Thanks sanji,

I was sure that you couldn`t use the two together, but the other mums yesterday thought I was completely bonkers!! Any ideas as to what Katie could use with her sun lotion, or are we best just letting the little blighters bite!! she takes clarytin for her hayfever, so has an antihistamine in her which I suppose is a bit of a bonus if she does get bitten. Also I don`t like the idea of a 9 year old putting all this stuff on themselves.

Any more advice very much appreciated.

ndshelton, we use Jungle Formula Extra strength with 50% deet when we go away and I have used this on Katie for the past 2 years she is 9. She has ezcema and gets hayfeaver. Her skin was fine after using it every evening for 2 weeks. See if you can get a sample of the avon stuff to try, it might be too scented for his skin if it is very sensitive.

Thanks katiesmum..that puts my mind at rest a bit...just dont want him getting eaten alive ...nicole

Nobody seems to have mentioned lately .
Covering up after dusk...it's as simple as that.
I've worn thin cotton trousers at night with elastic bands around my ankles so that the little blighters cannot get up my trouser legs....also a cotton long sleeved top...not very fashionable or eye catching, but certainly works and I couldn't give a monkeys what other people thought did I want to flash my tan off during the evenings or get bitten to death and be thoroughly miserable,? that was the choice.!
I use to make my kids wear (lightweight) long trousers at night or shorts and long socks up to their knees...plus a long sleeved top, but vanity and fashion dictates what goes these days and that's a pity, because there are plenty of fabrics available in the shops that keep you cool and looking "summery" .without the necessity to flash flesh for the mozzies.

Don't sit next to flowers, shrubs and stagnant water, close windows and doors at dusk, keep the light off, they are attracted to light bulbs plug in a contraption and if nobody has any known allergies or health problems, then essential oils used in various ways can help deter them don't use perfume

Talking of the "plug in" tablet contraptions .I can personally state that I cannot tolerate them, and after a few nights usage, I started getting a sore throat and a tight chest, they are after all, a porous tablet impregnated with insecticide/pesticide I now use the ones that emit a noise that is hardly audible to the human ear, but sends mozzies and other flying insects crazy and they pee off to bite someone else I just leave it plugged in day and night for the duration of the holiday.

I guess some of you will be thinking what planet am I on.? Talking about wearing trousers and putting elastic bands around the ankles
Well, about 15/17 years ago I went to Icmeler, Turkey and I got bitten to death"¦to the point of having nearly 40 bites on my legs alone we counted them.!
I ended up in bed 24 hours before we flew home and each hour the allergic reaction to the bites got worse I knew full well that if I had called a doctor out, then I wouldn't have been flying home.
I landed at Manchester and couldn't walk from the terminal to the waiting taxi because of breathing problems, and had to have assistance"¦to cut a long story short, I was admitted into hospital for the next 8 days, where I had steroids, antihistamine injections, antibiotics, an intravenous drip and put on a neubuliser and I've still got the scars today on my legs, they just don't fade or tan over....and that`s the Gods truth.!

Having said all that"¦Today I personally still wouldn't spray myself with deet or any other known chemical.
A very long time ago, I did once buy a spray at a "boots" branch at the airport (we were going to Greece) and being covered up, I just sprayed lightly around my feet/ankles and the backs of my hands/wrists the spray must have caught my nail polish and it disintegrated it into a "guey" treacle like mess in seconds"¦the spray it went straight in the bin you also have to watch the plastic on spectacles with it too.

SanJi x

Sanji

I sympathise with you totally regarding having an allergic reaction to bites.
I too have an allergic reaction on occassions. Last year I had a couple of bites on my arms, right on the muscle. It swelled up so much that I looked like popeye after eating his spinach and as for the bingo wings that appeared the other side of my arm, well. I was in agony to the point I was in tears. The pains lasted for about three days before the antibiotics given by my doctor kicked in and I tell you during those three days I would have rather have given birth to an elephant, I have never experienced pain like it.

For some reason I tend to get bit more when I'm in bed. If our bedroom windows are open they have to fly over my hubby to get to me but he never gets bit, they seem to make a bee line for me. On that note I will go back to what you said about wearing trousers with elastic bands around the ankles and a long sleeved shirt to avoid getting bit. Not very sexy in bed, but then again it might stop the little blighter getting up my trouser legs

Regards
Jackie

Hi. Think I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd heard from my son in Corfu who'd had loads of bites. Well he's home now and like some of you has had an allergic reaction. His leg had swollen from the side of his foot to half way up his calf. Also a large swelling from his wrist extending someway up his arm. He's on a course of antibiotics from his GP at the moment and thankfully they seem to be working. I'm just glad that he was only away for 1 week as if he'd gone for a fortnight he'd probably have left it a bit longer before seeking medical advice and I dread to think the state he'd be in by then.

