How do you solve a problem with mosquitoes? :)

It's ironic that in many of the countries most plagued by mosquitoes that you rarely see window screens to keep them out. Here in Brazil where Dengue and other mosquito transmitted diseases are a serious problem the chances you'll ever see window screening in use are slim to none. Hard to understand when it's readily available here and so inexpensive.

Worse still it the unexplained phenomenon that some of us (myself included) seem to be "mosquito magnets". We're the ones that these little pests most love to attack and even in a crowd seem to leave everyone else alone.

If you don't want to switch your usual perfume for "Deep Woods OFF" or fill your house with the smoke from mosquito coils then planting lavender is a good idea.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

I got one of these made in St Julian's cost €47+€10 tip.
Two clips hook it onto the door frame.
relianceinterior.com/aluminium_mosquito_frame.html
Look up the Malta directory for window fitters.
As dont have the mans number that fitted mine

Try using a fan in your bedroom to keep them away (literally blows them away). A/C works too usually but it's gonna be costly to run all night every night.

I wouldn't use DEET for household use, it's really toxic. We have occasionally used those electric plug-in things with some kind of chemical on holidays, seemed to work quite well too.

So here is a little update, took my son to Gzira policlinic. Doctor looked at him and asked in shock: Where do you people live?! I was like... In Gzira, 2 streets away, why? Anyway, he prescribed cortison and steroid for the bites, but did not do anything else, didnt even check him or anything. Done in 2 minutes. Mela...

Last night was a pain, we finally had enough once and for all. I have about 30 bite marks since last night, so today we bought a smaller arsenal and we seemed to have killed 90% of them by now.

Thanks for the tip for the windows, will def try it out!

Do you have stagnant water near you or something, as it sounds like there is something more happening?

coxf0001 wrote:

Do you have stagnant water near you or something, as it sounds like there is something more happening?

Probably, as we have 3 construction sites a couple of meters from our house, plus a lots of vegetation.. But hopefully we will be free now

citronella oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, cinnamon oil, castor oil, rosemary oil, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, peppermint oil, clove oil, geranium oil. 

Perfumes are an attractant for mosquitoes. Carbon dioxide is too so any flame will attract them. Your body also gives off carbon dioxide if hot. Dark clothing also initially attracts them. 

Wear long sleeve tops and long trousers.

run a fan facing towards your head overnight whle sleeeping - mozzies are attracted to the carbon doxide you breathe out and the spped of air from the fan makes it almost impossible for them to fly within the stream....

Everyone seems to be mentioning various oils and sprays, aircon and fans, coils and shotguns - I live by the acronym KISS (Keep It Sweet n Simple)

Have you tried one of these for your bed(s):

Mosquito nets for beds

I think that Amazon posts to Malta.....if not I'm sure you can get one locally

Give it a go

Mike

MIke - have you tried waking up in the middle of the night with one of these nets in place and still not quite awake ....lol

I find mozzie nets okay.
Have used them in South Sudan, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and other countries. 

@toonarmy
I get where you are coming from 

toonarmy9752 wrote:

MIke - have you tried waking up in the middle of the night with one of these nets in place and still not quite awake ....lol

An Alo Vera plant is worth having, Alo Vera works well on bites. Just open the leaf and rub on the bite. Of course anti histamine tables are worth having.

Mozzies are a plague from hell!

I just saw a video from an insect expert explaining loads of things about mosquitoes its in Dutch so you'll have to do with my transcript. Interestingly he mentioned that a load of 'common knowledge' facts are not true. He said that:

- Light doesn't attract mosquitoes, some other flies yes, but not mosquitoes, it's the smell of you inside the room that attracts them.
- Ultrasound apps and devices- they don't give a * about that. Doesn't work, don't wast money on it.

- Depending on the type of mosquito they are attracted to different body parts, again based on smell. I personally find that the tiger mosquito seems to love the smell of feet and ankles the most.
- The Citronella stuff might only work if you completely cover yourself in it. Anything else is not very effective
- Your rate of metabolism determines how much of the 400 different chemicals your body emits. The more the better meal you are in mosquito world. Hence certain people are always bitten in a group whereas others not at all.

So, what does work?
- Nets and destruction of habitat/breeding grounds (standing water)
- For personal protection DEET on exposed areas, but this is a strong poison and up to 20% will get absorbed by the skin. Certain areas have reported a DEET-proof-Rambo mosquito strain.
- Eucalyptus oil based remedies offer an even better effective long lasting repellant as it camouflages our body chemicals that the mosquitoes are attracted by making you kinda invisible for them. Non toxic and also kinda smells nice. It might attract Koala bears though if used in large amounts so be careful. I found Chicco Anti-Zanzara (Anti Mosquito) for babies effective. It's for 3+ months and all natural. Guess what? It contains Eucalyptus Maculata Citrodiora oil. Its a white bottle with a green top and retails for 7 Euro per 100ml. It sprays on so you don't use a lot.

Personally I use window screens everywhere and at night I use the blue cards that you put inside this heating device in every bedroom. Every once in a while a rambo mosquito gets through, but in general that works very well and at an affordable price. When outside on the balcony I spray my legs with this Chicco stuff and it really works.

If you are bitten buy 'Fenistil' cream in the pharmacy. It available without prescription, orange and white packaging, works on soothing the itch and prevents you or your kids from scratching and infecting the bite. Just google it.

