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Mosquito-protective clothing can be an incredibly useful part of your bug-protection routine, but no clothing can guarantee that you'll never get bitten.
Understanding how mosquitoes reach your skin - and how protective clothing actually works - can help you get better protection and figure out what may have happened when a bite sneaks through.
Here are a few things to consider.
1. Was the Fabric Resting Directly Against Your Skin?
This is one of the most important - and most misunderstood - parts of mosquito-protective clothing.
A mosquito doesn't necessarily need bare skin to bite you. Female mosquitoes pierce the skin using a specialized mouthpart called a proboscis to take a blood meal. And clothing isn't automatically mosquito-proof - the CDC notes that mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing and recommends loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants as part of bite prevention.
That's why coverage alone isn't always enough.
With physical-barrier clothing, space matters. When the material hangs away from your body, it creates distance between the insect and your skin.
That's one of the principles behind ShrugBug®: our fine mesh provides a physical barrier, while the loose fit helps create an air gap between the mesh and your body.
Think air gap, not activewear.
Want to understand why even thick clothing isn't always enough? Read our guide, Why Mosquitoes Bite Through Jeans (and What Actually Works).
2. Were You Sitting Down?
Here's one people don't always think about.
A jacket or pair of pants can hang perfectly away from your body while you're standing - and behave completely differently once you sit down.
Sitting can pull fabric against areas such as your:
- knees
- thighs
- backside
- elbows or forearms
Leaning against a chair can do the same thing. So if you're spending a long evening on the patio, sitting at a campsite, fishing or watching an outdoor event, periodically check whether the material is being pressed directly against your skin.
Sometimes simply adjusting the garment restores that important air space.
3. Are You Using the Right Gear for the Activity?
How you're spending time outside matters, too.
A physical barrier works best when it can remain between the insect and your skin, which means the right type of protection can change depending on what you're doing.
Sitting Still? Create Space Around You.
For relaxing on the patio, watching an outdoor event, sitting at a campsite or spending time somewhere you'll remain mostly stationary, the ShrugBug Blanket is designed to create a protective space around you.
Its bendable wires can be shaped into a tent-like structure that helps keep the mesh elevated rather than resting directly against your skin.
Moving Around? Wear Your Protection.
Gardening, hiking, walking the dog and working around the yard require something different. You're bending, reaching, walking and constantly changing positions.
That's where a loose-fitting jacket and pants combination makes more sense. The physical barrier moves with you, while the generous fit helps maintain space between the mesh and your skin.
Match the Gear to the Job.
A blanket that's useful while sitting on the patio isn't designed for hiking through the woods. Likewise, clothing that hangs loosely while you're walking may shift or press against your body when you're sitting in a chair.
Before heading outside, ask yourself:
Am I mostly sitting still, or will I be moving around?
Choosing protection suited to your activity can help you get the most from the physical barrier.
4. Was There Exposed Skin Somewhere Else?
Mosquitoes are very good at finding opportunities.
You may have your arms, torso and legs completely covered while still leaving areas such as your:
- hands
- face and neck
- ankles
- feet
exposed.
They may also find small openings around cuffs, collars, waistbands or other garment edges.
If mosquito activity is particularly heavy, think about your protection from head to toe, rather than focusing only on the largest areas of your body.
5. Could a Mosquito Have Gotten Underneath Your Clothing?
This sounds obvious once you think about it, but it's surprisingly easy to overlook.
If a mosquito gets inside your clothing while you're putting it on, through an opening, or while a jacket is unzipped, the protective barrier is no longer between the mosquito and your skin.
Instead, you've accidentally brought the mosquito along for the ride!
Before putting on protective clothing in a buggy environment, give the garment a quick shake and make sure you aren't trapping an unwanted passenger inside.
6. Did the Bite Happen When You Think It Did?
You notice an itchy bump while you're wearing protective clothing, so it's natural to assume: "A mosquito just bit me through this."
But the timing isn't always that simple.
When a mosquito feeds, it injects saliva into the skin, and it's your body's reaction to that saliva that produces the familiar bump and itching. According to the CDC, some bite reactions can appear within minutes, while others may not become noticeable until a day or so later. CDC
That means noticing a mosquito bite while you're wearing a particular piece of clothing doesn't necessarily tell you exactly when the bite occurred.
Instead of assuming the bite happened through the garment, look at the whole picture: where the bite is located, whether that area was covered, whether the fabric was resting against your skin, and when you may have been exposed.
7. Does Your Mosquito-Protective Clothing Fit Properly?
When it comes to mosquito protection, tighter isn't necessarily better.
We know that's counterintuitive because we're accustomed to buying clothing based primarily on how it looks and fits our bodies.
Protective mesh has a different job.
You want enough room for the material to hang away from your skin, particularly in areas where mosquitoes are likely to land. With ShrugBug, we generally recommend choosing a comfortable, loose fit rather than trying to achieve a fitted silhouette.
Think air gap, not activewear.
Think in Layers, Not Guarantees
Mosquito protection isn't an all-or-nothing proposition.
The CDC recommends using multiple bite-prevention strategies, including EPA-registered insect repellents and loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants. Permethrin-treated clothing and gear are another option for people who choose to use insecticide-treated protection. CDC
ShrugBug takes a different approach: our insect protection comes from the physical mesh barrier rather than an insecticide treatment.
Depending on where you are, how heavy the mosquito activity is and what you're doing outside, you may choose to combine protective clothing with repellent on exposed skin or other prevention methods.
The goal isn't to rely on one thing to create an invisible force field around you. It's to give mosquitoes fewer opportunities to reach your skin.
Got a Bite? Run Through This Quick Check
If you notice a bite, don't rely on the bite alone to tell you what happened. Run through a quick troubleshooting check:
- Was the material touching my skin?
- Was I sitting or leaning against something that pressed the fabric against me?
- Were my hands, ankles, neck or other areas exposed?
- Could a mosquito have gotten underneath the garment?
- Was the clothing loose enough?
- Do I know that this bite actually occurred while I was wearing it?
- Was I using the right type of protection for what I was doing?
Those questions can often tell you much more than the bite itself.
The Goal: Give Mosquitoes Fewer Opportunities
Mosquito protection doesn't have to mean staying indoors all summer.
The goal is to make it harder for mosquitoes to reach you while still allowing you to garden, hike, camp, travel, sit on the patio, walk the dog or simply enjoy being outside.
That's why we created ShrugBug®.
Rather than relying on an insecticide treatment for its protection, ShrugBug uses a lightweight, breathable fine-mesh physical barrier designed to help keep biting insects away from your skin. The loose-fitting design helps create that all-important space between the mesh and your body.
Want to see exactly how the fabric and design work together? See How ShrugBug Works.
Because sometimes the best way to deal with mosquitoes isn't to stop going outside. It's to give them a lot less access when you do.
Ready to Spend More Time Outside?
Whether you're gardening, hiking, camping, traveling or simply trying to enjoy your own backyard, the right physical barrier can help give mosquitoes fewer opportunities to reach you.
Think air gap, not activewear. Choose your protection for the activity. And when mosquito pressure is high, think in layers.
References
CDC - Preventing Mosquito Bites