Do mosquito coils work?

[UPDEHSOI]

Not sure about these here in Thailand, but the green coloured ones in the USA are known carcinogenics, and are banned in certain states. Lotsa natural "remedies" here that you can use instead.

[paulsingle]

7 hours ago, drtreelove said:

I use the coils outside of our front door in the evening to limit the home invaders.  I think they help at reduction, but certainly not anywhere near 100% protection. 

This is my experience too.

The front porch seemed to be a major transit hub for mosquitos and a couple of coils really helped to keep the numbers down. Without the coils I think they used to get in under the front door. We noticed the dog seemed to prefer to lie close to the coils too. The dog was clearly sensitive to bites and would often snap at a biting mosquito.

We use them inside too. I think the synthetic pyrethroids do affect the mosquito's nervous system and disorientate or incapacitate in some way even if they don't kill the mosquito.

The risk from accidental fire is much greater than any possible health risk.

[paulsingle]

28 minutes ago, UPDEHSOI said:

Not sure about these here in Thailand, but the green coloured ones in the USA are known carcinogenics, and are banned in certain states. Lotsa natural "remedies" here that you can use instead.

I think the harmful constituents of smoke from a coil are due to natural ingredients rather than the synthetic pyrethroid. Particulates and formaldehyde have been highlighted in studies and obviously there are traces of other toxic gases in the smoke of most 'natural' substances - particularly CO2 and CO but there are others too.

From Wikipedia:

"Mosquito coils are considered to be safe insecticides for humans and mammals, although some studies highlight concerns when they are used in closed rooms. Coils sold in China and Malaysia were found to produce as much smoke PM_2.5 as 75-137 burning cigarettes and formaldehyde emission levels in line with 51 burning cigarettes.^[2] Other studies in rats conclude that mosquito coils are not a significant health risk, although some organisms may experience temporary sensory irritation like that caused by smoke from the combustion of organic materials such as logs. In one study, rats were directly exposed to a coil's smoke for six hours a day, five days a week for thirteen weeks. They showed signs of sensory irritation from the high smoke concentration, but there were no adverse effects on other parts of the body. The study concluded that, with normal use, mosquito coils are unlikely to be a health risk."

[Gandtee]

I sleep with a fan directed towards me. No mozzy bites. Better than all the chemicles.

 

[mikiea]

On 1/3/2018 at 10:23 PM, kenk24 said:

I imagine they do work from my limited experience with them... but breathing in the smoke can't be too good for you... 

yea it is like suking a can of raid .

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, mikiea said:

yea it is like suking a can of raid .

Funny. I am out at breakfast now with a friend and they don't usually have a coil but do today and he is choking and coughing from the smoke. 

[dick dasterdly]

When I first moved to my house there were so many mossies it was unbelievable - bearing in mind v few people about.

 

A year of monthly pest control spraying reduced the problem, but I still wasted a lot of money on the 'mossie attracting lights' - that made little difference to the remaining population....

 

Mossie coils work  v well in my experience, but I worried about the carcinogenic effect on my dogs so gave them up as a bad idea.

 

Again, in my experience, fans don't help much at all as the 'blast' had to be v strong to deter mossies.

 

Nowadays I cover myself with mossie repellent as soon as the first 'bite' becomes obvious, as you van guarantee it's the tiny variant of mossie responsible, not the larger type that is easy to see. 

[IvanLaw]

Not sure about Mosies BUT coil worked on my elder sister, Not get pregnant!!!!!

Geting me coat now :-)

 

[Jack james]

I was using them a lot until they made me sick. They repel mosis, but not kill. I now use what look like incense sticks. After you lite one up within 1 minute they are dropping on the ground. They come in a green box. Amazing to watch

[HooHaa]

They keep the mosquitos at bay, but give me headaches shortness of breath and sometimes nausea. Vile things.

[steve73]

I was told that if you burn (i.e. smolder) the skin from Pomelo (som-oh) it keeps them away.

So I tried slicing up the skin into thin strips about 5-6mm wide, with not too much of the white pith, and sun-drying it. 

It smolders wells, providing there is a slight breeze, it smells reasonably pleasant (certainly better than the coils) and not too offensive (unless the pith is too thick, and then it smokes too much) and it seems to keep the mossies away (rather than kill them)

The only problem is you need to keep renewing them as a 2-3" strip will only last about 10-15 minutes.    

[The manic]

They are highly toxic expecially in an enclosed area. They are carcinogenic and rarely used except by the ignorant, desperate or poverty stricken. But they work. The real question is: do those plug in pads and related gizmos work?

[JohnJay]

On 1/8/2018 at 8:12 AM, Jack james said:

I was using them a lot until they made me sick. They repel mosis, but not kill. I now use what look like incense sticks. After you lite one up within 1 minute they are dropping on the ground. They come in a green box. Amazing to watch

What are these called Jack? Do you have a photo? I've never heard of anything like this 

[JohnJay]

Has anyone out there bought one of the new gadgets that use UVB lamps to lure mosquitos in and kill them? I am a bit dubious about having a UVB bulb turned on near me all night with UVB being a cause of skin cancer.

 

The traditional mosquito zappers with UV light seem to attract every flying insect apart from mosquitos as has been pointed out already.

[Justfine]

They work buy only short distance. Same with candles.

[QPRFC]

Has anyone out there bought one of the new gadgets that use UVB lamps to lure mosquitos in and kill them? I am a bit dubious about having a UVB bulb turned on near me all night with UVB being a cause of skin cancer.
 
The traditional mosquito zappers with UV light seem to attract every flying insect apart from mosquitos as has been pointed out already.

My former guesthouse has one, I visited yesterday and after one day they had a 100 or so dead mozzies stuck on the strip bulbs.
Therefore highly effective, but cannot comment on your health though.
I imagine a nightmare to clean.

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[JohnJay]

33 minutes ago, QPRFC said:

My former guesthouse has one, I visited yesterday and after one day they had a 100 or so dead mozzies stuck on the strip bulbs.
Therefore highly effective, but cannot comment on your health though.
I imagine a nightmare to clean.

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

Sounds great. Do you know what model they are using? There are many different ones for sale at HomeShop

And what's the deal with these mosquito repelling light bulbs? The shop assistant said if you turn the light on all the mosquitos will drop dead, which I found quite hard to believe 

[ExpatOilWorker]

You need a mosquito laser:

 

 

[drtreelove]

18 hours ago, JohnJay said:

The traditional mosquito zappers with UV light seem to attract every flying insect apart from mosquitos as has been pointed out already.

Nonsense, I have piles of dead mosquitos in my blue and blacklight zappers.

[Jack james]

My wife tells me the name, but I cant understand it. Next week I can post a picture. 1 stick can cover a big room.

[Justfine]

https://edrugsearch.com/burn-coffee-grounds-mosquito-repellent/

[JohnJay]

13 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

You need a mosquito laser:

 

 

I'd prefer to kill all of them, not just the ones that spread malaria! I hope one day we can rid mosquitos from the face of the Earth

[dick dasterdly]

15 hours ago, JohnJay said:

 

Sounds great. Do you know what model they are using? There are many different ones for sale at HomeShop

And what's the deal with these mosquito repelling light bulbs? The shop assistant said if you turn the light on all the mosquitos will drop dead, which I found quite hard to believe 

Been there and 'done that'.....

 

Yes, they killed many mossies-  without denting the population.

 

 

[flashgordon1959]

Not sure about Mosies BUT coil worked on my elder sister, Not get pregnant!!!!!
Geting me coat now :-)
 

Nice one .I was waiting for someone with a sense of humour

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk