Natural Mossie Repellants

[Tony G]

I was waiting for that one David.

Tony


http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyandjanette

[David Watkins]

[Peter Kuhn]

White Oak Rum!!!!!!!!!!!!

.....David,
for inside or outside ?

cheeeeers Peter

[Gary]

White Oak Rum!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah Drink enough and you can't feel the little ******ers

[Carole Ward]

Hmmm thanks all! Well might try a bit of everything then!! Someone recommended today to stay dirty as they don't like you then, so maybe I wont wash for two weeks haha!

Think I will try the incognito stuff and the citronella oil and buy one of those bug mat things over there, eat marmite, garlic and whatever else I can think of! Might even have to resort to spraying myself with chemicals, but I seem to be getting more and more sensitive to different chemical laden products which is why I wanted to try and avoid them!

[Carol Townsend]

Morning Caroleee,
Wouldn't you think I'd have something better to do on a Sunday morning, like sleep
I know you don't want to use chemicals, but I felt that the insect repellant armbands did work on flying things, as I wasn't bitten " up top". I don't know if they work on sandfleas (or flies) as I couldn't fit them on my ankles. I think the best thing to do is start taking anti hystamines before you go, and while you're there, and put some cream on the bites to stop you scratching in your sleep, which is what makes them worse. Someone here recommended calamine lotion; something I never thought of before I went.
Above all, don't panic if the bites come up in blisters! The locals will tell you to burst them and then go in the sea.Good advice! And being covered in bites ellicits much sympathy and is a great conversation starter!
Happy Guy Fawkes Night! I'm going to a sausage n mash and mulled wine evening, without hubby
Cheers
Carolnoe

[Ronald]

Mossies...
I know many have problems with them, I´ve seen peoples with big marks all over and they do use whatever they can to protect themself.

Myself doesnt´t have so much problem with them. I always, because of my work, have to take my vacation between June - September, the beginning of the rainseason when all mossies are on alert. I´m staying in Bon Accord in the south and there fis orrest and wet areas enought there.

If there´s a lot of mosquitos and flys in the afternoon, than I´m using one of the items creating strong smoke, during the nigh I only use a bug-mat. I never put anything on my body, so far I have never had to do that. But, to have very little problems with the mossies can create an other problem.

Late August, when I came home, I found a big swelling connected to my right collar bone, a big one. I did see my doctor a he told me that most likely it was a bite from an insect, and the body tried to protect itself. The rest of it become encapsulated (if it´s the correct word).

The doctor is from Cuba and they also have one or to mossies there! Most likely an insect did bite me when I was asleep, I did turn around a killed the insect but a part was left in my body. I sometimes find small red spots in the bed in the morning.

For som time it was quite OK and than it start get really big, swollen all over my collar bone, up on my my right side of the throat, got some fever too, really not nice.

After that the problem start getting better, now it´s back to what if once was in August. Next friday a surgery will cut out my "souvenier" from Tobago.

So there´s different sides of the "mossie-problem"
Ronald

[Carole Ward]

Carolnoe ... blisters? Is that what happens then?? From mossies or sandflies?

I might try those armband things as I guess its not as bad as spraying myself with chemicals and inhaling them, shame they dont make ankle bands too then!

Ronald the bite you got sounds very nasty!

I'm worried now, dont want this to ruin my holiday

[Brian Taylor]

don't be! that must have been a very rare "souvenier" he brought from tobago there... most people have no trouble at all....
enjoy
steph

[Carol Townsend]

Caroleee
My blisters came from the sandflies(or fleas).The mossies didn't bother me at all!
You are supposed to be able to wear the bands on your ankles, but you need very slim ankles! Perhaps you have though. Mine swelled up; fluid retention I now think, through not drinking enough water; something else to think about.
Ronald's experience sounds awful, but I imagine it's pretty rare.
Goodnight
Carolnoe

[Ronald]

It is very rare, I´ve been travelling to the Caribbean since 1987 and this was the first year I got a "sovenier" to bring back.

Mostly, when a mosquito in Tobago bite me, I only get a small red spot, sometimes I don´t even feel it, only see it in the morning.

One reason that I don´t have so much problem with mosquitos might be that I´m born and I´d grow up in the northen part of Sweden, a forrest area with many smaller lakes, swamps, and so forth. As an example, at my grand-fathers home, on a mountain hillside but still forest area, it was nearly impossible to be outdoors after 6PM because of the mosqutios!

Eating a sandwich in some parts of the forrest, you have to keep the sandwich into a plastic bag otherwise you get "something extra" to eat!

