Mosquitos - What To Do Best?

[Khun Yak]

I had a hel_l of a night ! I tried to sleep but half an hour later i woke up because at least 6 mosquito stings all over the parts of my body which were not covered by the duvet were itching like hel_l. After curing them I tried to sleep and woke up half an hour later with the same problem and 6 more stings (or 10?). After the third round I took almost a bath in mosquito repellent which helped so far that I was able to sleep til the morning.

What could I do to 1. repell mosquitos right away (they love me for no reason ) or 2. to cure the stings? The best application for the stings that I know so far is toothpaste, which helps incredibly well but I'm looking for further advices.

What do you do? Any secrets to share how to avoid stings (e.g. what to eat/apply/wear)?

Edited January 12, 2006 by Khun Yak

[Nam Kao]

Khun, how are they getting in your pad?

You could sleep in a mosquito net

or i read somewhere if you take Vitamin B2 or B6 or B12 they will avoid you like the plague?????

it was one of the B vitamins

[Totster]

OK...

1. Use a mosquito net when sleeping
   
2. DO NOT scratch the bites
   
3. You can use an antihistamine cream to take away the itching
   
4. Taking antihistamine tablets will also help keep the swelling and itching to a minimum
   
5. I use a cream by Soffel which I have found to be the most effective repellent for me, it comes in Flower, orange, or citronella fragrance
   
6. To minimise bites cover up as much as possible
   

The Soffel cream can be bought in sachets in 7-11 or in bottles in most supermarkets

totster

[Patex]

These little buggers can drive you crazy, if you let'em... just ignore them.

Toothpaste? Give Tigerbalm a try; there is the yellow/brown and the white "yaa moong daa suea", take the white one, it makes no stains.

Mosquito net? I dont like it because stuffy air

Avoid perfumed kosmetics.

Close your doors/windows at 16:00. Never sleep alone

Patex

[leisurely]

Make sure all your doors and windows are closed. Ours are only opened to go in and out of. I don't trust the wire fly screens in our flats. The mosquitos are a sneaky breed. I use a roll on repellent. Three stripes per limb is adequate. You could try the plug in repellers but they seem to be less effective if the a/c or a fan is operating. Don't scratch the bites. easier said than done I know. Don't wear any sort of fragrence in bed, try to wash it off I understand it attracts them. Maybe shower with plain water prior to retiring, I read somewhere that cheesy feet attract the little buggers.

Good luck

[Totster]

Make sure all your doors and windows are closed. Ours are only opened to go in and out of. I don't trust the wire fly screens in our flats. The mosquitos are a sneaky breed. I use a roll on repellent. Three stripes per limb is adequate. You could try the plug in repellers but they seem to be less effective if the a/c or a fan is operating. Don't scratch the bites. easier said than done I know. Don't wear any sort of fragrence in bed, try to wash it off I understand it attracts them. Maybe shower with plain water prior to retiring, I read somewhere that cheesy feet attract the little buggers.

Good luck

I shower with a Lemongrass shower gel... does it help ? not sure.. but every little thing I can do to stop 'em....

I watched a program on BBc a while back where they investigated the cheesy feet theory, the guy went walking all day then came back to his room, took the sock off one foot and washed the foot well, and keft the sock on the other foot.

In the morning when he woke up the leg with the smelly sock still on was covered in mossie bites above the top of the sock, and the clean foot had none !

totster

[naka]

Use a bed net and spray the net with an insect repellent

containing DEET (Diethyltoluamide, N,N - diethyl - 3- methylbenzamide)

or permethrin-containing repellents (e.g., Permanone or deltamethrin)

Naka

Edited January 12, 2006 by naka

[sierra01]

When I first came to LOS I had awful problems with the mozzies, when 2 infected bites resulted in having them cut open and the muck cleaned out, followed by daily visits for 2 weeks for more cleaning and changing of dressings I seriously thought about giving it up as a bad job and going back to the UK. I stuck it out though and now I still get bites most days, but a quick scratch and I forget about them, gone in a few hours.

I tried various repellants (including 100% DEET knocked down with a bit of aftersun lotion), net, covering up etc, and still the little buggers managed to get at me. Stick it out Khun Yak, take as many precautions as you can, and hopefully you'll develop some sort of semi immunity to them that I seem to have done.

[Jai Dee]

If you can't keep them out of the house (like me), 1-2 hours before bedtime spray the bedroom with insecticide and turn on the air-con or fan and shut tight every window and door.

By the time you go to bed the moving air will have dissipated the insecticide throught your bedroom and hopefully killed off all the little buggers... the smell of the insecticide will also have diminished to an acceptable level.

Make sure you keep those windows and doors shut tight.

If you do use air-conditioning, a bowl of water near the outlet will also stop the air from drying out too much.

Hope this helps.

Oh... and vitamin B12 does help deterring them from sticking their hungry little beaks into you.

[Khun Yak]

Well thanks for the help so far !

