Immunity From Mosquitoes

[wolf5370]

I used to get bitten a lot - even in England - but since being a veggie for the last 18 years, I rarely get bitten now. Beer attracts them , so I am told, so beer breath will get you your own personal swarm. Thai whisky, in contrast, seems great at keeping them away - like all spirits you sweat them out. When I was a cub scout (11 million years ago) we used to catch insects with beer traps - using stale beer. Try painting some beer on a tree in the garden and leave to see what I mean!

The quinine (in Indian Tonic water) was used in the war (WWII) to ease the symptoms of malaria - I import the stuff for my Father-In-Law who contracted the one of the four malarial diseases that reoccur but is not deadly. (just for infor anyone know if this can be bought anywhere in BKK - Indain Tonic Water, not just Tonic Water). I doubt it does anything to keep the buggers from biting in the first place.

I remember once going to a zoo (CM I think) by a private baht bus taxi. On the way Mrs handed me a bottle of deet cream, I didn't read the label and thought it was sun tan lotion. I covered my face in a thick layer - sh!t did it burn. Had to wash it off with drinking water - I stank of deet all day - didn't get bitten though (but did get sun burnt )!

[cluezo]

Couple of months ago in The Scientific Journal there was an article that scientists in England had discovered a possible explanation as to why some people are prone to mosquito bites while others are not. Even more surprising was that the finding was cerebally/emotionally based. It turns out, according to the study, that people who have sub-conscious sexual fantasies involving species of a non-human nature release a certain chemistry into the bloodstream which attract mosquitoes. Needless to say, this report is undergoing fierce debate amongst scientists and is a long way from being proven.

[Kerryd]

It turns out, according to the study, that people who have sub-conscious sexual fantasies involving species of a non-human nature release a certain chemistry into the bloodstream which attract mosquitoes.

Welshmen and Aussies beware ! Stop dreaming about those soft, fluffy sheep in the pastures and maybe you won't be as attractive to the mossies !

[cluezo]

^ Sheep shot!

[distortedlink]

There is no immunity to mosquitoes or any medications that can keep off mosquitoes for long periods.

I very rarely get reactions from mosquito bites, but nevertheless I still managed to catch Dengue fever last December.

There are no total cures for any of the mosquito related diseases.

Mosquitoes are the no 1 animal killers of humans.

Edited June 5, 2008 by distortedlink

[cluezo]

^ But they're so cute!

[vagabond48]

^ Sheep shot!

[F1fanatic]

I used to get bitten a lot - even in England - but since being a veggie for the last 18 years, I rarely get bitten now. Beer attracts them , so I am told, so beer breath will get you your own personal swarm. Thai whisky, in contrast, seems great at keeping them away - like all spirits you sweat them out. When I was a cub scout (11 million years ago) we used to catch insects with beer traps - using stale beer. Try painting some beer on a tree in the garden and leave to see what I mean!

The quinine (in Indian Tonic water) was used in the war (WWII) to ease the symptoms of malaria - I import the stuff for my Father-In-Law who contracted the one of the four malarial diseases that reoccur but is not deadly. (just for infor anyone know if this can be bought anywhere in BKK - Indain Tonic Water, not just Tonic Water). I doubt it does anything to keep the buggers from biting in the first place.

I remember once going to a zoo (CM I think) by a private baht bus taxi. On the way Mrs handed me a bottle of deet cream, I didn't read the label and thought it was sun tan lotion. I covered my face in a thick layer - sh!t did it burn. Had to wash it off with drinking water - I stank of deet all day - didn't get bitten though (but did get sun burnt )!

I've been a veggie for more than 20 years and am a standing joke amongst my friends! They are ignored by the mossies when I'm around - for them, I'm the best mossie repelent they know! I went on a walk on Koh Phi Phi once with friends (during the day), 2 of them had no bites whatsoever, 1 had 2 bites, I had over 30 bites (one of my friends counted them they found it so funny)!

The only solution I've found is to cover myself with a repellent when I'm outside of an evening (plus mossie coils if I'm at home), and to use a plug in whatchamacallit at night in the bedroom every 2 days. I also have to get my garden sprayed against them every 2 weeks!

I often wonder, will I have to contine this for the rest of my life?!

[farangconnection]

I have a little trouble,and of course living in Surin you must beware of the Dengue mosquito, so I buy a lotion from Makro. It comes in little orange and pink sachets, and the contents of one just about cover exposed regions ( if you wear shorts )Once I put that on every morning I have no trouble.

