afraid of the mozzies

[watgate]

So this winter,upon my return to chiang mai, I will be moving to the 5th floor of the place where I have been staying the past several years. Previously I had been staying on the 3rd floor and the mozzies have been a bane to my existence since, unfortunately, their are no screens when I open my sliding door to the outside porch. I have been reading about a significant increase in dengue fever recently and I was wondering if anyone knows how high the mozzies like to go to bite you. I am hoping that since I will be on the 5th floor this time, maybe I can escape the wretched bastards from entering my room and causing me much grief.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Put screens on your windows, or go the old-fashioned route and get a mosquito net. Floors much higher than 5 still suffer from mosquitos.

[PoodMaiDai]

Screens are cheap, put them in and be done with it.

[market trader]

We stayed on the 12th floor of a condo here in CM awhile back. Between 17.30 and 19.00 we could not go on the balcony mosquitos were so bad.

[hellodolly]

Not sure what the mozzies are. but I have been biting by some very small insects smaller than mosquitoes.

They seem to concentrate on a certain area it is not one here and another there it is all with in a 6 inch area. They cause a rash and the skin eventually drys up and falls off. When they bite me I do not feel their bite. I now use a screen and that solves the problem I am on the 17th floor.

[eyecatcher]

For extra protection why dont you buy a small insectecutor. lightsup with a blue light, cost less than 200bt from the supermarkets and especially at night it does its job well.

you can get some monster insectecutors the likes of "the black hole" I think they fry bigger flies,moths, flying ants.

[cooked]

For extra protection why dont you buy a small insectecutor. lightsup with a blue light, cost less than 200bt from the supermarkets and especially at night it does its job well.

you can get some monster insectecutors the likes of "the black hole" I think they fry bigger flies,moths, flying ants.

yes, but they don't work enough to be worthwhile.

[market trader]

For extra protection why dont you buy a small insectecutor. lightsup with a blue light, cost less than 200bt from the supermarkets and especially at night it does its job well.

you can get some monster insectecutors the likes of "the black hole" I think they fry bigger flies,moths, flying ants.

Bought one at Tesco and was disappointed with it. I sat right beside it after dark and the mosquitos preferred to bite me rather than go to the blue light.

[SamSipEt]

For extra protection why dont you buy a small insectecutor. lightsup with a blue light, cost less than 200bt from the supermarkets and especially at night it does its job well.

you can get some monster insectecutors the likes of "the black hole" I think they fry bigger flies,moths, flying ants.

Bought one at Tesco and was disappointed with it. I sat right beside it after dark and the mosquitos preferred to bite me rather than go to the blue light.

I found one a couple of years ago (I think it was in Tesco's) that had a fan in front of the blue light so that it sucked the mozzies to their death. A lot more effective than just a passive light.

On the subject of fans, if you have no screen then a fan blowing at the open doorway should keep most of the insects out (they are weak fliers and can't fly into the wind).

[masuk]

My place is out in the sticks, lots of water around as it's a rice growing area. Yes, there are mozzies, but the house is screened.

For those mosquitoes and annoying little midgies which do get in, I used a pyrethrum spray (from TOPS) which is safe for people and pets but not fish. Be very wary of well-known brand sprays which have some rather nasty ingredients in them.

My final solution is a blue UV light with a nice little zapper built in from MAKRO. This cleans up moths and mosquitoes wandering around the living area after the lights are off and the doors closed.

In Papua New Guinea, we used a mosquito net suspended from the ceiling, and it had been soaked in pyrethrum powder mixed in water. It's effective for months.

[hellodolly]

Well laugh if you must but I had heard that Listerine in a spray bottle would keep them off of you.

Also if sprayed around the door and window they would not come in.

that was several years ago on Thai Visa I heard it.

[Gnasher328]

Like hd I was plagued by virtualy invisible things that never left marks but I would feel tiny pinpricks. Think I saw one once when it jumped onto my hand at the brightly lit table. It was white and only @1/2mm long.

I found the pricks would increase until I closed up the appartment and sprayed it thoroughly.

