what are the best mosquito repellants - someone told me garlic capsules are effective but not convinved!

[pipsqueak]

hi we are off to italy in july and i have a fairly bad reaction to mossie bites - not in an allergic life threatening sort of way but in a horrible huge red lump that itches like mad type of way . i also get bitten about twice as much as everyone else . have tried all the ususal repellants including jungle formula /deet /boots own brand etc and depsite very liberal application still get bitten to buggery. to be honest it is getting to hte point that i am becoming less and less keen to go to mossie infested places as it can ruin my trip . i wonder if any one has any tried and tested methods that they recommend - as thread title suggests someone told me that garlic capsules help and i have started taking them on the off chance but not really optimisitic ..please help if you can !

thanks califrau - i've got the zapper- we call it Frank (zappa )but i would love something that stops me getting bitten in the first place! snot fair! am certainly up for a challenge on the vodka front - not my tipple of choice but in the interests of scientific research and all that ...

am fairly sure that someone in turkey told me something about citrus juices?! they definately some sort of fruit i will check with dp who takes more notice of these things! could have been lemon juice maybe?

when i was getting bitten in turkey a cheap repellant spray worked.

I always get bitten very bad.You are not surposed to sit near pooles or stagnant water.The mozzis love me.Can feed off me for 2 weeks.They love perfume and sweet smells..When i went to rhodes i had dot to dot legs and arms.Had so many bites.Most plug ins against mozzies keep them out of your room at night. Also nets.I drink vodka while away on hols.Didnt stop me getting bitten.Bet there was a lot of drunk mozzies.

have just checked with dp and he claims that turkish man we were speaking to swears by lemon juice and marmite/bovril!

thanks for replies so far ... have been doing some intenet research and there is quite a bit of suggestion (anectodatal mainly) that vitamin b1 works but then on other sites it is denied then there is any scientific basis for it so not sure about that one or the side effects of taking vit supplements . spoke to a pal of mine who is a gp and he said taht the boots repellent is effective but is deet based so unlikely to be suitable for dcs too . lemon juice would make sense as the citronella cadles etc are lemon based i presume. right- so far i will have the plug -ins for our rooms / the deet repellent/ frank zappa/ citronella candles at night/ vodka and will have taken about 4 weeks worth of garlic capsules and may be some b1 vits dependant on side effects. i feel a teeny bit more optimistic with all this in place...will feedback early in august !

Have you tried the Avon skin so soft woodland fresh dry skin oil. This is supposed to be good and is not based on any nasty chemicals.

my avon stuff has just arrived, after Mumsnet advice, we are off to scotland. It's half price on their website at the mo.

Avon skin so soft is brilliant, the british army use it according to a ex-squaddie we met in the gambia last year. we all used it there and never got bitten. The bonus is your skin stays soft and you don't dry out in the sun!!

welshdeb/bluesky - I've heard great things about the Avon skin-so-soft for mossie repelling. Could you tell me which items are meant to have these powers? I tried searching on their website for "woodland" but no results.

OK, I've stopped being so lazy and looked through the archives - "Soft & Fresh" oils and lotions! I will buy some very soon!