Most Effective Mosqueeto Repellent

[Yaroon79]

In the past 3 weeks, 2 of my friends caught this nasty fever, making me a bit scared to catch it as well.When walking in a supermarket i get confused what repellent to buy,... Either you want your house to smell like #$@, you buy the burning coil. Or you can wax yourself in with all kinds of cream of which some make you smell like a vegetable.Or, you buy these electric devices which you plug in, make your (bed)room smelly and meanwhile look how these annoying creatures still fly around with little effect.Anybody can recommend a good product? It might save me trying out all products one after the other.

[terak69]

I found the one in the orange coloured spay be the best for me - cannot remember name :jap:

[Shot]

Cutter Advanced Wipes. The best I have ever used. Question is.....can you get it here. I bring as many as I can from the states.

http://www.cutterinsectrepellent.com/ProductCategories/RepellentProducts/AdvancedWipes/

[MisterMan]

They are all so so so toxic! Worst for you then the fever probably!

I can't breath after I spray some Banyon (sp?)

For me I found a few natural repellents and natural coils (finally).

Even the purple coils that smell good are pure poison as are the electric ones.

I had Chikunkunya and understand how debilitating one little pesky mosquito is. 6 months of pain.

Natural remedies

- lemon grass around your house (Hotels do this.. the green ones anyway)

- Citronella oil

- Citronella bracelet

- natural sprays and oils for repellent - have to be diligent with the oil and not for the lazy person

- burning anything really, they hate smoke but it is illegal to burn rubbish so ..burn some leaves or old coconut shells like the Thais do.

- natural coils.

Just spray a bit of Sketalone on your sunglasses or varnish and see what happens!! It melts it!! Scarry.

There are some stores selling natural sprays and a bracelet. Citronella works pretty well but I have found the oil I bought to work best. I ordered from a natural store online. You might want to try Lemon Grass House in Chalong or Surin or Talang too.

Here is the page with the mozzie repellants from the online health food store here in Thailand:

http://www.healthfoodthailand.com/index.php?cPath=3

And for Lemon Grass who have 3 locations and nice products too.

http://www.lemongrasshouse.com/

And go plant some Lemon grass too.

Good luck

[hkt83100]

I found the one in the orange coloured spay be the best for me - cannot remember name :jap:

The spray might (surely) have been "OFF!", or maybe "Sketolene", both are among my favorites.

[gosompoi]

One simple word, Sketolele I have been using in Thailand since 2001 and it works perfect! The spray is the best but the lotion is a little easier on you.

[iSabai]

Off definitely works. Has a not too unpleasant orange smell. A bit expensive here though. Never tried the Sketolene, but I'd imagine it's somewhat cheaper.

[barney42bb]

No joke...Actually Lsterine Mouthwash...or the Thai Brand Mybacin...sprayed neat...on furniture and skin...lasts a long while.

Also Mozzie's hate Yaa Mong...or Tiger Balm....Both cheap effective ways.

[xen]

I have been told if you eat garlic regularly , the odor of garlic seeping from the skin keeps both mossies and vampires away .

[Jimi007]

The OP talks about mosquitoes in his house at first. Window screens work well. A mosquito net over your bed if you don't have them. Coils are for outdoor use... As for repellent, I have always been told to look at the percentage of DEET in the repellent. The higher the better for repelling the pests. I've been using Off lotion. I still get a bite here and there. I had Chikungunya a couple of years ago as well. It's from the same mosquito (the Andes) that spreads Dengue and yellow fever. It breeds in fresh rain water that collects, not stagnant water. It hasn't rained that much lately and I haven't read about any dengue outbreak so far this year. Dengue and chikungunya outbreaks usually happen around here in about July or August, during the peak of the wet season... Were your friends diagnosed by a doctor with actually having dengue? By the way, there are several strains of dengue, including dengue hemorrhagic fever, that can be deadly. So it's not to be taken lightly... Good luck to all of us!

Edited March 8, 2011 by Jimi007

[Valentine]

There is one which you roll in stripes om your arms & legs but cannot remember the name. Not cheap but apparently natural.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Another vote for the orange OFF! spray can, a little over 100 baht, as it is effective against mosquitoes, flies, and about every-other critter that tries to bother you. Also comes in cream packets but not nearly so convenient as the spray. Active ingredient is DEET which has been used for at least half a century and is considered safe.

