In a series of field tests in which several commercial products were evaluated in paired tests with a Deet (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) standard against 6 species of Culicoides biting midges, all materials including Deet were very effective. The products tested were Avon's skin-so-soft Johnson's baby oil, Claubo and mineral oil. In the absence of a suitable repellent, these products could be used to prevent bites, not because they repel midges, but because their oiliness traps midges on the skin surface.