Remember, DEET, the strongest and most effective repellent, should be used sparingly. The natural products can be used throughout the day but only last a couple of hours at most. Picaridin is reportedly as effective as DEET, but it is new to the United States and has not been studied as fully.

DEET

3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent aerosol spray (25 percent DEET, controlled-release lotion)
To buy: $8.50, www.rei.com.

Off! Deep Woods (23.8 percent DEET, pump spray)
To buy: About $5, at drugstores.

Sawyer Controlled Release Insect Repellent (20 percent DEET)
To buy: $5, www.rei.com.

Sawyer Broad Spectrum Spray (for biting flies, 17 percent DEET)
To buy: $6, www.rei.com.

Off! Skintastic
To buy: About $5 at drugstores.

Picaridin

Cutter Advanced Picaridin Insect-Repellent Pump Spray
To buy: $6, www.rei.com.

Permethrin

Repel Permanone (0.5 percent permethrin)
To buy: $4, www.amazon.com.

Sawyer Permethrin Clothing spray (0.5 percent permethrin)
To buy: $7, www.rei.com.

Natural repellents

Bite Blocker insect repellent (active ingredients: soybean oil and geranium oil)
To buy: $9, www.biteblocker.com for store locations.

Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Lotion (active ingredient: oil of lemon eucalyptus)
To buy: $6, www.drugstore.com.

Skeeter Defeater Bite Stop spray (active ingredient: geranium oil)
To buy: $7, www.skeeterdefeater.com.

Natrapel Plus insect repellent (active ingredient: citronella)
To buy: $7.50, www.rei.com.

Fly Traps and Strips

Arbico Organics Solar Fly Trap
To buy: $56, www.arbico-organics.com.

Hot Shot No-Pest Strip
To buy: $5.50, www.homedepot.com for store locations.

Ant Bait

Ortho Fire Ant Killer Bait
To buy: $4.50, www.acehardware.com.

Terro Ant Killer Spray
To buy: $7, www.terro.com.

Advance Carpenter Ant Bait
To buy: $23, www.pestcontrolsupplies.com.