DEET, is a slightly yellow oil. It is the most common active ingredient in insect repellents. It is intended to be applied to the skin or to clothing, and is primarily used to repel mosquitoes. In particular, DEET protects against tick bites, preventing several rickettsioses, tick-borne meningoencephalitis and other tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease. It also protects against mosquito bites which can transmit dengue fever, West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, and malaria.

I also understand that taking vitamin B complex will make you less attractive to the bloodsucking predators. A little less noticeable to your nearby companions than eating too much garlic although I eat a lot of garlic anyway. Triple safe.

Edited March 8, 2011 by BuckarooBanzai

[fiddlehead]

Another thing to do is wear long sleeve shirts and pants.

It's normally only at sunrise and sunset for mossies although I have heard that the ones that give dengue are also prevalent in the daytime.

Where are your friends living who are getting it.

A few years ago, 6 people in my neighborhood (including me), got dengue so the govt. sent a crew here to fumigate all the houses around here.

It was nasty. we had no say as they did every house.

We left for a few days and then came back.

No one has gotten it since.

Good luck.

[Chainsaw]

The cream in the white plastic bottle with the pink top (all 7-11s have it) is the best one.

I've been here quite a few years so I've found that this is the best through trial and error.

It has some deet in it but only a small percentage. It works by making you 'invisible' to mosquitos, it has a floral scent which mosquitoes aren't attracted to. You just need to apply a small amount to exposed skin in the evenings.

If they're in your house, use a spray which is specifically for mosquitoes. The general purpose sprays which kill ants, cockroaches etc. are ineffective against them.

[MrE]

Because mosquitoes live a very short time and because they travel a very short distance each night to feed, it is possible to establish a kill zone around your house that will eliminate most of them in a month or so. I moved into a house for which the landlord decided without telling me that he was not going to install screens on the windows. It bordered a rice paddy on two sides so was very heavily populated with mosquitoes. Thirty minutes before sunset every night I lit mosquito coils at each corner of the house and outside the open windows facing the paddy. Most nights I was able to wake up before the coils burned out to light new ones. At the beginning, there was a noticeable number of dead bodies all around the house. Each week I moved the perimeter of coils further out until it was at the edge of my property. By the end of a month, there were no mosquitoes in my house although the neighboring restaurant was still heavily populated.

Be sure you don't have any pools of standing water which is where the mosquitoes will lay their eggs inside your perimeter. Even the water in the bottom of a flower pot tray can give them a breeding ground.

The suggestion about planting natural repellent plants is also very valid so surrounding your house with lemon grass, citronella plants etc will help a lot. Those electric light bug killers actually kill more beneficial insects like dragonflies which eat mosquitoes, than they do mosquitoes which are not attracted to the light.

[pschef]

I can say the best one for me is Boots Repel Lotion, its in a silver plastic container, withn a big Mossy on the label. It contains DEET 50 00%. Smell is quite nice too, Available in all boots in Thailand.

[stevenl]

I moved into a house for which the landlord decided without telling me that he was not going to install screens on the windows.

Why didn't you just install them yourself? In Thailand you're supposed to take care of these things in your house yourself, and it is cheap as well.

[Jimi007]

Another thing to do is wear long sleeve shirts and pants.

It's normally only at sunrise and sunset for mossies although I have heard that the ones that give dengue are also prevalent in the daytime.

Where are your friends living who are getting it.

A few years ago, 6 people in my neighborhood (including me), got dengue so the govt. sent a crew here to fumigate all the houses around here.

It was nasty. we had no say as they did every house.

We left for a few days and then came back.

No one has gotten it since.

Good luck.

You are correct. The Andes mosquito which carries dengue and other diseases is a daytime bitter... It's quite small too.

[MisterMan]

the United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ (EPA) reported 14 to 46 cases of potential DEET-associated seizures, including 4 deaths. The EPA states: "... it does appear that some cases are likely related to DEET toxicity,"

DEET is an effective solvent,[4] and may dissolve some plastics, rayon, spandex, other synthetic fabrics, leather, and painted or varnished surfaces including nailpolish.

Source: Wikipedia. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEET

I would just like to add that our skin is your largest organ and one should not put something on your skin that you would not put in your mouth as it absorbs it just the same.

Do you really think it is ok to put something that dissolves plastics, leather and paint on you body?

Do not trust OFF made my Johnsons and Johnsons. Even their baby shampoos are full of toxic chemicals!

www.ewg.org - look up an product here.. such as shampoos etc.

[iSabai]

the United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ (EPA) reported 14 to 46 cases of potential DEET-associated seizures, including 4 deaths. The EPA states: "... it does appear that some cases are likely related to DEET toxicity,"

DEET is an effective solvent,[4] and may dissolve some plastics, rayon, spandex, other synthetic fabrics, leather, and painted or varnished surfaces including nailpolish.

