FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
#1 - Is Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope effective for tick prevention?
A: The short answer is, "Yes!". Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope will help with how to repel ticks and how to prevent tick bites.
Three of the active ingredients in Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope have been shown to help repel ticks: Cedar, Rosemary, Geranium.
Cedar (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17461093 , https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17017233, and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15962787),
Rosemary (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23427661 and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20695287), and
Geranium (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23528036)
Unlike mosquitoes, ticks are arachnids, and more than your smell and carbon dioxide exhale (CO2) can sense your movement and your body heat. Helpful article: How Ticks Get On You.
As a result, any tick spray, no matter how many studies indicate it helps, will only be of limited effect as an insect repellent for ticks. As a result, you MUST use multiple strategies when you are working toward tick prevention. We recommend long sleeves and long pants tucked in. We also recommend frequent checking to remove ticks that crawl on you - as no product will keep ticks away entirely.
Be very wary of tick sprays that imply that they will definitively keep you tick-free. While high concentrations of tick repelling essential plant and tree oils will help keep ticks from biting you, they will not keep them off you entirely. Worry less about if ticks crawl on you, and more about if they actually bite you. While products with chemical poisons might kill ticks (and poison you), they will not keep them off either. And on that note, be wary of any product that does not have a strong concentration and combinations of essential oils; many repellents are well under the effective concentrations.
Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope has a strong but safe amount of effective active ingredient essential oils, and as such, is the most effective at how to prevent tick bites, repelling biting insects of all kinds, and is a natural bug spray safe for kids, babies/pregnant, pets, and dogs.
#2 - How does Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope Work as a Natural Bug Spray to Repel Ticks, Mosquitoes and Maine Black Flies?
A: Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope includes combinations of essential oils that have been shown to repel or disguise you from flying biting insects. These kinds of insects (mosquitoes and black flies) locate prey via your carbon signature (CO2) - the carbon dioxide you give off from your skin and through respiration. The active ingredient essential oils help mask you from flying biting insects. So, instead of poisoning yourself and the bugs with chemical bug repellents, Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope helps you hide from them in plain sight.
#3 - How long does Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope last before reapplication is needed?
A: Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope operates because the strength of the active ingredient essential oils mix helps cover up your carbon signature. A few hours after being sprayed on, the essential oils have degraded or dissipated. As such we recommend you keep the handy travel bottle in your pocket, and re-apply a fine mist every 2 - 3 hours.
#4 - How long and under what conditions does Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope all natural bug spray keep in storage?
A: Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope, an insect repellent for ticks and other biting insects should be stored at room temperature where possible to maximize the effectiveness of the essential oils. If the bottle is full, it should be kept from freezing. If kept at room temperature, the product will store for 5-7 years before the essential oils become rancid.
#5 - Are Frenchies' Mists and Frenchies' Maine Woods Bug Dope oily?
A: The essential oils and carrier oil mix in our products are less than a majority of the ingredients and are applied using an atomizing mister. Shake each product before you spray it, and then apply in an even fine all natural mist spray on you, in the air, on fabrics or objects. The fine mist air freshener will not be oily, and will not stain fabrics if applied properly.
#6 - Are Frenchies' Hand and Body Lotions "All Natural"?
A: We strive to keep all of our products chemical free and made with all-natural ingredients whenever possible. The Hand and Body Lotion list of ingredients includes both the common name and the scientific name (as required by law). Because all natural lotion can spoil, there is also a combination fungicide, which is the last listed ingredient; we use the minimal amount required for effectiveness.