An other thig is also that the mossies in Tobago is very small compared with our. But England and Scotland does also have some wet areas, no mossies there?
Ronald

[Carol Townsend]

Hello Ronald,
We certainly do have our mossies over here. Scotland is famous, or should I say notorious,for its midges; tiny annoying biting things that swoop onto you whenever you are near water or in the forest. Stand still too long and they attack! I was bitten to pieces in a nature reserve when I was standing still trying to spot a capercaillie ( rare highland bird) which I thought I had heard. You can buy souvenirs with a pictures of midges on them, or even little toy ones;" The Famous Scottish Midge"! As far as I know, they don't cause blisters though!
Carolnoe
Pretending to be some kind of entomologist

[Jane H]

Hi Ronald,

Yes - we have biting insects in England - the notorious Blandford fly. Looks like an innocent housefly - but when it bites.......... And Scotland has it's infamous midges - little, tiny, intensely irritating,biting wee insects that make life a MISERY! They just don't know when to give up - and there's Millions of them - all in the one place you want to be.

Hi Caroleeee

If you are prone to reacting to bites, I really suggest that you start taking anti-histamines before you leave, and keep taking them through your holiday. Something like Clarytin - which you only take once a day - is good and doesn't make you drowsy (or prevent you taking a relaxing libation ). I find that, although I still get bitten, the effect and intensity of the bite is reduced if I already have anti-histamine inside me.

Having said that - don't get hung up on mozzies etc. A few simple precautions will prevent them spoiling things for you - and you WILL have a wonderful time! (Wish I was going away soon - ah well!)

Cheers

Jane

[GillMathews]

Hi Carole,
I am a regular Tobago goer ( In the travelling sense of the word!) and the mossies love me.I use bug mats in my accomodation, particularly at night and keep a fan blowing because they are not heavy enough to fly against the breeze. Air con deters them aswell but its too chilly for me all night.I take Boots own brand Antihistamine which contains Chlorphenamine maleate as a prophelactic measure. It comes in a box of 30 and is much cheaper than most brand name equivalents. I take one at night and half a tablet each morning. Avon dry oil body spray seems to protect my skin from bites quite well but I do allways take Deet with me for ankle protection for trips into the forest etc. Lavender oil rubbed on to itchy bites is very soothing as well as Anthisan cream. Citronella and Lavender oil both sprinkled around my sleeping area also seem to keep the little blighters at bay.I agree with Carolnoe`s locally gleaned advice about bursting blisters when they are small and then bathing in the sea. Twice I have had sand flea bites to my ankles and treated them like that.
I am sure you will find a combination that works for you. I work on the principal that these wee beasties cannot get between me and my annual retreat to the most wonderfull TOBAGO!. Have a simply fabulous holiday.
Gill

[Ronald]

When reading about all kinds of problems some have for the mosquitos, one really must like Tobago to stand the problems every year!

Mostly of the mosquitos doesn´t "like me" so much, and I´m not sorry for that! Once a friend did follow me to Tobago, we came home warm after beeing in the sun. A mosquito did land on me, a small walk and jumped over to my friend and bite her at once! Happen quite often.

I´ve heard that there are different smells (chemical signals) from the body they prefer, would be nice to know what they prefer and not prefer.
Ronald

[David Watkins]

And they like their meat pink

[Ronald]

Aahh, I always have a small tan when going to Tobago, so I maybe isn´t pink enough?
Ronald

[Carole Ward]

Thanks Gill and everyone some good tips there. Ohh the thought of bursting blisters better take a needle with me then for that one! Maybe I will fake tan myself as well so I'm not too pink!!

So these pesky sand flies sounds like they are worse, I have read other reports about them on here. I guess there's no repelling them then, just avoid the beach when the sun is coming up or going down?? Are they just on the beach - sounds stupid I know as they are called 'sand' flies but do they go out of the sand?!

Also what about in the rainforest, what's there to beware of there?!

[Jane H]

Hi Carole

Sandflies - Hugo & I got badly bitten walking on the sand at dusk on our first visit to Kuredu in the Maldives. There we were advised that the way to avoid the majority of bites was to walk either in the sea, or in the soft sand that never gets wet as the wee beasties are most active over the sand that is being gently washed by the sea. Since then, we've kept to that advice, and suffered very little from sandflies. (Mind you - we've uppped the use of repellent too!)

Jane

[Carol Townsend]

Caroleee,
To quote my hero Gaston Jackson;"There's nothing to be afraid of in the Forest."The forest is WONDERFUL. Beautiful and primeval. Didn't get bitten there at all.There is nothing there any worse than on the beach.
Um, I have written about it actually, under Tours and Activities.
Be sure to take some cotton wool and melolin dressing for the burst blisters!
Carolnoe