Source: Wikipedia. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEET

I would just like to add that our skin is your largest organ and one should not put something on your skin that you would not put in your mouth as it absorbs it just the same.

Do you really think it is ok to put something that dissolves plastics, leather and paint on you body?

Do not trust OFF made my Johnsons and Johnsons. Even their baby shampoos are full of toxic chemicals!

www.ewg.org - look up an product here.. such as shampoos etc.

I don't trust anything in wikipedia either.

[KarenBravo]

You are correct. The Andes mosquito which carries dengue and other diseases is a daytime bitter... It's quite small too.

Do you mean the Aedes mosquito? It is active during the day and is rather large. It has black and white striped legs.

[MisterMan]

I can say the best one for me is Boots Repel Lotion, its in a silver plastic container, withn a big Mossy on the label. It contains DEET 50 00%. Smell is quite nice too, Available in all boots in Thailand.

50% Deet is forbidden in many countries.

I know you can not trust wikipedia but do a search of Deet. Scarry.

How about the Canadians?

http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/spring03hazards.html

""Up to 56% of DEET applied topically penetrates intact human skin and 17% is absorbed into the bloodstream." Blood concentrations of about 3 mg per litre have been reported several hours after DEET repellent was applied to skin in the

prescribed fashion. DEET is also absorbed by the gut."

dditional required warnings state that for children 6 months to 2 years, only concentrations of less than 10% DEET should be used, and only once a day. For children from 2 -12 years old, only concentrations under 10% should be used, and repellents should not be applied more than 3 times a day.

For adults, Health Canada has now banned products with DEET concentrations

over 30%, citing health risks and evidence that increasing the percentage does not do much more to repel insects. Health Canada has also banned two in one products which combine sunscreen and DEET, saying they create the potential for people be exposed to too much DEET.

[Jimi007]

You are correct. The Andes mosquito which carries dengue and other diseases is a daytime bitter... It's quite small too.

Do you mean the Aedes mosquito? It is active during the day and is rather large. It has black and white striped legs.

Yes I did mean the Aedes mosquito. They are 2 to 3mm in size according to what I have read.

Edited March 10, 2011 by Jimi007

[taxin]

The plug ins which are shaped like a dome with a flat bottom, green base (I think they have pink ones too). You screw the bottle into the dome which has an element that heats up the liquid in the bottle. These are the ONLY plug ins that work, get a couple of these in your house and you will never see a mossy again !

Its a Thai brand and does not have English writing on the label, so not easy to spot. Carrefour and Tesco sell them. Not something you can pick up from 7-11.

[sanuk21]

The most effective mosquito repellent "hands down" are products with a high percentage of DEET.

But good alternatives are products with PICARIDIN or Oil of Lemon-Scented Gum.

I personally don't use DEET coz it melts the plastic on my spectacles but have got good results for many years in Thailand with OFF Skintastic with Picaridin and Skeltone with Citriodiol.

Both OFF and Skeltone are also sold in Thailand with DEET so read the label before buying.

Picaridin and Citriodiol are recommended by the CDC etc

Sanuk.

[F1fanatic]

Interesting topic for many of us.

Having lived here for around 5 years (and feeling every, single bloody mossie bite!), I sympathise with the poster.

Personally, I have found that the 'natural' remedies (lemongrass etc.) do not work. I have a big patch of lemongrass in front of my patio - the mossies ignore it. Same for the citronella sprays - they may deter the mossies, but I have still been bitten frequently after it was applied....

When I first moved to my current home it was literally SWARMING with mossies! No idea why as its right by the sea and there are v few mammals around. The nearest neighbour is a few hundred metres away.

For the first year I paid for the garden to be sprayed every week. It reduced the population, but there were still a fair number around a couple of days after the spraying.

Since then I've relied on mossie coils (outdoors) as soon as I see (or feel!) the first mossie, and/or spray myself with a deet-based repellent - nothing else works 100%. Dengue is pretty common here (I know a few people that contracted it) and is not funny!

Every 3-4 days I plug in one of the 'plug-in' devices with tablets in the bedroom. Unfortunately I generally leave it too late and have to get up in the middle of the bloody night to do so as I'm being bitten...

p.s. My favourite is the one you roll on in 'stripes' as its so easy, but you have to be careful - the odd, determined bas....d will get you in-between the stripes!

