Few things provoke me to pack up and abandon an outdoor pursuit, but the overwhelming annoyance of swarming mosquitoes hovering around my ears is one of them.

Most of us can handle the temperature extremes, rain storms, equipment malfunctions and even poor company that sometimes plague our time in the wild. Mosquitoes, on the other hand, are simply unbearable in many instances and can ruin an outing within minutes.

While September boasts some of the best fishing, hiking, canoeing, hunting and bird watching of the year, outdoor lovers also must battle a near-constant onslaught of bloodthirsty mosquitoes and pesky no-see-ums. There is no doubt that these tenacious insects will make an untimely appearance – the only unknowns are when they will strike and how many will try to make use of any available sliver of exposed skin for an evening meal.

Hundreds – if not thousands – of lotions, creams and devices are on the market for repelling mosquitoes. A few of these products are targeted specifically at outdoorsmen and women, and I believe one of them deserves particular attention because of its effectiveness and affordability.

I was hog hunting in the swamps of Florida nine years ago when someone handed me a Thermacell unit for the first time and gave me instructions on how to use the contraption. As dusk crept closer and the palmettos and palms rustled with porcine activity, the mammoth mosquitoes also awakened.

Long story short, instead of spending the final half hour of daylight swatting and moving about, the smoldering Thermacell attached to my belt made primetime relatively comfortable. The gentlemen at the camp I frequented considered their Thermacells essential equipment for their part of the world, no matter if they were trying to collect some wild game or hook a back-water snook.

Today, Thermacells have a strong following all over the country because of their small size, light weight and the fact that deer and hog hunters shouldn’t worry about any unnecessary scent being detected by their quarry’s sensitive noses.

Unless you’ve held a Thermacell in your own palm, it is difficult to describe how the appliance works. But basically a tiny propane cylinder heats up a pad containing the natural repellent allethrin, which is found in chrysanthemum flowers. Fumes emitted from the heated pad make an invisible cloud of repellent and keep the no-see-ums and mosquitoes at bay.

The unit can be set on a treestand platform when deer hunting, outside a tent when camping and kept in the belt holster just about any other time.

The best part is that Thermacells can now be purchased for less than $25 at sporting stores, a very reasonable rate when you consider a can of DEET spray now hovers around $5.

— Geordon T. Howell is outdoors columnist for the Daily News. He may be reached by e-mailing highbrasshowell@yahoo.com.