Hi

We are going over for our reccie in March to Perth, Sydney and Gold Coast. My 7 year daughter old is unfortunately always bitten by mozzies over here and so I am wondering what it is like in Oz for mozzies? I have a feeling that Gold Coast will be the worst of the three what with the humidity.

Can anybody advise something suitable for prevention of mozzy bites please that's suitable for a 7 year old without using chemicals?

p.s. she hates marmite

Thank you all in advance

Rid is very good and if you apply properly, and reapply regularly to make up for what is sweated off, you won't get bitten. Smells ok and isn't offensive but buy the pump action rather than the aerosol. Vitamin B works for some but not all.
Above all, if she is bitten apply some sting ease and do not let her scratch them!

I usually get bitten by the mossies so when I went to Peth in November I started taking vitamin B about 2 weeks before and I didn't get bitten at all - worth a try!

I havent found anything non-chemical that works for me.

I get bitten terribly, at the moment I have about 20 bites on my legs and a few on my arms(I am in Sydney). I cant step outside in the evening without attracting them. It is unusual for me, I grew up in South Africa which also has a lot of mozzies, but never really got bitten.

Get a good spray and make sure you use it everytime you go outside in the dusk/dark. I have learnt my lesson after doing some gardening in the evening last week and forgetting, I look like I have chicken pox

A lot of people have had some luck with an Avon product (cant remember what its called) but it didnt work for me, worth a try though if you want to avoid the sprays. I have also found that the vit B thing doesnt work for me either. Oh well

On learned advice I've also been taking a daily Vitamin B Complex supplement, seems to improve things as I used to get bitten all the time.

Other than that, avoid standing water and twilight is my best advice ... you can't get away from 'em but they are considerably less annoying here in Winter.

mozzies did not bother me it was the bloody flies that did my head in

Doesn't work for me! If there's only one mosquito around, it will find me and give me hell. I still have quite bad reactions (swelling, blisters and terrible itching) and I get bitten during the day as well as evening if I'm not careful. I use a natural remedy-type lotion that's got citronella and other stuff in it, as I don't want to use the chemicals in stuff like Rid on a long-term basis, either on myself or the kids. There are more options than Rid in the supermarkets, chemists or health food shops. I'd scour the shelves of Boots before you come, so that you've got something with you for your first evening.

The itching can drive me mad and stop me sleeping. I've found that red Tiger Balm is the only thing to stop the itching.

I'll have another look at what's available here on my next shopping trip. The mossies are worse near wet areas such as the river and swamps - where are you staying in Perth?

Oh no! Do they bite?

Thanks Helen - I will definitely take something with us. We are staying with one lot of friends in Morley for a week then another lot of friends in Waneroo for a week - can't wait!

Avoiding standing/stagnant water is good advice, but I don't think that avoiding stephanie meyers' "twilight" series will help much.

But it is just general good advice

Make sure you dont have any holes in your fly wire and dont go outside would be pretty much the only way to avoid them. Although they have been known to zip in if the door is opened to let a person in.

I havent found anything to repel the damned things either and Stingose is my friend.

Yeah, stingose is great, except it leaves those white marks where its been rubbed in. Tiger balm also works, burns a bit when you put it on, but works great.

If you do get bitten, try an antihistamine to stop the itching.

Some of these have an age limit of 12, so, see what you can get for a child before you leave.

Best way to avoid being bitten is to stand next to a newly arrived Brit.
Mozzies can tell who has the new blood, and they seem to prefer the British

I don't think you can avoid it, even I know it exists but that is thankfully all ... I'm so out of touch with culture the last film I saw at the cinema was Hitchhikers Guide and that put me off going again ...