Edited March 11, 2011 by F1fanatic

[BuckarooBanzai]

Wiki also says:

When used as directed, products containing between 10% to 30% DEET have been found by The American Academy of Pediatrics to be safe to use on children as well as adults but recommends that DEET not be used on infants less than two months old.

In the DEET Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED), the United States Environmental Protection Agency? (EPA) reported 14 to 46 cases of potential DEET-associated seizures, including 4 deaths. The EPA states: "... it does appear that some cases are likely related to DEET toxicity," but observed that with 30% of the US population using DEET, the likely seizure rate is only about one per 100 million users.

Shellfish, peanuts, and bees as well as a host of other things effect people adversely more commonly than Deet. If you have ever had the opportunity to read the specification sheet contained in just about any box of medicine you will see a multitude of reasons that would make you hesitate to take the medicine ie. Aspirin has been found to causes Reyes syndrome in adolescents. It's called CYA. Used as directed it is a safe product.

I really do not care if one chooses to use one particular product over another but I think one should base their judgments on facts and not on false or misleading information.

Living in the Tropics in Dengue fever country I would rather take my chances with a physician approved product that is the most likely to work.

Cheers!

[bifftastic]

Interesting topic for many of us.

Having lived here for around 5 years (and feeling every, single bloody mossie bite!), I sympathise with the poster.

Personally, I have found that the 'natural' remedies (lemongrass etc.) do not work. I have a big patch of lemongrass in front of my patio - the mossies ignore it. Same for the citronella sprays - they may deter the mossies, but I have still been bitten frequently after it was applied....

When I first moved to my current home it was literally SWARMING with mossies! No idea why as its right by the sea and there are v few mammals around. The nearest neighbour is a few hundred metres away.

For the first year I paid for the garden to be sprayed every week. It reduced the population, but there were still a fair number around a couple of days after the spraying.

Since then I've relied on mossie coils (outdoors) as soon as I see (or feel!) the first mossie, and/or spray myself with a deet-based repellent - nothing else works 100%. Dengue is pretty common here (I know a few people that contracted it) and is not funny!

Every 3-4 days I plug in one of the 'plug-in' devices with tablets in the bedroom. Unfortunately I generally leave it too late and have to get up in the middle of the bloody night to do so as I'm being bitten...

p.s. My favourite is the one you roll on in 'stripes' as its so easy, but you have to be careful - the odd, determined bas....d will get you in-between the stripes!

The Citronella only kept the Mrs away! Mossies seemed to like it!

What's the one you roll on in stripes? Sounds good, if you can get a good helper who isn't vindictive in any way.

[F1fanatic]

Interesting topic for many of us.

Having lived here for around 5 years (and feeling every, single bloody mossie bite!), I sympathise with the poster.

Personally, I have found that the 'natural' remedies (lemongrass etc.) do not work. I have a big patch of lemongrass in front of my patio - the mossies ignore it. Same for the citronella sprays - they may deter the mossies, but I have still been bitten frequently after it was applied....

When I first moved to my current home it was literally SWARMING with mossies! No idea why as its right by the sea and there are v few mammals around. The nearest neighbour is a few hundred metres away.

For the first year I paid for the garden to be sprayed every week. It reduced the population, but there were still a fair number around a couple of days after the spraying.

Since then I've relied on mossie coils (outdoors) as soon as I see (or feel!) the first mossie, and/or spray myself with a deet-based repellent - nothing else works 100%. Dengue is pretty common here (I know a few people that contracted it) and is not funny!

Every 3-4 days I plug in one of the 'plug-in' devices with tablets in the bedroom. Unfortunately I generally leave it too late and have to get up in the middle of the bloody night to do so as I'm being bitten...

p.s. My favourite is the one you roll on in 'stripes' as its so easy, but you have to be careful - the odd, determined bas....d will get you in-between the stripes!

The Citronella only kept the Mrs away! Mossies seemed to like it!

What's the one you roll on in stripes? Sounds good, if you can get a good helper who isn't vindictive in any way.

You can get the 'roll on' from Boots. God knows what its called (I'm looking at it and still have no clue - ?aico?)

You'll find it amongst the mossie repellents and it looks like a deodorant roll on, with a transparent body and white top. Its not cheap, but works out about the same as the Off (?) spray in the orange can.

[bifftastic]

You can get the 'roll on' from Boots. God knows what its called (I'm looking at it and still have no clue - ?aico?)

You'll find it amongst the mossie repellents and it looks like a deodorant roll on, with a transparent body and white top. Its not cheap, but works out about the same as the Off (?) spray in the orange can.

Ta