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?

I love the smell of Skin so soft. Not sure how effective it is (I bought it for a September trip to Scotland, but cold weather and wind scared the nudges off!). Good luck OP I’m also a mosquito magnet.

Not many mosquitos in France due to it being so dry and little water where they would breed.

OP check there aren’t any water sources where larvae may be hatching eg uncovered water butt.

Buy some nets for the windows; they usually have Velcro or magnets to fasten. Get some spray and check the room at night.

Again, there isn’t such thing as people who do and don’t get bitten but some of us have more allergic reactions than others.

Again, I disagree with you.
Why do some people get bitten and others don't?
Mosquitoes swerve me to bite DH if he isn't covered in insect repellent. If he misses so much as 1 cm of skin then he gets bitten there.

That’s easy, swipe them off if you see them😂 It’s the buggers you don’t see that cause the big lumps on your legs. There is something in that they like people who are hotter than those near them. So dress cooler and let your husband do all the running about on holiday!

Have you tried coconut oil on your legs? Mosquitos don't affect anyone the same, they are attracted to staph bacteria on skin. If you've got a lot of it, you get bitten a lot more. Now that is a useful bacteria for lots of reasons - but coconut oil can help stop it from being detected.

Hydrocortisone will help. A pharmacist will have a bag of tricks that really soothes the bites.

Mosquitoes are much more attracted to people with blood type O.
Guess what type I am.

DH is A+ and is very attractive to mosquitoes, and I am O- and mosquitoes aren't interested in me.

I just found this article:

Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others? - BBC Future

There's other factors involved too - your Type A DH must have other mosquito-attracting features about him.
But research shows mosquitoes will choose Type O blood over othere:
https://ourbloodinstitute.org/blood-matters/mosquitoes-blood-type/

Haven't seen anyone suggesting those electric rackets to zap the mosquitoes yet. We swore by them when we lived in the Caribbean. (One memorable occasion I was killing over 500 a day...).

Miserable for you @ZanyOpalPoet. We were bitten in Northern Norway earlier this year (mostly on the head for some reason), and although it wasn't nearly as bad, it was very trying indeed for that bit of what was a brilliant holiday.

I would ask a local pharmacist what to use, they'll have the best local knowledge and know what's available.

Anything you can do to not let it spoil your holiday, do that. But get advice from locals if you can.

Well I'm O- and they pick me over anyone else in the room 🙄

I’m A+ and very tasty 🥲

A here too.

And last night - here in England - I was massacred - seven attractive lumps all down the leg that was hanging out of the bed…

Yes those bats are brilliant. I have two one for downstairs one for upstairs. They work well on flies generally and wasps.

So I grew up in North America so forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never understood the widespread lack of window screens in mosquito prone areas of Europe. I find it way simpler to keep the skeeters OUT to begin with than having to use all these chemicals to get rid of ones that have already entered…..

Absolutely agree. When I lived somewhere prone to them I had thick/ full net curtains in my bedroom and though screens would have been better the nets really helped. The evil little beasties couldn't get through the nets.