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Reviews > Health & Safety > Insect Repellents > GCB Lemon Eucalyptus and Catnip > Test Report by arnold peterson
GOD'S COUNTRY BOTANICALS
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Backpacking Background: Presently almost all my experience has been hiking in New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado USA, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia Canada using an 11 lb (5 kg) day pack. I have backpacked on Mt. Washington and at the Imp shelter located between North Carter and Mount Moriah mountains in New Hampshire. The gear I will be writing about has been used a lot hiking mostly all year around in New Hampshire. I have recently completed the forty-eight 4000 footers (1219 m) of New Hampshire. My day hikes have been as long as 12 hours covering almost 20 miles (32 km).
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: God's Country Botanicals INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The size and shape of the bottle makes for easy carrying and packing in a pocket or backpack. The bottle is cylindrical in shape and 1.25 in (3.17 cm) in diameter. It is 5.25 in (13.34 cm) long. The product fits comfortable in my hand and can be operated with one hand. READING THE INSTRUCTIONS The instructions contained the ingredients of Catnip oil, Lemon Eucalyptus in a base of soybean oil. The product is to be applied every 2 hours in the presence of mosquitoes. We are told to shake the bottle before using. The only informative information on the bottle was the web site. I was surprised not to see, ingredients or net weight on the bottle label. The label contained no warnings or instructions to shake before using. TRYING IT OUT
My first test was to put some on and visit my daughter who has 3 female domestic cats and a dog. One cat never came out from where it was sleeping. Another cat started to approach and then scooted up the stairs to the second floor. The third cat was outside and started to approach and when it was within inches turned around and went under a nearby car. The second time I was with a small group of people around sundown and people were complaining of the small black flies. I had the Buzz Off on my arms , face, and neck. I was not bothered and people said they could see them going around my head, but they were not biting. TESTING STRATEGY
I will be using this product weekend hiking in the White mountains of NH. The next hike planned is Mt Flume for the coming weekend and it will have a lot of shaded places, along with several areas where there is a lot of moisture. These places typically have a lot of insects. SUMMARY
I am looking forward to testing a product based on natural ingredients. I am not sure how long the product will last as the actual contents is 2 oz (60 g). FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
The first location was my daughter's house and yard to see if Buzz Off attracted domestic cats. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
Since there was a warning about Buzz Off attracting cats on the web site, I had to see how well it attracted domestic cats. I visited my daughter who has three female cats and a small terrier. One cat never left its sleeping place. The second cat did not get any closer than 8 ft (2.44 m) before escaping to the second floor. I was leaving by the side door when I spotted the third cat. She came up to my hand and did not quite reach it, when she turned and ran under a parked car. This was unusual because the cats usually come to me for a few scratches and go on with their activities. It did not attract any of the other cats in the neighborhood domestic or feral. The second day I mowed the lawn with my mechanical mower. I had applied small amounts to all exposed areas and the results were good. On the third day I did quite a bit of yard work and essentially did the same thing and the results were also good. In both cases there were mosquitoes around but not at full force. The weather had gotten drier and cooler. I had a chance to play golf and used the Buzz Off at the golf course. I put it on all exposed areas. I was not bothered but neither was anyone else. The last time I had played at this course there were a lot of insects. SUMMARY I like the size and shape of the container for the Buzz Off insect repellent. It did fit well in my backpack and only added about 3 oz (89 ml) to my backpack. It was also convenient to carry on day hikes. The plunger for applying was a bit erratic in the beginning, but with time it became smoother. The product worked well in the beginning, but as the level went down in the container the effectiveness decreased. I found that I did have to apply at least every 2 hours to keep the insects away. The repellent felt good on the skin and I did not object to the odor. When I used the Buzz Off and there were cats present, they did not seem interested in the catnip part of the product. I suspect there may be a correlation between my bottle not attracting cats and not being effective. The product may have a shelf life. I would be willing to test the product again during the peak insect season next year. At this point I cannot recommend this product as tested. TESTING STRATEGY
I have used the product up, so my testing is over and there will be no LTR. Read more reviews of Gods Country Botanicals gear Read more gear reviews by arnold peterson Reviews > Health & Safety > Insect Repellents > GCB Lemon Eucalyptus and Catnip > Test Report by arnold peterson |