@ Patex: Toothpaste helps a lot, especially the "colgate" which is available here in TH, but it's just sth. while staying at home when applying to the stings, as it is blue 5 minutes later you dont feel the sting anymore and when you wash it off an hour or 2 later, its gone. But the time before drives me crazy

I never scratch the bites and I dont have cheesy feet, as i usually take a shower before going to bed, as i usually don't sleep alone

But maybe i should try the lemongrass shower gel, as you said, every little helps

Edited January 12, 2006 by Khun Yak

[think_too_mut]

I don't trust the wire fly screens in our flats. The mosquitos are a sneaky breed.

How could they be? Unless they can fly in, mozzies can't walk to sneak in.

Fly screens work for me. Just in case, when we know we'll be out for more than an hour in the evening, I spray the room.

[sierra01]

Right on Jai Dee, I forgot to add that I used to spray lots insecticide around too. Most of them smell awful but there are some nice smelling sprays around, Shieldtox Yellow1 is quite passable.

[Tippaporn]

Don't shower for at least two months . . . works great.

[camerata]

There are some little electric gizmos that heat up a small pad of mosquito repelling chemicals. The ones I use are called ARS Mat and available in supermarkets. They'll keep a fairly large room free of mozzies for about 12 hours. Unlike sprays, there's virtually no smell.

[tom yum goong]

In addition to smelly feet, apparently mosquitoes are attracted to Limburger cheese.

So stick a block of stinky cheese in the corner of your room and the mozzies will be all over that instead of biting you.

Might stink up your room a bit though.

[Boon Mee]

If you live out in the 'Baan Nok', grab a few clumps of lemon grass and mash 'em up.

Distribute it around under the table - works pretty good.

[sierra01]

Don't shower for at least two months . . . works great.

I think this could also be put in the 'shall I tell them I'm a yank' thread...judging by the way the thread is going.

[Totster]

Don't shower for at least two months . . . works great.

I think this could also be put in the 'shall I tell them I'm a yank' thread...judging by the way the thread is going.

totster

[ThaiPauly]

I had a freind come over for New Year from the UK

She bought with her the most fantastic little machine I have ever seen.

Size of a small mobile phone (works off 2 AA Batteries) you either clip it to your trousers/skirt or just leave it on the table where you are sitting. It gives out a high pitched noise that sounds (apparantly) like a Male Mosquito giving off "Keep away from me" messages. Works for a surrounding area of 8 metres.

IT WORKS. she never got bitten once and nor did anybody else sitting near her (she said she had never had so many freinds )

She bought it out of a catalouge, you know the ones with all these gizzmos that you always used to throw straight in the bin.

Only problem is she DID throw away the catalouge when she received it, but thinks she still may have the receipt as everyone she met while she was here wants one.

She also had this little "needle type thingy" whereby whenever any of us were not with her and got bit a few painless stabs with this gizzmo and you forgot you ever got bitten.

These gizzmos are really worth having in the constant "War on Mozzies" Once she has found out exactly where she bought them from she will let me know and I will really consider importing them by the container load

[Khun Yak]

Don't shower for at least two months . . . works great.

I think this could also be put in the 'shall I tell them I'm a yank' thread...judging by the way the thread is going.

totster

Maybe I should apply the shower gel without taking a shower though and cover the Limburger cheese with a misquito net

[stumonster]

insect screens - they are quite cheap , and if the wire mesh is damaged they are cheap and easy to repair.

also get one of those mosquito tennis racquets and do a patrol of the room before you go to bed , make sure you wave it in all the dark areas and prod the curtians.

[Khun Yak]

I had a freind come over for New Year from the UK

She bought with her the most fantastic little machine I have ever seen.

Size of a small mobile phone (works off 2 AA Batteries) you either clip it to your trousers/skirt or just leave it on the table where you are sitting. It gives out a high pitched noise that sounds (apparantly) like a Male Mosquito giving off "Keep away from me" messages. Works for a surrounding area of 8 metres.

IT WORKS. she never got bitten once and nor did anybody else sitting near her (she said she had never had so many freinds )

She bought it out of a catalouge, you know the ones with all these gizzmos that you always used to throw straight in the bin.

Only problem is she DID throw away the catalouge when she received it, but thinks she still may have the receipt as everyone she met while she was here wants one.

She also had this little "needle type thingy" whereby whenever any of us were not with her and got bit a few painless stabs with this gizzmo and you forgot you ever got bitten.

These gizzmos are really worth having in the constant "War on Mozzies" Once she has found out exactly where she bought them from she will let me know and I will really consider importing them by the container load

I need to have one of those !!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you ever try on the internet to find oout if its avaiable online?

[astral]

Nets on the windows, or at least a net over the bed.

Spray the room with a good waterbased killer 2 hours before sleeping.

Sketolene on any exposed parts. A few drops on the pillow if you do not want

to spray your head.

[nonthaburial]

I have found the best protection is a glass or two of ouzo. This was told me by a Turkish Cypriot many years ago and it does work

[Soju]

I had a freind come over for New Year from the UK

She bought with her the most fantastic little machine I have ever seen.

