Advice needed on severe mosquito problem at Tuscany holiday rental

[ZanyOpalPoet]

Hello

I would really welcome some friendly guidance please. I’m currently on a family holiday in Tuscany with my husband and two DDs (under 10). It’s a beautiful place with a pool - with 99% of reviews 5*. However, we are being eaten alive by mosquitoes. We have been here about 36 hours and between us have 120+ bites. We have bought local mosquito spray from a pharmacy, have bracelets, itch cream. The place is an old building so no ac. We knew this when we booked it. It’s also been extreme heat weather the last couple of days - topping 40 degrees. The neighbouring buildings have nets at the window but the place we are staying at has nothing. The host is away so there was not an introduction or any hand over welcome. The only protection the host provided was these vape devices (like calpol plugin) which he told us the morning after the first night. He said we need to plug in and buy the refills from the supermarket. Today after squishing two mosquitoes full of blood in a space of minutes after waking up after sleeping for about 2 hours the whole night- I messaged the host. He advised us to go and get a mosquito net from this ‘China store’ as it’s a national holiday here in Italy and everything closes. He only offered to pay when I said I wasn’t happy having to pay to so my family can be protected from mosquitoes. I have complained to the intermediary organisation I booked it through and at first after providing evidence they said they would connect me to an advisor who then contacted the host. The host has advised to put these vape machines on, open the windows to air the house and it should all be ok. We have said tonight we will try but within minutes misquitoes have flown in. We have also sat in darkness the last two nights. The intermediary company have said because the host has offered these vape devices he doesn’t have to honour a refund. I’ve paid a lot nearly £2k for a week as it is a special birthday. I don’t know what to do. If I was in England I would leave and go home but the flights are 1000 euros+ to get back to the UK. I am so upset. Can anyone offer advice please?

The plug in chemical repellents have plenty of evidence to show they are effective. Could you get more of those maybe?

Mosquito nets over beds. Fans trained on your face as the mosquitoes can't fly in a breeze. Sleep under a thin sheet so as to minimise skin exposure.

During the day, long loose layers and spray ankles/wrists/arms/hats with proper mosquito spray - as strong as you can stand. You can spray the surface of your clothes and I also spray both sides of my shirt collar and turn it up to protect my neck.

If you can see any standing water around the property, add a drop or two of eco washing up liquid. This will disrupt the surface tension of the water so the mosquitoes can't lay their eggs and any larva will sink below the surface.

But don’t you think it’s in the owner to take measures against them? Nets, screens etc? Imagine if you went on holiday to Florida and the villa was crawling with roaches, would that be ok, it’s normal right? No, it’s down to the owner to stop pests.

This is the absolute best solution for bites. I get regular cellulitis and this stops me itching and aggravating the bites.
You can use a hot teaspoon in an emergency too.
To prevent the mozzies coming in, you need to close the windows at dusk. You need to have the plugins in every room and use a proper product in them (jungle formula). Use a DEET based scream to ward them off. If they are that prevalent then citronella etc won't cut it. Buy an insect spray that kills mozzies and every night an hour before bed, spray your room.

it wasn’t clear to me if you actually bought the mosquito nets… my advice would be to get them for the rooms you sleep in, you can get really cheap ones with a roll of sticky-backed Velcro that goes around the window frame, then you stick the net onto that. Kill off any mosquitoes in the room by putting on the plug-in with doors and windows closed, then if you want to be extra safe, leave it on when you sleep, but with windows open as they’re kind of toxic (nets up by now obviously). Don’t ever have windows open and lights on after dusk, and avoid having windows or doors open at mosquito o’clock (5-8 pm ish). I have nets and would never open my windows without them tbh. Sit outside in the evening, and light mosquito coils. For all the repellent/ coils/plug ins, check they say ‘efficace contro la zanzara Tigre’ as that’s the wee bastard that bites during the day. Oh, and don’t follow pp advice to go to the seaside, depends very much on where you go and near me they’re a hundred times worse at the beach!

I live in England and my neighbour has had nets to avoid wasps getting in at some points, that doesn’t mean that me and everyone in England are required to have them. The op, however, is very much entitled to mention this when she leaves a review.