Everybody unite and good luck on your fight against the little critters!!!

Gratitude for taking the time to do this. 

I concur = we used nets on all doors and windows and ised the mini heaters and blue cards - they work a treat and never had a problem with mozzies.....

out doors there is a Avon bottle of "Skin so Soft which is very very good........at repellling mozzies as it has the deet chem in it

Growing pyrethrum daisies around the place is also supposed to be a good insect repellent.

toonarmy9752 wrote:

I

out doors there is a Avon bottle of "Skin so Soft which is very very good........at repellling mozzies as it has the deet chem in it

Yes, I've heard that it's great stuff and makes your skin Oh so soft

great for dish pan hands  - luckily i have a dishwasher
shes good with the kids too and lives in....
LOL

sorry couldnt resist

I find sleeping with the aircon on keeps them away but that's not practical as my husband can't sleep with aircon and it's rather expensive!! We asked our landlady about the screens and she said no - but I want to revisit it. Anyone have any ideas about costs for fitting screens? We are prepared to offer something toward it but I wasn't sure what we were in for

BrightBug wrote:

I find sleeping with the aircon on keeps them away but that's not practical as my husband can't sleep with aircon and it's rather expensive!! We asked our landlady about the screens and she said no - but I want to revisit it. Anyone have any ideas about costs for fitting screens? We are prepared to offer something toward it but I wasn't sure what we were in for

Just get a small fan that blows across the bed and it will help keep you cool and blow mosquitoes off course!
Alternatively a ceiling fan above the bed does the same.

You could, depending on the type of windows you have, just buy fly screen material, which is cheap, and tape it to the outside the windows as a temporary option.

Ray

Let them bite, enjoy scratching them, and wait until they heal in November.

We got two types of screens for doors and windows last May, didn't cost much at all, but can't remember the exact price at the moment. If you're interested, I can check for you. The guy did superb job as well.

Mosquitoes are certainly a nightmare. In my case I had to finally use a mosquito net for the bed, and this is really the best solution. Mosquito nets on the windows can be quite effective, but you always have to open sooner or later some door, and then at least one or two will enter. In my case the problem is not the bites usually, is the noise they do and the nuisance to sleep. Also, many times they will enter more from certain windows, in my case I keep one window always closed as they enter by there far more. When it gets dark I try to close as much as possible, but of course this nights you need the air breeze.

A very good solution is to spray yourself and the bed with cologne - they don't like one bit - and it is not toxic at all. I tried one of those electric-chemical mosquito killers, and it seems it is more dangerous to humans than to mosquitoes, the mosquitoes keep alive and the humans are bothered by the smell.

What helps a bit is having a full mug of brown vinegar near the bed, but of course, with these heat it will dry off and you have to be replenishing it every 2-3 days and it is bothersome and uneconomic.

My recommendation is simply use a mosquito net for the bed, and if they bother you during the day, mosquito nets on the windows.

If your land lady won't allow screens (even if you pay?) there are elecric plug ins available, into which you put a small tab each evening. I found them very effective in Corfu, when we were being eaten alive. Remember they fly at the start and end of the day, so you don't need so much in the way of protection during the day from them, although flies are something different altogether.
Once bitten, you can use a push button zapper that delivers a small electric impulse. These can tone down the impact quite a bit.  A bit of vick also helps. After that it is back to antihistamine cream. You can smother yourself in Deet, but it is somewhat toxic and best avoided unless really desperate
For those with an interest in an energy approach, tapping the tiple meridian point, between the 3rd and 4th fingers just below the knuckle can help to stabilise the allergic reaction response that gives rise to the discomfort. This can be used in conjunction with the governing vessel point under the nose where the teath meet the gum line. a more intensive approach with EFT can go a long way to lowering sensitivity to this and many other problems.

For bites, I wholeheartedly recommend pure tea tree oil. It is a natural and powerful antiseptic. If applied immediately, it stops the swelling and after about 10 seconds if you can resist scratching, it stops the itch. It also deters mosquitoes somewhat.

Vagrant wrote:

For those with an interest in an energy approach, tapping the tiple meridian point, between the 3rd and 4th fingers just below the knuckle can help to stabilise the allergic reaction response that gives rise to the discomfort. This can be used in conjunction with the governing vessel point under the nose where the teath meet the gum line. a more intensive approach with EFT can go a long way to lowering sensitivity to this and many other problems.

paulolly wrote:

...I wholeheartedly recommend pure tea tree oil...

Second that, tea tree oil is incredibly useful and found it really helpful for bites. It's an acquired smell though, I like it but it does have a pong!

kiwi dan wrote:

paulolly wrote:

...I wholeheartedly recommend pure tea tree oil...

Second that, tea tree oil is incredibly useful and found it really helpful for bites. It's an acquired smell though, I like it but it does have a pong!

And I third that (if that's how you say it!). I reacted badly to mozzie bites last year and tea tree oil was the only thing that helped ease the discomfort.

Thanks, this has reminded me to pack some to see me through until I find where to get it in Malta. Is it readily available in pharmacies?

homoeopathic apis mel can also be helpfull, if you can find a supplier in Malta, otherwise get afriend to send some from UK.

It can be quite expensive, (10ml about 10 euro), but a little goes a long way. 30ml lasted me  and the wife all of last year.

I always pick some up if I go back to the uk and have 100ml   at home