Rural Hungary

This was not logical to me and somewhat paradoxical so I thought about it... Then I got it, the sugar attracts them, they fly towards it, the vanillas repels them, they fly away from it, the sugar attracts them, they fly towards it...... eventually they drop dead from exhaustion

FenTiger

You've made me feel really sorry for mosquitoes now .... I'm so confused whether I should put them through all that flying back and forth only to drop dead through exhaustion!

fidobsa

The only good mosquito is a dead mosquito.

duztee

Sooner or later someone (male) has got to mention it is ONLY the female that bites!

fidobsa

Apparently the male wears feathers, something like a red Indian chief or the ladies at Ascot:
http://www.mosquitoes.org/downloads/MosqFacts.pdf

FenTiger

WOW - never knew this!

Rural Hungary

Hmm, how on earth would you examine one closely enough to distinguish before splatting? Anyhow, I would assume the males steer clear of humans EXCEPT those torturing them to exhaustion with vanilla sugar....... God someone get Fid a citronella spray!!

FenTiger

Maybe you need to put vanilla sugar in more than one location. If we are sitting around a table my in-laws put a small saucer of vanilla sugar on the table and also below on the ground. The vanilla sugar has to be in close proximity to you to work.

fidobsa

I got some lemon eucalyptus oil in the herbal kiosk in Tesco today so I will try to find a hand spray bottle to apply that.

fidobsa

Everything I have tried so far has been totally ineffective so I think the only answer for gardening is to keep every inch of skin covered or netted. I have just placed an online order for this:
http://www.meheszbolt-tamasi.hu/ruha...heszkalap-tull
I don't care how silly I look as long as it keeps them off me.

Rural Hungary

Or do as the locals do and only garden in the mozzie free hours.

FenTiger

What time is 'Mozzie Free Zone'?

FenTiger

You need to find a friend who mozzies like more than you and keep her/him close ... that way .... you'll be safe!

Rural Hungary

Morning till around 7pm, at least everywhere I go it is. Never have problems through the day with them but as it cools down, they start biting.

My zinc and essential oils must be working as I have had only one bite to date this summer - though there have been significantly less mozzies about.

fidobsa

I'm not aware of one, not in the garden anyway. I was pointing the inside brickwork of the tool shed this afternoon and they didn't bother me there but I just (3.30 pm) tried 5 minutes weeding in the veg patch and they found me soon enough, despite it being a windy day. There were some here the last 2 summers but they were not a big problem. To be fair it is much worse in the early evening when I do the watering but it is not effective to do that in the hot part of the day. Watering yesterday I got 3 bites within 30 seconds.