I wouldn't stay anywhere they could not be bothered to supply nets or screens.

Recently saw a mossie trap on here made using a plastic bottle cut in half with the top inverted and shoved back in and filled with something including yeast to emit CO2 to attract them. I am going to search for the details and make one or two when I go back.

T.

[uptheos]

For extra protection why dont you buy a small insectecutor. lightsup with a blue light, cost less than 200bt from the supermarkets and especially at night it does its job well.

you can get some monster insectecutors the likes of "the black hole" I think they fry bigger flies,moths, flying ants.

Bought one at Tesco and was disappointed with it. I sat right beside it after dark and the mosquitos preferred to bite me rather than go to the blue light.

Mozzies are attracted by the emission of CO2 from our breath and lactic acid from our sweat....they are also attracted to body heat. Maybe these factors were more attractive than the blue light, when you sat right next to it? Someone who exhales more carbon dioxide, and is warm and sweaty will attract more mosquitoes.

Edited June 17, 2013 by uptheos

[harrismac]

Thought mozzies were you referring to Muslims. I don't like them either. But I'm from the land of mosquitos here in the states...Florida. Buy screens. Never understood the lack of them in Thailand. In 1991 in Lampang, no screens on windows. Slept with a net over me. 2011 in Chiang Mai; screens but it didn't help since they don't run A/C and left the front door open without a screen door. People think I'm crazy for running A/C in my entire house and not opening up windows/doors. Well, "mozzies" are one of the reasons. We call them "skeeters" in the Southeastern U.S.

[masuk]

Thought mozzies were you referring to Muslims. I don't like them either. But I'm from the land of mosquitos here in the states...Florida. Buy screens. Never understood the lack of them in Thailand. In 1991 in Lampang, no screens on windows. Slept with a net over me. 2011 in Chiang Mai; screens but it didn't help since they don't run A/C and left the front door open without a screen door. People think I'm crazy for running A/C in my entire house and not opening up windows/doors. Well, "mozzies" are one of the reasons. We call them "skeeters" in the Southeastern U.S.

Well there you go. Thank this forum for broadening your horizons. :-)

There's one crowd here trying to sell now houses by small artificial lakes; not a screen anywhere in the house.

My US neighbour runs an air con night and day. Must be on a better pension scheme than mine!

The little black mobile dots can be annoying. I'm sure they're midgies, and can fit through the holes in a screen door. They can cause allergy problems, so are more than annoying. If I'm bitten, I have an itch on the bite site for about a week.

[crocken]

i lived on the 32 nd floor in bangkok and lots of mozzies up there ...even had bees come to some plants on my balcony.

[rollrunna]

Perhaps living on an Island with subsequent onshore/off shore breezes means less mossie probs....but I have never been overly troubled... only my bedroom has screened windows, chalet door open all day and until we go to bed around midnight, fans but no A/c... no creams or chemicals, other than tiger balm if ever needed for a quick successful bite ..its the very small ones ( babies ? ) that manage to get close....and its the time 5.30 - 6.30 pm to be extra vigilant.

I do remember when I first arrived in Thailand , now 7 years ago, that I was troubled much more, perhaps we can acclimatise... it is part of a tropical lifestyle...

[bigbamboo]

They tend to go no further than the fifth floor and then generally hang around there until after dinner....!

[CMKiwi]

Ive also been told that the trick with the blue light zappers is to leave them outside. Its the blue light that attracts them, therefore the mozzies stay outside. Another option is to put the blue light away from where you personally are...ie other side of the room. That way they dont get distracted by your CO2 and the free falang blood on offer!

[uptheos]

Ive also been told that the trick with the blue light zappers is to leave them outside. Its the blue light that attracts them, therefore the mozzies stay outside. Another option is to put the blue light away from where you personally are...ie other side of the room. That way they dont get distracted by your CO2 and the free falang blood on offer!

That's right, if you are close to the blue light, the CO2 and nice warm blood is the first choice every time..

