Insect repellent jacket tests against biting midges (diptera: Culicoides) in Panama

Light-weight net jackets treated with N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (deet) were field-tested in Panama against five species of biting midges, principally Culicoides furens (Poey) and C. barbosai Wirth and Blanton. The deet-treated jacket provided 87-93% protection. Time of day as well as season appeared to influence the proportionate numbers of species collected. The mean coefficient of protection was slightly lower during morning tests when C. barbosai was most abundant and higher during evening tests when C. furens was most abundant.