, which is apparently one of the ways to make mosquitoes love you.) But now I also know that you can buy clothing treated with an insecticide called permethrin that’s a big turnoff for bugs. The Centers for Disease Control explains that a solution of .5 percent permethrin can be safely used to treat clothing plus gear such as camping tents. The odorless insecticide’s effects will even last through washings. (Not forever, but usually for about 70 washes, which definitely takes you through the summer.) Here are 9 pieces of insect-repellent clothing, all treated with permethrin, that look cute and can provide a sort of forcefield around you that will make bugs very afraid.