He was the only one of his group that used mossie repellant (jungle formula wipes and after sun with repellant ) and the only one who got bitten. Odd or what?

It's all about the blood I'm afraid. If you have a certain blood group it's been proven that your more appealing to the little blighters. Hence why 2 people same bedroom, one gets bitten to bits the other doesn't.

There was long article in the BMJ last year about this subject and they had proven the findings with human guinea pigs. They used a plastic box and people put their arms in and they let loose some mossies

It concluded that all these people prone to severe bites could do was to cover up and spray on the repellant and hope for the best.

Yep, I read that mossies prefer the blood group O, then group A and finally group B.
In a room of mixed groups the mossies will "home in" on group O first, however, should there be no group O in the room, then an A or B group will suffer just as much as anyone else.

It is indeed all to do with the blood, but more specifically the protein found in human and animal blood that the female mossie needs, in which to develop the fertile eggs that she is carrying hence it is always a female that bites you.!
Mossies feed on plant nectar and the sugar is turned into energy for flight, the blood requirement is reserved solely for the egg issue.
Mossies "home in" on us through the CO2 that we exhale from our breaths and this constant stream of CO2 is like air traffic control, guiding in an aircraft through thick fog heat given off and bacteria found on our skins, perfumes and sprays also guide them in.

Once the female has been guided in to land on you, she then decides if you are a suitable meal by doing the following .
She has a feeding tube a bit like a hollow needle, that she pierces the skin with and ejects a small amount of saliva at the same time, this saliva is very important because it stops any blood meal from clotting while the blood is siphoned off through the feeding tube.
If the meal is not to her liking, then off she fly's, this may explain why people say things like . " had a few mozzie bites, but hardly noticed them, didn't bother me at all""¦"¦that's because a FULL meal was not taken, and only the saliva left behind would give indication that she had been there at all.
The saliva is what actually causes the itching and allergic reaction, this then makes the bodies immune system kick in and attack the chemicals in the saliva hence a bump, lump or inflamed spot on the skin. scratching the irritation and introducing bacteria from under the finger nails is what makes the bites become infected.

Taking various tablets "¦"¦
It has been proven that the aroma that we naturally expel through the pores of our skin also has an effect on whether we get bitten or not.
This is why taking tablets prior and continuing throughout the holiday is important
Garlic for example will be carried around in the bloodstream and then filtered through the kidneys to be expelled as pee, but also whilst in the bloodstream oozes out through the pores of the skin with sweat.
The garlic masks the natural invitation of a sweet smelling, nice clean meal for the mossie.
This may also explain why the locals don't get bit as much..... Mediterranean diets are naturally rich in garlic and herbs, and eaten everyday, they will supply a constant level in the bloodstream.
The bodies immune system also becomes to recognise that the chemicals in the saliva is no threat and the natural attack mechanism is not put into "overdrive".

When you've ended up in hospital through mossies and nearly had an heart attack from cockroaches, then you learn all you can to avoid them both....even if I look a p*ll*$k in the process.
SanJi x

Have bought some garlic capsules to begin to taking, but I bought odour controlled ones. My friend has since pointed out that these will not work as the mozzies won't be able to smell the garlic on me! Is this true? I feel a little foolish now......

Odourless garlic capsules will work.

Some people take garlic capsules everyday for various health benefits, but some of the components of garlic, which provide such benefits are destroyed in the stomach by the gastric juices and enzymes.
Garlic being pungent can also irritate the delicate lining of the stomach and having a garlic breath is not acceptable by some people.

To overcome this, garlic capsules are coated in a type of "plastic""¦this coating is not broken down in the stomach and therefore solves the problems previously mentioned.
The garlic itself is not odourless, it is the coating that stops the pungent smell being absorbed on its way down from the back of the throat until it is pass the stomach"¦and the odourless terminology refers to this.

When the capsule reaches the small intestine, then the "plastic" coating is broken down and the garlic is released and absorbed through the small intestine into the bloodstream"¦so, in answer to your question
Yes, you will have garlic in your bloodstream and this will taint your blood and sweat....and the mozzies will smell it.

Don't forget though......that odour tainting of the blood and skin will depend on the amount of garlic consumed and therefore its effectiveness....some people think that having it on your breath is an added bonus in the fight against the little

Me"¦I'd drown myself in it.