[how241]

Screens are cheap, put them in and be done with it.

+1

[justcruisin]

Caught up briefly with a friend last evening, he has a dose of Dengue fever, lives on the 18th floor.

I recall reading somewhere that this year has been especially bad for Dengue with several deaths reported in the Chiang Mai region already.

[eyecatcher]

So your friend knows for sure the dengue carrier came up all those floors to bite him?

I think it more likely he caught it from a toilet seat somewhere?.........yes, equally stupid hypothesis

[theblether]

The point is not that some enterprising mossie attached a rocket to it's ass and fired itself up to the 18th floor, the point is that dengue is a serious problem this year. A guy in my hotel has been wiped out for two weeks with it.

Here's an interesting little news article about Chiang Mai Uni apparently discovering the World's first dengue vaccination

http://goasia.about.com/b/2012/09/06/dengue-fever-vaccination.htm

[partington]

I'm afraid this was an inaccurate account reflecting the poor standard of science reporting , and understanding of science by reporters.

Sanofi, the French pharma company, already have a vaccine in actual clinical trials in human beings right now, and so are probably 10 years ahead of the Thai group, who developed an attenuated virus that can be shown to cause immune responses in experimental animals, something that has also been done by at least five other groups. It's a fine achievement, but by no means the the breakthrough implied.

see http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=3186

"At the moment the Thai announcement was made, no less than five other groups already had vaccine candidates in some phase of clinical trials. Thailand's vaccine candidates are still in the pre-clinical phase, animal testing in model systems far from the virus's normal host. The leader in the international efforts at vaccine development is French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Pasteur, which has recently started phase III testing (the final phase). Dr. Nopporn was well aware of the corporation's progress, mentioning that Sanofi-Pasteur "is light years ahead of us," but maintains he is quite proud of his own lab's work.."

[Postmaster]

Sorry but my experience is that quality made-to-measure screens are not as cheap as has been made out by contributors. If you know a good firm in Chonburi province that manufactures them at a sensible price I would be glad to have some details.

Otherwise we continually close all windows and doors at 6-00 pm approx every day. Also for bites, Boots Anti-histamine cream in small tube from Boots (in UK not Thailand) (Orange box) is just great. Works within a few seconds on bites,.takes the sting away and relieves the area.

[CMKiwi]

Another great product (unfortunately for after youve been bitten) is Stingose. I havent managed to find it here yet but used it alot in NZ and Aussie. A very good product that relieves itching extremely quickly.

I hope someone out there has managed to locate some as I could do with it too!

[watgate]

A lot of great posts and I do appreciate all the feedback. Unfortunately, I don't have windows in the room where I will be staying upon my return this winter. I have a sliding door with no screen. As a previously poster alluded to, I am reasonably sure a well-fitted and custom made screen would not be cheap so I don't think I want to go that route. I would love to get a mosquito net but I don't see any way to utilize it. My bed has no bed posts to attach the netting to nor is their any way to attach the netting to the ceiling since there is nothing to attach it to. I am bringing a mosquito net for my head and face and will be wearing that at nite because last year I was feasted on by mozzies, primarily on my face. I definitely will be getting a fan to blow on me at nite and might consider a blue light which has been talked about in earlier postings.

Edited June 17, 2013 by watgate

[BarnicaleBob]

For those of you looking for an apartment or condo above the "mosquito line" you will have to find one above 1660 meters or about 5,250 feet. Being that Chiang Mai is only about 300 meters above sea level you will need to live on about the 4o3rd floor. Not sure anything that tall is on anyone's drawing board yet.

[watgate]

For those of you looking for an apartment or condo above the "mosquito line" you will have to find one above 1660 meters or about 5,250 feet. Being that Chiang Mai is only about 300 meters above sea level you will need to live on about the 4o3rd floor. Not sure anything that tall is on anyone's drawing board yet.

Hey that's an idea. On top of Doi Suthep, which is just about at that altitude, is a campground. Maybe I can set up a quasi- residence on top of Doi Suthep and my problems with the mozzies will be solved.