[Ratsima]

I rarely feel a bite. When I do, I rarely get more than a mild reaction. However, I know I do get bit as I've had dengue twice. Since I'm not much bothered by them I'm probably less careful than I ought to be.

I wonder if people who are annoyed by mosquitoes do a better job of protecting themselves and end up being less likely to get a mosquito borne disease?

[sweetchariot]

I've been a veggie for more than 20 years and am a standing joke amongst my friends! They are ignored by the mossies when I'm around - for them, I'm the best mossie repelent they know! I went on a walk on Koh Phi Phi once with friends (during the day), 2 of them had no bites whatsoever, 1 had 2 bites, I had over 30 bites (one of my friends counted them they found it so funny)!

The only solution I've found is to cover myself with a repellent when I'm outside of an evening (plus mossie coils if I'm at home), and to use a plug in whatchamacallit at night in the bedroom every 2 days. I also have to get my garden sprayed against them every 2 weeks!

I often wonder, will I have to contine this for the rest of my life?!

This was one of my original points. I think that if I suffered like you do I would probably re-assess my choice of domicile. Do you not think you would be better off in a mozzie free country?

Please don't think I am having a dig, I just want to know your thoughts on this. To be constantly worried about mozzies can't lead to a normal happy life, can it?

I rarely feel a bite. When I do, I rarely get more than a mild reaction. However, I know I do get bit as I've had dengue twice. Since I'm not much bothered by them I'm probably less careful than I ought to be.

I wonder if people who are annoyed by mosquitoes do a better job of protecting themselves and end up being less likely to get a mosquito borne disease?

This is something I have been thinking about reading this thread. Maybe we are the 'unlucky' ones, feeling no pain leads to complacency, which maybe is putting as at a higher risk.

There is also no definitive answer to my original question. Do you think that those of us who don't feel it are still getting bitten? Or do they just not like us for xyz reason?

[ozzydom]

An old pharmacist friend of mine from Queensland puts his non-attractiveness to mozzies down to drinking a bottle of red wine per day.

As a repellant another friend ( a Manxman and his wife)both with milky skin swore by a mixture of baby oil,dettol and citronella rubbed on exposed skin, they spent 6 months every year in the Gulf country of Queensland and reckon it worked a treat.

[Lost in LOS]

didnt read the thread but just got this email today. interesting although listerine is more expensive here

Mosquito Spray...Worth a try

I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby. During the summer, I don't leave home without it.....Pass it on.

OUR FRIEND'S COMMENTS: I tried this on my deck and around all of my doors. It works - in fact, it killed them instantly. I bought my bottle from Target and it cost me $1.89. It really doesn't take much, and it is a big bottle, too; so it is not as expensive to use as the can of Bug-spray you buy that doesn't last 30 minutes. So, try this, please. It will last a couple of days. Don't spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames, and even inside the dog house.

[Cuban]

...feet, ankles and lower legs would be a feeding ground for the little buggers.

They are attracted to smelly feet, also the blood vessels around the ankles are close to the surface of your skin so are an easy meal.

...farang blood because it isn't as spicy as Thai blood.

I have heard from a diabetic that she was bitten more often as the blood is sweeter and is more visable in infra-red so again attractive to mozzies. I wondered if it was because she was overweight and felt hot all the time - so the blood was carrying more heat in an effort to cool her down - so again giving a hot IR signature.

Dettol and a skin cream 50/50 and the mossies dont touch him,

Also heard this - not tried it yet.

The quinine (in Indian Tonic water) was used in the war (WWII) to ease the symptoms of malaria - I import the stuff for my Father-In-Law who contracted the one of the four malarial diseases that reoccur but is not deadly.

I think you will find that tonic water no longer contains enough quinine to have any effect.

Then went to the electronic zapper tennis rackets

In every room in the house

[Ratsima]

Do you think that those of us who don't feel it are still getting bitten? Or do they just not like us for xyz reason?

I think it's a combination. I'm sure I get bit less than others, but I also think that I'm still getting bit without really noticing.

[cluezo]

Everybody know that the best protection from mosquito bites is to wear a full diving suit. I don't understand why they don't have shops in Thailand selling them. They'd make a fortune, no?

[wilko]

I think by far the most interesting pint on this thread is the theory that we all get bitten it’s just that some of us react more to the bites than others.

I can easily believe this as almost all the ideas about why someone doesn’t get bitten have no basis in fact.

Mozzies don’t have a sense of smell, I’m lead to believe that they sense/chase CO2 (?) and some are light sensitive but their sensory organs are not similar to humans. So how do they differentiate between victims?...answer, they can’t....unless they don’t know they’re there.....so light clothing at night and less heavy breathing maybe???

