1,188 Bites Per Hour

Unfortunately that figure refers not to feeding fish but to the number of times you can expect to be bitten by mosquitoes in Alaska if you are not wearing insect repellent. This piece by Deborah Franklin in The New York Times peruses the questions and answers surrounding the growing popularity of treating clothing with permethrin, the chemical used in the Buzz Off clothing marketed by Ex Officio, Orvis, L.L. Bean and others. “Permethrin is a synthetic, longer-lasting cousin to a natural insecticide found in chrysanthemums. Since 1977, it has been incorporated in various products approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for killing or controlling insects.”