Mosquito deterrent.

My niece is in The Gambia on VSO and when my sister was going out to visit her she asked her to bring Boots Insect Repellent as she found that was the best one. She's been in The Gambia for a year so she should know what works and doesn't. I personally brought it with me when we went to Egypt a couple of weeks ago and found it very effective but the mozzies found a couple of spots I missed. However, in total, I got 4 bites in a week. The hotel supplied a plug in repellent in the room with an insert and replaced the insert for every night.
 
Re Vitamin B. Remember to start taking it about 2wks before you go. You need to have it up & running in your bloodstream.
Between the Vit B & Deet repellant I managed to survive 3 and a half wks in South America getting only 3 minor bites which is really good for me.
 
Hi,

I´m in the Brazilian Amazon at the moment, which has millions of mozzies, and though they normally eat me alive, I´ve only got about 6 bites in the last few days.

I´m using 70% deet, and put it on all exposed skin. I find a cream is better than a spray, since if you spray and dont spread it out properly, they´ll bite you on the bits of skin the spray didnt reach.

In your room, before dusk close all windows and doors, and light the anti-mozzie candles or use the plug-in thing. The smell can be a bit strong, and I was a bit worried about sleeping in it, in a totally closed room, but was assured it´s safe.

Also, in the evenings, even if its hot, wear long trousers and a long sleeved t-shirt. (I wear socks under my flipflops and tuck my tousers in, so its not a great look, but stops the mozzies!).

Shiraz.
 
Long trousers and long shirt; anoint the exposed parts with a mixture of citronella oil and Johnsons Baby oil; mix to a pale straw colour. Worked for me for 5 years in the tropics.
 
You can also get a homeopathic remedy that the mozzies don't like.
Gin and tonic a good idea. Deet. Long socks, long sleeved tops and long trousers at night. Avoid perfumes. Use a net. Take your tablets.
I've had malaria twice while abroad - it's no fun!
 
How do you protect the face and eyes? Can you put this deet cream on your face and around your eyes?
 
BOXtheFOX said:
How do you protect the face and eyes? Can you put this deet cream on your face and around your eyes?
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Not around the eyes unfortunately. You can rub it on your face - if it's a spray put some in the palm of your hand. I got bitten once just underneath my eyebrow - maybe if I had rubbed the stuff into the eyebrows it might have prevented that. The vit B is one I had forgotten about and people swear by it.
 
DEET does work but it is an oily chemical and not very pleasant to rub on your skin. I found 100% DEET to be particularly noxious - it can stain fabrics and even melt certain plastics (eg the eyepiece on my camera!) with contact.

I've tried Avon Skin So Soft with repellent (oily and not very effective) and Citronella candles (limited use). Other herbal-type sprays didn't work either.

The best defense I found is to wear long sleeves and long trousers during twilight hours when mozzies are most active. Maybe put a little DEET on ankles or other exposed parts to be safe.

A mozzie net is essential for sleeping and 100% effective. A lot of rooms in tropical countries will have one but I always bring my own just in case.
 
I was up in Carrickmines this week looking for a mozzie net in the outlet 53 Degrees North. I found that all the nets available were the type that had to be hung from the ceiling by a hook. Does anyone know if there is a mozzie net that might fit comfortably around a double bed without having to hang it from a ceiling? Can you buy the net by the yard from anywhere and fashion it to your own needs?
 
But you have to suspend it from something, right? You can't just use it as a bedspread - if your skin touches the net, the mozzies will bite through it - so it needs to be suspended such that no part of the net touches you while you sleep. You can also get plain square-shaped nets that you can hook to the walls, as opposed to the ceilings.

An internet search will probably get you a better selection - Ireland probably doesn't have a huge selection, understandably enough.

There's no reason why you couldn't fashion one yourself, but you'd have to be sure that the mesh is narrow enough - maybe a "solid" net curtain?
Sprite
 
Citronella do an oil as well that I wear on my wrists and ankles on holidays when in bed at night or if i knew i would be eating outside i would put it on my ankles. the tonic water definitely works as well, quinine repels them. after you get a bite squeeze fresh lemon juice onto it as it can speed up the healing.
 
100% DEET is way too strong and can in fact burn your skin. 50% is as high as I would go. You can get a spray that goes on dry, if that makes sense (see it advertised on US tv, may not be available in Ireland).

They breed in pools of stagnant water so be careful of that. They also love warm dark CO2 envirnonments one of the reasons I always get bitten at my pc.

Plug in repellants and candles are not toxic to humans, not at least at the dosages that they give off.

Tiger Balm is great for soothing bites but I suppose thats a bit(e) late.
 
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