Awe they love you lol

and me if they get a chance !

Ive been reading an article that this year because of the mild winter we are going to have a real problem.

In France the tiger mosquito came over a few years ago, carrying with it the first ever cases of locally caught dengue fever (as opposed to people getting it from abroad + bringing it in).

I was in France a few years back and there was a HUGE one there, that I had to 'dispatch' See photo I'm not ashamed to say that when it flew up right in front of me, I gasped out loud. Luckily I hadmy mozzie-killer nearby and went hunting for it, and found it.

Probably for us the best investment in the flat was mosquito blinds, better IMO than A/C.... but for the odd one that gets in I recommend the 'tennis racket' killer... available in the chinese shops, basically you electrocute them and it makes a satisfying spark and 'crack' sound - you know then that you've got it!

Jon

Who needs Wii Fit when you've got one of those?

Hi Ramon, I put a few drops of Tea Tree oil in my shampoo and it stops insects biting but I think you can buy TT shower gel & shampoo products.

I hadn't heard of cinnamon oil 'til reading here:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/health...orepellent.htm

Tea Tree in shampoo...hmmm....interesting !

Great article Carol&John ! We are getting the best info.

Of course the racket killer for the fun of hearing them fry !!!

Wow better than DEET! Who wudda thunkit! http://chemistry.about.com/b/2004/07...mosquitoes.htm

Other things discussed on the forum previously are

Take a vitamin B Complex daily 2 weeks before coming, and continue during your stay daily. Makes your pee very yellow.... but reduces the bites, and it gives you a body odor, that mozzies dont like. Humans cant smell it - or maybe they are just being polite

Avon skin so soft has a side effect of protection against mozzies. We've got a couple of bottles in CE - a bit oily but also hydrates the skin (which is its actual use) Hey even marines use it, so it has street cred - so no yellow-pee takes please http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotlan...ines-1-1403152

I like the idea of citronella with olive oil from your article Carol. We were discussing recently that olive oil can also be used as a sun screen/moisturiser .. so 2 for 1.. and citronella smells nice.. though I wonder what olive oil would feel like on the skin.

Jon

I think most dermatologists would dispute this as you just fry yourself in olive oil - there is no sun protection factor in it, therefore an increased risk of skin cancers.

Jon,

Sadly Vitamin B, Marmite or garlic, and other ideas such as using citronella don’t work.

Best advice when the females start looking for a blood meal in late afternoon/early evening is to close your inside doors and mozzie screens, cover up (wear long sleeve shirt, trousers, socks etc) and use a repellent - a bit of a nuisance of course - but what to use?

For years DEET was the only thing that really worked. Launched in 1946 after a program during which the US military spent millions trying to find an effective remedy, it provides 1-6 hours of protection against mozzies, depending on the concentration.

It’s been used by millions of people and when properly applied has virtually no proven adverse health effects. In rare cases a skin rash can result but that can happen to some people from everyday products such as deodorants, moisturisers etc. For some people it has drawbacks, eg a greasy feel to the skin and an unpleasant odour, and it can dissolve certain plastics and some synthetic materials – watch out for your sunglasses!! It has no effect on nylon, wool, or cotton.

More recently Picaridin has become available. This was developed by Bayer from a plant extract from the same plant genus that produces table pepper. Also known as Icaridin (officially approved name used by the World Health Organisation), Saltidin and Bayrepel, apparently it’s the best-selling repellent in Australia and was approved by US authorities in 2005.

Icaridin appears to be as effective as DEET in repelling mosquitoes, with the added benefits of being odourless, non-greasy, and it doesn’t dissolve plastics or other synthetics. It works in the same way as DEET - it blocks the insect's olfactory receptors for a volatile substance contained in human sweat and breath, ie it 'blinds' the insect's sense of smell to the human presence, making it difficult for them to find us.

US authorities, eg the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have rated it as Category 3 (the second lowest of 4 categories) via the oral route and in Category 4 (the lowest category) for eye and skin irritation. This means that it is classified as 'slightly toxic' via the oral route and 'practically non-toxic' with regard to eye and skin irritation.

The EPA recommends products containing DEET, Icaridin, another called IR3535, and some oil of lemon eucalyptus products as providing long-lasting protection while not causing adverse effects to human health or the environment if used properly.

I don’t think that olive oil is a good idea as a sunscreen either!!

Another good tip is, before you go to bed, do a quick scan of walls and ceilings for any mozzies that have sneaked in – a quick blast of insert spray will sort them.

Fred

The feature at http ://chemistry.about.com/b/2004/07...mosquitoes.htm doesn't make sense - the headline states "Cinnamon Beats DEET Against Mosquitoes" but the content talks about compounds found in cinnamon leaf oil killing the larvae of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries yellow fever - nothing about killing adult females that do the biting !!

Blimey Fred, you know your Mozzies!

Thanks for the detail here.... But maybe this is wishful thinking, but I still think the vit B complex works for me, and was recommended by a tropical medicine doctor in an OZ hospital -where we had to go when my ex-wife had a horrible reaction to LARIUM, an anti malarial, that I would strongly advise people take with care. Or start well before travel to see if there are any side effects... and if so switch to another.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dark-side-of-lariam/

Thanks Fred for all the info
Jon

Have to agree with Jon: in tropical countries, B complex is widely known to work as a body odor repelent for the beisties.

Glad to see all the high quality info we are getting together here, which proves Mozzies are indeed an issue.

Too bad Mozzies don´t read this thread, maybe they would get scared and leave Ayamonte area for good.

Jon, many thanks. The US FDA issued an update on the serious side effects of Larium on 29/07/13 - see http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm362227.htm

Ramon,

Whatever takes your fancy, but there's no solid scientific evidence to back it up anecdotal reports about Vitamin B complex. Getting annoying, itchy bites in Ayamonte/Algarve area is one thing, but I certainly wouldn't consider it as a serious repellent proposition if I was going to a place where I could contract yellow fever, malaria, dengue fever, West Nile Virus etc through mozzies.

Some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others, and some have a stronger reaction to the mosquito's saliva that's injected during the bite.

Indeed, I am one of those individuals they enjoy fasting on. Remember in my youth, in the tropics, after going on hunting trips, spending many nights, fully bitten (one bite next to the other), soaking in a water filled bathtub, as the only way to bear the misery of existence.

Had I had then all the info in this thread, it would all have been quite different !