You can buy the nets very cheaply from the bizarre type shops. (Couple of euros)
Check there is no still water around , pond , plant pots etc
You need not mosquito spray containing deet. Nothing else works keep bedroom doors closed

There is a spray that you can spray also outside in the immediate area of the windows. But the Vape Machines on near teh wondows from 5pm onwards and also during the night . Yes get the cheap nets and sick over window frames with blu tack ( its called PRIT Patafix) and teh owner should pay for them !!!

Sounds totally miserable and I agree the owner could have made more of a bloody effort. I am getting mozzie bites in the UK this year having never had them before, so I can only imagine how bad it is in Italy.

make sure you don't trap a mosquito in the net - that is even more uncomfortable. The only thing you can do is ensure the bedroom doors are closed at all times (once you have killed every mosquito in there) and do not open windows either. In the chinese shop you can get the mesh netting that you can put across the windows with velcro if you need a window open in the bedroom.

Everything lemon….cut fresh lemons and rub them all over your skin…lemon body wash, candles etc. no perfume or scented creams on you or the family. Leave cloves and coffee grounds burning throughout the house. Good luck x

Burn fresh ground coffee on a plate, this usually works for me, but also consider wind direction.

Don’t do that with lemons!! It’ll give them chemical burns in the sun!

Why are people so anti DEET and coming up with these wacky ideas?

I've never thought of mosquitos as something the host should be protecting me from. We were eaten alive in Finland once. We bought what we needed from the pharmacy, on local advice.

It stinks but it works

Not read full thread - Has the house got electric fans ? - they are supposed to deter mosquitos when on. Put any/all fans on at night or when needed.

Lemon shower gel and strong deet mosquito spray. Marmite is supposed to put them off, as is garlic.

There is no scientific evidence to support that marmite, garlic, drinking beer, wearing bracelets or any other woo suggestions work if you are a mosquito magnet. According to Which? their don't buys are bracelets and citronella spray.

Research shows you should use a repellent containing one (or more) of the following active ingredients that are scientifically proven to repel mosquitoes: Deet, IR3535, icaridin or PMD.

Take a piriteze every day as it takes the swelling away and stops the bites having an impact

also see an Italian pharmacist as they have some good sprays

Mosquitos lay their eggs in damp ground or still water. But they don't fly well, so avoid the pool in the evening, shady area which maybe hiding damp or water. Although it has been so hot, maybe there is a leaking pipe somewhere?
Fans, deet spray and electric mosquito killers from the local supermarket will be your friends.

Autan Protection Plus is your friend, easy to get in any Italian pharmacy. Also mosquito nets for the windows (zanzariere rullino) and for sleeping (zanzariere da letto). With the rullino you can leave the windows open during the day but do close them from dusk to morning. Point a strong fan across the room during the night, mosquitos are not good fliers. The host should've provided the nets.

This is the correct answer.

I didn’t know mosquito bite allergy had a name! I suffer terribly: when I arrive somewhere the word goes out and the mosquitos are ready for an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Once in Italy the bites were all over my face - huge swellings - so embarrassing. I also have decades-old scars on my legs from some particularly awful bites I got walking by the East River in NY.

Anyway - even if the holiday property is somehow secured against all mosquitos (impossible), the most likely time to be bitten is early-mid evening, when you are probably planning to be outside eating.

Avon Skin So Simple - if Amazon will deliver

You need to be careful being in the pool much earlier than you’d think. I’m away at the moment (different country) and I make my kids put bug spray on if they’re still in the pool later than 4.30. How effective it is when they’re swimming I’m not sure but that seems to be a risky time here so it is working. We tried incognito one year and it was absolute shite and we were all stung to buggery. Back to using deet and while we’ve all had a couple of bites, it’s not been too bad and mainly the bites have come when we’ve been out and not been judicious enough with the bug spray.

The villa we’re in has mosquito nets on all windows and doors and I wouldn’t stay anywhere in a mosquito zone without. You’ve learnt a hard lesson there I’m afraid and it is a shame you’ve not been able to enjoy your holiday. Really the owner should have had nets but if the listing was clear on that, I’m not sure you have much come back.