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Does anyone have any good suggestions for mosi bites, as well as a barrier against their bites. Only over the last 2 years have I started getting bit by mossies in France (strange as we having coming to our house for 5 years) why me I don't know as Steve gets none, he says they only like bad meat I have been told to use creams/sprays etc with a % of Deet. I would appreciate to hear what everyone uses. When my brother-in-law gets bit they go very red and infected and very swollen, last year he had to visit the GP in France and get creams and antibiotics.

Thanks M,

I'm sure Weldon sell plug-ins that are supposed to send out a signal to make it uncomfortable for the little critters so they leave tout de suite and find somewhere else to fly around. I couldn't tell you if they work or not, I'm going to get some for our apt as the first line of defense...

Have just written an article for the next PO Life on mozzies. When I was researching for it, one suggestion I came across several times was the following

Create a mosquito trap by placing a cow in your garden!! Cows give off the chemical signature that mosquitoes crave. They are warm and release certain plant chemicals (from eating grass) and produce carbon dioxide with every breath. Yes, I know. VERY SILLY and not the most practical option but apparently it does work!

Ok when are you coming over..... sorry only joking, you know I love you coming over.

Do you think a cow would get in the back of our car, as I tend to get bitten when I am outdoors in the evening. I wonder if you could buy cow odour maybe lather myself in cow pad.....

The next bad thing to a Mosi.

I have read that using lemon-scented bath oil can help - apparently, the little devils don't like the smell.

I have found plasters in Auchan specifically for mosquito bites. I couldn't get them in the pharmacy at Laroque.

I believe the truth is that everyone gets bitten but only some people react - i.e. are allergic enough to come up in itchy bumps. They've "started biting you now" because you have become allergic to them after a few years of being unknowingly bitten.
The cow idea's not bad because it is true that the mossies find you by smell (and/or carbon dioxide in your breath). There is a stinky kind of cheese (American I think) that smells (to a mossie) like a person so if left out in a bedroom confuses the hell out of them.
If you can't avoid them perhaps try antihistamines?
Webdoc

Oh you have just got to tell us what kind of cheese smells like a person!!!

Limburger:

http://www.ent.wur.nl/NR/exeres/285A769 ... =Published

Julie...Camembert....If feet is anything to go by...

Marguerite & Steve wrote:Does anyone have any good suggestions for mosi bites, as well as a barrier against their bites. Thanks M,

A wet suit!!!!!

Kate wrote: Create a mosquito trap by placing a cow in your garden!! Cows give off the chemical signature that mosquitoes crave. They are warm and release certain plant chemicals (from eating grass) and produce carbon dioxide with every breath.

Kate they are not easy to get!! I checked all the Rayons today at........COWFOUR.

Kate wrote:

Create a mosquito trap by placing a cow in your garden!!

This doesn't actually work. I still get bitten when Julie's sunbathing.

Steve (ducking to avoid incoming flack)

Sorry - forgot to mention the purpose of my reply...

Someone once gave me a little green device about the size of a disposable cigarette lighter (or lipstick if you prefer) which you place over the bite and by pressing a button a few times causes tiny pinprick to just break the surface of the bite. The pin has some sort of magic stuff on it that takes the itch out of the sting and reduces the swelling. If nothing else the relief from the pinprick is enough to satisfy the urge to scratch fo a while. Seemed to be quite effective for me but I can't even remember what it's called in English, let alone French.

Steve - the other half.

Gin and Tonics?
Heavy on the tonic do the trick for me!!!!

RJB wrote:

Heavy on the tonic do the trick for me!!!!

Far be it for me to comment on someone else's drinking habits but shouldn't that be heavy on the gin and just show it the tonic bottle?
A double whammy. Anesthetize oneself against the itching whilst
getting the little bug***s so drunk they fall over unconscious.
That's the sort of deterrent that floats my boat!

Steve -the other half

Unfortunately, it's the quinine in tonic which keeps them at bay ( used to be the treatment drug for malaria years ago) but your plan of attack sounds good Steve!
Beer also supposedly is good as it has lots of Vit B in it.
You could take Vit B tablets as well ...
They are just beginning to arrive chez nous at the moment, there is nothing worse than falling off to sleep, seconds from the land of slumber ville when you get that Bzzzz bzzzzz in your ear. Newspapers are rolled up, air tennis begins and the walls get a slapping. 10 minutes later, the bloody bug is dead but you are wide awake and ready for another G n T!
All jokes aside, we find some of those plug ins are good for keeping the pesky buggas at bay .. must invest.

of course its true the mozzies love the "royal" blood and dont bite the low lifes!! we went on a world trip and my sister in new zealand said take brewers yeast tablets or eat marmite on toast. apparently the yeast comes out of your pores (but we cant smell it) and repels the mozzies. cant stand marmite so tried the brewers yeast and guess what, not one bite! went thru singapore, tahiti, barrier reef etc. I am very fair skinned and usually eaten to death. Also in the house cut a lemon in half and press dried cloves into the cut half and leave to dry out (lasts weeks), this keeps flies rather than mozzies away and makes house smell gorgeous. have one on the table when eating outside. x kate

sorry forgot another tip from new zealand and australia. get a face cloth, a sink of cool water and a few drops of pure tea tree oil. dip cloth in and squeeze out excess water, wash yourself all over with the cloth and let the skin dry naturally. mozzies and flies dont like tea tree oil either. then at night, hang the damp face cloth either at the window if open or somewhere in the room (over the lamp) and it stops any coming in the room. that worked too!

they bite people who have athletes foot or other fungal infections or sweat a lot because they like the smell and the salt.if you mash cooked garlic into cider vinigar and leave it overnight then rub it into your feet and legs between your toes, in your armpits and groin etc you will find the mozzies leave you alone

Pootle wrote:they bite people who have athletes foot or other fungal infections or sweat a lot because they like the smell and the salt.if you mash cooked garlic into cider vinigar and leave it overnight then rub it into your feet and legs between your toes, in your armpits and groin etc you will find the mozzies leave you alone

It won't be the only thing that will leave me alone at night....



Some great suggestions though, thanks to you all.

Phewwww!

[quote="Marguerite & Steve"][quote="Pootle"]they bite people who have athletes foot or other fungal infections or sweat a lot because they like the smell and the salt.if you mash cooked garlic into cider vinigar and leave it overnight then rub it into your feet and legs between your toes, in your armpits and groin etc you will find the mozzies leave you alone[/quote]


It won't be the only thing that will leave me alone at night....



my wifes bites get infected and garlic and vinigar beats the smell of tcp hands down.

Ah well, there could be worse!!

Scientists estimate that in one hour a swarm of the insects can inflict about 3,000 bites and 40,000 midges can land on an unprotected arm over the same period.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scot ... 358666.stm

As long as they only bite Anne and not me why worry!!!

PaddyFrog wrote:As long as they only bite Anne and not me why worry!!!

Michael you are so considerate...