Mosquito bite prevention

[Babycatsmummy]

Hello!

I'm due to go away next month and I always get mauled by mosquitoes. I’ve tried the citronella spray, patches, and jungle related products but nothing helps.

are there any specific tablets or drops I can take that change the taste of your blood or the smell of your hormones ( I’ve read various articles about mosquitoes being attracted to hormones) to keep them away from me?

any advice would be greatly appreciated, I ended up with several nasty infected bites last year on my feet and I couldn’t even put my sandals on 🥺

Jungle formula, don't leave any centimeter of skin uncovered. Plug in for the room that kills them. Burning spirals if you are sat out at night. And apply it during the day after suncream as well. I never get bitten at night, always during the day. I'm beyond allergic and I've been eaten alive on my current holiday despite my best efforts. It's miserable.

I’m allergic to mosquito bites so feel your pain.

I’ve tried most things - sprays, tablets, creams - but the only things that work for me are

really high DEET concentration spray (the tropical climate one!)
staying inside if possible at dawn and dusk
covering up with long sleeves and long trousers
sleeping under a mosquito net sprayed with deet.

I also use the plug ins but not sure how effective they are!

DH is the unlucky person who could cover himself in deet and if he misses just one centimetre he will get bitten there. He always reacts badly to mosquito bites as well and they usually become infected.

Woo products like Skin So Soft, Marmite vitamin B, garlic, bracelets, citronella candles etc might work for those people who aren't that attractive to mosquitoes, but for a walking buffet to mosquitoes like DH they just don't work at all. There is no scientific evidence either that they work.

One thing we have found is that buying a local mosquito repellant has worked well as some products work better in different areas depending on the local mosquito species.

Thank you all for your amazing replies, some new things for me to try out and I am willing to try anything! This is my 4th trip to Italy and each time the bites just get worse so I want to be prepared this time. This is just one of the beautiful bites I was given last year…

I always react really strongly to the first few bites each year, then my body adjusts. It’s amazing how they swell up.

Do you put antihistamine cream or hydrocortisone cream onto your bites? It looks like that might help.

Oof that looks awful, I'm also a mozzie magnet and agree on a multi level approach.

Daytime covering of Deet type repellent, Jungle Formula or local equivalent. In India we got something called Odomos which was very effective. I think I got Autan in Sicily which worked.

Cover up mornings and evenings with long trousers and sleeves. Keep all doors shut at all times, hopefully windows will have screens in Italy, to keep them out of the bedroom.

Take antihistamine and if you do get bitten anoint with tea tree oil instantly.

Skin so soft as insect repellent is an urban myth and no good at all other than a moisturiser.

Good luck!

Skin so soft as insect repellent is an urban myth and no good at all other than a moisturiser.

I agree. I suspect that the people who say it works for them just aren't that attractive to biting insects.

I second @PluckyBamboo advice, I suffer from terrible heat rash so start taking antihistamines a week before I go somewhere hot.

One year in mossie filled Italy I noticed I didn’t seem to be getting bitten, but realised what was actually happening was that I wasn’t reacting to the bites due to the antihistamine in my bloodstream.

Now we all do it and while we did notice some minor irritation from bites on our last trip (Costa rican jungle so bug heavy!) it was very mild.

Mrs White unstung hero - I react badly to mosquitos, have even needed steroids and I get bitten a lot. This spray has worked well for me and is fairly pleasant smelling.

Agree with covering up in loose clothing and buying repellent in the place you’re going.

The stuff we get here is noxious rubbish. Off/Autan is much more pleasant to use so you are more likely to use it properly.

Re the plug ins, do you buy them here or when you get there, and any recommendations?

I've used the hot spoon method to instantly kill the itch and spread. It works great, but be careful not to burn yourself. Anyway I'd prefer not to get bitten at all!

@anyzee I have plug ins that you slide a little tablet inside and then the heat activates the tablet. I think I bought them on amazon. It's a long time ago!

I suffer terribly however just back from hols and there was noticeably fewer mosquitos, still got a couple of bites but the difference was amazing, so fingers crossed for you - Valencia region and think they have had a programme to reduce the amount of them, hopefully other areas are doing likewise. I use haley (get in local pharmacies and baby cologne) but the reduced number has had the biggest impact.

Agree with the above. Something like Zirtek works for me. Also use a spray with the highest level of Deet. I think it's 50%.

Incognito. It’s recommended by WHO as actually working, but isn’t as toxic and smells nice.
The roll on one is really handy for ankles and wrists without a fog of mosquito spray in your face

Long sleeves where possible. Especially pjs.

I'm a mozzie magnet, apparently I taste good. The only thing that works for me is DEET. Evil stuff and I don't like using it, but it's preferable to spending the holiday covered in bites and popping antihistamines.

I used to suffer terribly but now I use the extra strength repellent, lemon scented toiletries but most importantly I have one of the electric heat plate things that you zap your bites with. Utter game changer, I've had holidays ruined with bites, huge welts, seeping disgusting puss etc but since I bought one of these it's just not a problem. It denatures whatever it is you take a reaction to and really takes the itch out of the bites. It's not the clicker, it's a small hot metal thing and it does smart for a second but the relief is unbelievable

I'm like you and the Pestects bracelets work for me, I wear them on one wrist and the opposite ankle and have not been bitten even on holiday out in the evenings. They do smell to start with but that wears off and you can keep them on in the pool.

All the urban myth remedies like Skin So Soft/Garlic/VitB tabs then the wrist bands nothing works if your a magnet to be bitten. I am not so bad but DH gets bitten through trousers/socks and long sleeves, and the 50% DEET is always on and we also use a net to sleep in dependant where we are. Believe me we have tried everything going. Oh and anti mozzie clothing...did not work....

We live in the Tropics and are always careful, but if your a buffet you will get caught out, the electric plug ins and spraying a room before you leave help as does a fan and A/C.

Wear long sleeves and trousers try and have a coil on if outside of an evening, and remember not all mozzies are out at night, some are early morning and late afternoon esp the Aedes mosquito (sadly between us we have had both Dengue and Chikungunya which is spread by the Aedes mozzie)

For night time buy a plug-in (locally so the plug fits). Raid is the Johnson & Johnson brand, available everywhere. Henkel makes one with various names. Some supermarkets have their own brands. The little bottles all have slightly different screw sizes, of course, to stop you switching. But they do work very well.

My daughter and I have both had reactions like that to bites in the past, it’s murder! Had to get a prescription last time-think it was antihistamines and it went down quite quickly after that. The best piece of advice I’ve had and find it helps is to not use anything overly perfumed as that attracts them. So no perfume/body spray at all, minimally scented body wash/soap, and try not to use too much hairspray. In addition to wearing repellent. I have def found I get bitten a lot less when following this protocol!

Dengue fever and West Nile virus deaths have occurred in Italy. Use Jungle Formula and don’t go out at dusk/in the evening. Take the strongest antihistamines you can get hold of. I have spent enough time in Italy and Lapland to use every chemical available to avoid bites.

Italy also has had Chikungunya.

If you know anyone going to Thailand beg them to bring some of this back for you. It is amazing and really works for me - and mozzies/spiders/bloodthirsty critters love me.

I always used to get bitten but have been using mosquito milk the last few years and have noticed much fewer bites.

www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/shop/products/Mosquito-Milk-Insect-Repellent-Roll-On-50ml_0005851