Tracey101

Does anyone know which vitamin B complex is supposed to prevent you getting mosquito bites? Can bear the thought of being bitten to death by them when I get there! Should I start taking them now?

Teresa

Take a vitamin B complex tablet but I personally have only ever taken garlic capsules and found they have worked in every mozzie country I have visited, being a type that is always bitten!

Also eat as much garlic as you can too! keeps most pests away.

I have used citronella, lavender and tea tree oil on my skin and they help but if going to highly infested areas such as Tropical Queensland, use a good deet spray, one sold by the Ozzies, don't bother with the stuff you can buy here, its not strong enough and believe me you will need it. typical though, hubbie and two year old used nothing and didn't get bitten once!


Teresa

PeteY

Hmmmm never heard of that one. Im guessing its an old wives tale

If your warm blooded and bare your skin, theres not much you can really do but either coveryourself in repellants or just live with it.

Where in oz are you going to?

Down south i was'nt really bitten at all. Up north, esp in the tropics it can be a very different story though.


Its the march flies i hate....nothing quite beats the experience of being chased down a beach by a swarm of em

joh117

I have heard of this from a friend of mine. I swear by mosquito milk available in Boots its like a roll on deodorant and works a treat in Sri Lanka where the first time I went I got bitten to death by them.

I will be buying plenty of repellent for Oz as I got bitten quite badly in Melbourne and Sydney when I was there. Still got scars as I react badly to bites

Jo

cresta57

I'll probably get shot down in flames over this one but here goes.
Vitamin B12 is the one supposed to protect from mozzie bites, unfortunately there's no proof it works and it's also believed to be an appetite stimulant so if it doesn't work there's gonna be a whole lot more of you for the mozzies to go at.
Sean

dotty

Although cases of Ross River and Dengue fever are in the hundreds not thousands its hardly worth taking the risk and relying on herbs or vitamins.

If in OZ you need a proper insect repellant, it takes one bite from one mosquito to give you a tropical disease so why take the risk?

My brother in law has Ross River its a severe case. He is fatigued, unable to work, lost 4 stone in weight and has now been sick for two years, his skin is a awful yellow tone look just dont risk it. Get to the chemist and buy the best repellant you can afford and USE it daily.

Ceri

If you find anything which is better than "bushmans" - let us know. If you are in a heavily mosquito infected place (ie a creek with bush lining the banks/area) - nothing stops them biting only "Bushmans" I've found. They will bite through your clothing (jeans and all) - through the hair on your head. I fish a lot and some of the smaller creeks I go to at dusk the mozzies literally are in swarms... buzzing in your ears, millions of the little critters- I've tried basically everything - the only good repellent I have found is "bushmans" - strong stuff.
But the lesser remedy's and sprays/creams are ok if you're not going to a really mosquito infested place like the creeks.


Cheers

fried_emu

This will sound completely crazy---but it a weel known rumor around Hamilton, ON, Canada that.....

The radio stations in hamilton have some kind of frequency that actually repells mozzies from Hamilton.

I don't really believe it - it proberly has more to do with the pollution

keith (UK)

Hi all,

Here is my two pence worth.

There is anecdotal evidence that daily doses of the B group vitamins help reduce mosquito bites, but this has not been conclusively proven by the experts.

The best way of avoiding bites is to use something containing a large concentration of DEET (aka Diethyltoluamide). I think the maximum you can buy is around 40%. It does smell horrid, and can irritate your skin, so test it on a small area of skin before you bathe in it!

You only need to apply to exposed areas of the skin, and only really at times when you are likely to be bitten. So, its probably not so important at 2:00 in the afternoon as it is at 6:00 in the evening when the mosquito's are everywhere.

There are other creams that you can use, like those based on tea tree oil, lemon oil, or citronella oil. There might be better for people with sensitive skin, but in my experience, none are effective at those containing DEET.

Good luck!
Keith.

Carrianne

I used the Boots brand with Extra DEET and it worked well in Oz both hubby and I where never bitten, even in Jamaica on Honeymoon, I would recommend it. it cost about £8 a bottle.

Rudy

It is Vitamin B1, best taken in a multi B vitamin complex or by eating the right foods. It isn't proven but a lot of people swear by it, and its a lot safer than some of the nasty repellents on the market. Saying that though, if you find that the natural ways are not working you will need to revert to the chemicals!

Here is an excerpt: VITAMIN B1 - Thiamin - known as the “morale vitamin� because of its beneficial effects on the nervous system and mental attitude. Promotes proper growth in children, aids carbohydrate utilization for energy, and support the nervous system. Enhances immune response. Helps control motion sickness. Wards off mosquitoes and stinging insects. Pregnancy, lactation, diuretics and oral contraceptives require extra thiamin. Smoking, heavy metal pollutants, excess sugar, junk foods, stress and alcohol all deplete thiamin. Deficiency results in insomnia, fatigue, confusion and poor memory, and muscle coordination. Food sources: asparagus, brewer’s yeast, brown rice and whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, wheat germ.

On a light hearted note it is also good for a hangover. See this webpage http://www.hungover.net/vitaman.asp it did make me laugh, especially "O".


Cheers

yafm

we were told by a New Zealand couple in Hong Kong that b2 was effective against mossie bites.In Goa we brought tubes of odomos repellant cream this was recomended by the locals and seemed to work. I dont wash for three weeks this keeps every thing away.Drinking our way through the wine mountain before we go Hic. Colin, and yes the garage is nearly clear.

Tracey101

Thanks for all your help - will head down pronto to Boots for some DEET!!

TimEh?

Tracey,

Take no notice of these old wive's tales about any vitamin having anti-mosquito properties (or almost any of the other properties detailed above.)

I test vitamin's for a living and also do regulatory work on vitamin products. Health Canada accepts no claims whatsoever for ANY of the vitamin Bs including: Riboflavine (B2), Pyridoxine-HCL (B6), Thiamine-HCL (B1), Niacinamide (B5), Cyanocolbamin (B12), etc, etc.

Australia's equivalent to HC probably has very similar regulations to ours. Such bodies are becoming more and more harmonised re food, drugs and health product regulations.

You want protection? Go with DEET products. It's very safe for 99.99% of the population. Don't like chemicals? Then don't take vitamins; they're chemicals as well - as is just about everything on earth. A few examples of vitamins as chemicals:

B1: C12H18Cl2N4OS;
B2: C17H20N4O6;
B5: C6H6N2O
B6: C8H12ClNO3

While I'm on a rant, don't let anyone kid you that natural vitamins are better than synthetic ones. They are both exactly the same chemical.

Always go with cheap generic brands of vitamins as they offer the best value. Don't pay fortunes for vitamin products from companies like PRO-MA Systems (an Australian company).

Finally, in my opinion, the whole Natural Products industry is just about the biggest scam going. Billions of dollars (literally) wasted on these products that could be going to genuine health care costs. Still, gives me a good living. Suckers!

All done.

sue5665

Hi,
Been here 4 months and our eldest son (11) is covered in Mossie bites they come out in big blisters which he scratches and picks leaving very large scars, he now refuses to go out after school, our youngest (10) is hardly ever bitten.
We have tried nearly everything from the chemist.
What I would like to know is can mossie bites be dangerous?. He came home from school yesterday and was told by his friend that his gran was told by her doctor to go back to the Uk because she had the same reaction as my son to the bites, so he now will not wear shorts, we have to spray thr whole house before he goes to bed, just incase one has got in during the day.
Please help

Sue