If we all get bitten to more or less the same extent but some are not sensitive to the bites, it would be logical to conclude that these “fortunate” people are in fact MORE at risk of catching Dengue or Malaria than those who suffer from the bites as deterrents would seem unnecessary to them.

Is there any research on this?

[wilko]

wasn't quinine to relieve the effects of malaria rather than deter mosquitoes?

[AsiaCheese]

(mozzies generally don't stray more than 200 metres from a water source)

That reminds me of another supposed thing I remember hearing mentioned here in the past. Some folks were arguing that living in a very high floor of apartment or condo building, like 20+, meant they were free of mosquitos.... But other folks said...no way... they lived high and still were getting mozzies without fail...

I'm on the second floor...so... no help for me!

Urban legend: I live on the 22nd floor, and while I can't complain about mozzie attacks in general, there's the regular/daily one at 04:00am sharp, making its way up to my den. And boy, is it hungry when it arrives... So while it may be true that mozzies usually don't manage to fly above 7-8 floors using their own engines, there's always up-drafts...

[Tjip]

I was a flight attendant for 26 years and spent most of my time flying to Africa . I also went to Alaska many times where they have the biggest mosquito's ( they love the pinewoods !) on earth . I used a repellant called " muggenmelk " which is a lotion from a Belgian company called Daiwo ( or something like that ? ). It's very effective and odourless and you can even put some on your clothing. It's quite an expensive product but I recommend " OFF " from Johnson cy. I've been using this for years and you can get it almost everywhere in Thailand at Carrefour, Friendship, Villa Market, Tops, Foodland, etc......The price is about BHT 115, which is very cheap as I paid almost double for it in New York.

To all readers on this forum.....believe me " OFF " is the best and comes in an orange spray cannister !

I hope this will satisfy some readers and I'm looking forward to read any good results !

Greetz

[wilko]

(mozzies generally don't stray more than 200 metres from a water source)

That reminds me of another supposed thing I remember hearing mentioned here in the past. Some folks were arguing that living in a very high floor of apartment or condo building, like 20+, meant they were free of mosquitos.... But other folks said...no way... they lived high and still were getting mozzies without fail...

I'm on the second floor...so... no help for me!

Urban legend: I live on the 22nd floor, and while I can't complain about mozzie attacks in general, there's the regular/daily one at 04:00am sharp, making its way up to my den. And boy, is it hungry when it arrives... So while it may be true that mozzies usually don't manage to fly above 7-8 floors using their own engines, there's always up-drafts...

there are certainly some species of sandflies in India that won't fly above a certain height, and people are urged to build their houses on stilts a few feet above the ground to avoid them.

Only the female mozzie bites, and then only once in 24 hours so multiple bites always come from multiple mosquitoes.

Edited June 8, 2008 by wilko

[Thaddeus]

Is there any research on this?

Yes.

http://scienceline.org/2007/09/10/ask-knight-mosquitoes/

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/21/health/21real.html

http://www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/corporat...Mosquitoes.html

[wilko]

Interesting but only one theory found in that search. its the problem with the internet is it scratches onlythe surface....they want you to pay for thereal McCoy,

[gomatt]

I don't seem to get bitten much, just on my feet if I wear slippers at night.

I take a vitamin B complex quite regularly, but not sure if it's that that helps...

[TBWG]

Hi

My four penn'oth..

I read an article in the Sunday papers a while back where famous people pass on their tips.

Patrick Lichfield the society snapper said that whilst on location in the Caribbean found all the models sporting unsightly bites. A local recommended Avon Skin-so-softly bath oil so all the models had the daily equivalent of a human sheep dip and where from then on bite free!

I also read somewhere that Catnip is a great repellent and 10 times more effective than DEET says the American Chemical Society of Chicago.

On a slightly different note I have noticed that the mossies in Thailand are a hel_l of a lot quicker than the UK ones. So this would be more practical in the UK. A work colleague maintains that mossies do not suck out blood but rely on blood pressure to pump it out. Therefore if you can catch one on the job so to speak and stretch the skin either side of the bite then the mossie can't withdraw its tube and eventually blows up with blood and explodes. Nice huh!

Well thats it, for what its worth?

TBWG

[egg6447]

When I was a kid, I was highly reactive to spider bites, producing silver-dollar sized welts on my skin. The Dr. suggested B1, and did not have a problem from then on. Still use it as a repellent against mosquitoes, and seems to do the trick.

this caught my interest. how many times have you been bitten by spiders, what kind of spiders, and were/are you sure you were bitten by spiders. cheers.