Size of a small mobile phone (works off 2 AA Batteries) you either clip it to your trousers/skirt or just leave it on the table where you are sitting. It gives out a high pitched noise that sounds (apparantly) like a Male Mosquito giving off "Keep away from me" messages. Works for a surrounding area of 8 metres.

IT WORKS. she never got bitten once and nor did anybody else sitting near her (she said she had never had so many freinds )

She bought it out of a catalouge, you know the ones with all these gizzmos that you always used to throw straight in the bin.

Only problem is she DID throw away the catalouge when she received it, but thinks she still may have the receipt as everyone she met while she was here wants one.

She also had this little "needle type thingy" whereby whenever any of us were not with her and got bit a few painless stabs with this gizzmo and you forgot you ever got bitten.

These gizzmos are really worth having in the constant "War on Mozzies" Once she has found out exactly where she bought them from she will let me know and I will really consider importing them by the container load

Searching the net seems to say that none of these ultrasonic mosquito repellers work at all. Some of them claim to work by making a male mosquito sound (as you mention) and that keeps away the pregnant female mosquitos because they're pregnant and don't want to be around males. Totally rediculous claim. Only pregnant female mosquitos are hungry? Or the other mosquitos eat something else? Other units claim their ultrasonic sound is the same as a bat and bats eat mosquitos so the mosquitos are afrraid of this sound. Others units claim to make the sound of a dragonfly. The mere fact that the various manufacturers/distributors of these devices can't even agree on the basic principle of the device's operation should immediately put up a red flag that it's all bogus. It seems that scientific tests show that mosquitos can't even hear. I'm sure some people will swear by the devices, but the general consensus is that they do absolutely nothing except releave you of some of your money and make the fraudulent manufacturers rich.

[jing jing]

...also get one of those mosquito tennis racquets and do a patrol of the room before you go to bed , make sure you wave it in all the dark areas and prod the curtians.

Love it... the sheer excitement of bar-b-queing several of those little b@stards at a time with a graceful backhand swing is priceless. Only problem is you've gotta wake up a few times a night to go on patrol, but it's so much fun you won't mind.

[camerata]

Only pregnant female mosquitos are hungry? Or the other mosquitos eat something else?

Yes. AFAIK, only pregnant mosquitos need to drink blood. But I remember trying one of this gizmos about 30 years ago and the problem was you could hear the supposedly inaudible sound and it was very irritating!

[ThaiPauly]

I had a freind come over for New Year from the UK

She bought with her the most fantastic little machine I have ever seen.

Size of a small mobile phone (works off 2 AA Batteries) you either clip it to your trousers/skirt or just leave it on the table where you are sitting. It gives out a high pitched noise that sounds (apparantly) like a Male Mosquito giving off "Keep away from me" messages. Works for a surrounding area of 8 metres.

IT WORKS. she never got bitten once and nor did anybody else sitting near her (she said she had never had so many freinds )

She bought it out of a catalouge, you know the ones with all these gizzmos that you always used to throw straight in the bin.

Only problem is she DID throw away the catalouge when she received it, but thinks she still may have the receipt as everyone she met while she was here wants one.

She also had this little "needle type thingy" whereby whenever any of us were not with her and got bit a few painless stabs with this gizzmo and you forgot you ever got bitten.

These gizzmos are really worth having in the constant "War on Mozzies" Once she has found out exactly where she bought them from she will let me know and I will really consider importing them by the container load

Searching the net seems to say that none of these ultrasonic mosquito repellers work at all. Some of them claim to work by making a male mosquito sound (as you mention) and that keeps away the pregnant female mosquitos because they're pregnant and don't want to be around males. Totally rediculous claim. Only pregnant female mosquitos are hungry? Or the other mosquitos eat something else? Other units claim their ultrasonic sound is the same as a bat and bats eat mosquitos so the mosquitos are afrraid of this sound. Others units claim to make the sound of a dragonfly. The mere fact that the various manufacturers/distributors of these devices can't even agree on the basic principle of the device's operation should immediately put up a red flag that it's all bogus. It seems that scientific tests show that mosquitos can't even hear. I'm sure some people will swear by the devices, but the general consensus is that they do absolutely nothing except releave you of some of your money and make the fraudulent manufacturers rich.

Please yourself, but I never knock things till I have personally tried them, I have seen this thing in action. It works. End of story.

There has been plenty of good advice given here that don't involve Gizmos. The OP asked a question, I have given my PERSONAL answer, people are free to accept my opinion or not. I will get one when my freind finds out the distributors information, but that is MY choice if I want to "waste my money"

OK?

[Totster]

not forgetting my favorite tool for getting the mossies.. the electronic swatter.

looks like a tennis raquest and when it gets the mossies it frys them.. very satisfying

totster

[Jai Dee]

I have found the best protection is a glass or two of ouzo. This was told me by a Turkish Cypriot many years ago and it does work

I'd like to try this... I used to really enjoy drinking Ouzo before I came to Thailand.

But I haven't seen it on the shelves here... anyone know where I can get some?

Purely to keep those mozzies away of course...