[egg6447]

mossies and gnats give me stick in uk. here the mossies are less agressive to me than uk. never found a real deterent, some days good some days bad. strange to say never been bitten by flees that i know of. they,ll jump right off me. i may be wrong on my next comments, but here goes anyway. sycle cell is a african/negroid blood decease that is a natural immunity to malaria, but carries its own problems, you are born with it. the female mossie feeds on blood three times before egg laying in stattic water. all mossies hate moveing water or air, have you ever been bitten on a windy day, a fan is better than most repelants. although all science seems to claim the old co2 attraction there is a definate use of infrared . they never bite into a vein.cheers.

[farangconnection]

I was a flight attendant for 26 years and spent most of my time flying to Africa . I also went to Alaska many times where they have the biggest mosquito's ( they love the pinewoods !) on earth . I used a repellant called " muggenmelk " which is a lotion from a Belgian company called Daiwo ( or something like that ? ). It's very effective and odourless and you can even put some on your clothing. It's quite an expensive product but I recommend " OFF " from Johnson cy. I've been using this for years and you can get it almost everywhere in Thailand at Carrefour, Friendship, Villa Market, Tops, Foodland, etc......The price is about BHT 115, which is very cheap as I paid almost double for it in New York.

To all readers on this forum.....believe me " OFF " is the best and comes in an orange spray cannister !

I hope this will satisfy some readers and I'm looking forward to read any good results !

Greetz

Actually the biggest and most viscious mossies I have come across were in Sweden.

[OdeTheBear]

I was a flight attendant for 26 years and spent most of my time flying to Africa . I also went to Alaska many times where they have the biggest mosquito's ( they love the pinewoods !) on earth . I used a repellant called " muggenmelk " which is a lotion from a Belgian company called Daiwo ( or something like that ? ). It's very effective and odourless and you can even put some on your clothing. It's quite an expensive product but I recommend " OFF " from Johnson cy. I've been using this for years and you can get it almost everywhere in Thailand at Carrefour, Friendship, Villa Market, Tops, Foodland, etc......The price is about BHT 115, which is very cheap as I paid almost double for it in New York.

To all readers on this forum.....believe me " OFF " is the best and comes in an orange spray cannister !

I hope this will satisfy some readers and I'm looking forward to read any good results !

Greetz

Actually the biggest and most viscious mossies I have come across were in Sweden.

I agree, Sweden, Finland etc northern countries have it worst. Mossies in Thailand are tame and there are not many of them. No kidding, near arctic circle, when it's the season, you can slap on your (unprotected) face at any given time and count at least half a dozen mosquitoes from your hand. Go camping and have a leak in the forest - you get bitten badly. It's not a joke, I have done it and it is unbelievable. However, for some reason Malaria is not, at the moment, carried by the northern mossies.

Saying that I hate Thai mossies and they take the fun away of sitting in the evening and waching the sunset for example. So far I have found that only a thick layer of anti-mosquito-propellant really helps. (Raid seems a good brand.)

No magic solution invented - yet.

[wilko]

I was a flight attendant for 26 years and spent most of my time flying to Africa . I also went to Alaska many times where they have the biggest mosquito's ( they love the pinewoods !) on earth . I used a repellant called " muggenmelk " which is a lotion from a Belgian company called Daiwo ( or something like that ? ). It's very effective and odourless and you can even put some on your clothing. It's quite an expensive product but I recommend " OFF " from Johnson cy. I've been using this for years and you can get it almost everywhere in Thailand at Carrefour, Friendship, Villa Market, Tops, Foodland, etc......The price is about BHT 115, which is very cheap as I paid almost double for it in New York.

To all readers on this forum.....believe me " OFF " is the best and comes in an orange spray cannister !

I hope this will satisfy some readers and I'm looking forward to read any good results !

Greetz

Actually the biggest and most viscious mossies I have come across were in Sweden.

I agree, Sweden, Finland etc northern countries have it worst. Mossies in Thailand are tame and there are not many of them. No kidding, near arctic circle, when it's the season, you can slap on your (unprotected) face at any given time and count at least half a dozen mosquitoes from your hand. Go camping and have a leak in the forest - you get bitten badly. It's not a joke, I have done it and it is unbelievable. However, for some reason Malaria is not, at the moment, carried by the northern mossies.

Saying that I hate Thai mossies and they take the fun away of sitting in the evening and waching the sunset for example. So far I have found that only a thick layer of anti-mosquito-propellant really helps. (Raid seems a good brand.)

No magic solution invented - yet.

i dont believe that either Dengue or Malaria are big problems near the arctic circle though...are they?