SanJi x

My husband has been taking odourless garlic capsules for years now for health problems and has never been bit once. Me, I take nothing and the little have a field day on my ankles and feet although I never see anything I get bitten to pieces. I've tried remedies in the past and they still bite, so what do I do next?

I think I would start taking the capsules
Kath x

Hi,

Anyone used cinronella (don`t know how to spell it), someone said to try it on Katie when she goes away for her weekend. A dab behind the ears, on the wrists and on the ankles. (they also said she can use it with her sunlotion as its only a dab). All advice appreciated, I`ve not come across it before. Many thanks

Citronella is a well known anti mossie solution. You'll find that as an ingredient it's in lots of anti mossie bite lotions etc. They also put it in outdoor candles to keep them at bay........personally I hate the smell but it does work and I believe it's a natural ingredient so sholuld be safe.

Our health food shop sells the Citronella oil, they advised that you should look for it listed as the first item in the list of what lotions contain for it to be it's most useful. Most other lotions contain Deet which also stinks but it's not natural and therefore I'd say Citronella is safer but I'm sure poeple will argue the Deet is more effective.

I always use Autan spray and it works really well for me and not too pungent

No No No.! .....IMO

The only 2 essential oils that you can use neat on your skin are, lavender and Tea tree....all the others must be mixed with a carrier oil like almond, peach, jojoba oil. etc or basic lotions or alcohol...but NOT baby mineral oil.

Lavender oil is a good insect repellent but even this should be used with caution, a few drops acts as a sedative...too much it becomes a stimulant.
Citronella oil is one of the ingredients of Avons SSS...0.10% derived from Cymbopogon Winteratus which is a variety of the citronella plant. .....thats the secret folks of why it works

Put citronella on her socks by all means, but not on the skin and certainly not behind the ears, this area is sensitive, otherwise why would we be advised to do a patch test behind our ears, when using things like hair dye for example.?

Do NOT put it in sun lotions, unless you want to have a bad case of sunburn.
Citronella is relatively safe, but should be avoided if you intend to be out in the sun.

SanJi x

I would only use a repellent containing DEET if I was going to a known Malaria area - in Europe you just need something that will deter the blighters from biting you and don't need an insecticide. Citronella is the only thing I've found that protects from the dreaded Scottish midges and we are just entering the peak season for them up here. My local pharmacy sells it in small bottles in a form suitable for dabbing stright on to the skin - I'm sure that most pharmacies will if you explain what it is for.

I know it's not particularly practical for kids but covering up with light coloured clothing is better than dark. The blighters are designed to see in the dark! So their eyes are sensitive to the infra-red end of the spectrum - they zoom in on us because they can 'see' the heat we are radiating. Dark colours radiate heat more effectively than light colours and white clothing will make you less visible to them.

As will staying off the alcohol! Alcohol consumption dilates the bloodvessels and results in core body heat being dissipated (which is why that keg of brandy around the necks of St Bernard dogs probably made people more susceptible to dying of exposure rather than saving them!) and will make you 'glow' in the dark even more and turn you into a beacon for the mozzies. This is why 'women of a certain age' can end up being bitten to death while their menfolk escape unscathed!

SM

Yep, I agree with the above...the colour blue is also reported to attract them.

For anyone who wants to make a blend using citronella the ratio is.....
2-5 drops of essential oil into 5 millilitres of base oil
4-10 drops ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,10 ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
6-15 drops,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,15 ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, (approx 1/2 ounce)
8-20 drops,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,20 ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
10-25 drops,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,25,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
12-30 drops,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,30,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,(approx 1 ounce)

5mls =1 teaspoon
10 mls =1 dessertspoon
15mls = 1 tablespoon

To make a synergistic insect repellent blend....which is a blend of oils that all work together....

Thyme 4 drops
Lemongrass 8 drops
Lavender 4 drops
Peppermint 4 drops...all mixed with carrier oil as per the ratio above.

SanJi x

I get bitten - but thankfully never really badly - the handful I do get itch like mad though.

Citronella has worked really well for me - I left cotton wool pads scattered around the bed and used a skin spray from lakeland based on citronella that worked amazingly.

I might try the garlic capsules too this year - at night I always sleep covered by a sheet - the reason feet and ankles get bitten is often because they are the exposed bits at the end of the bed!

Also i will be taking an antihistamine every day for hayfever and this should help

The reason locals and people at the end of their hols don't get bit so badley is because of the changes in diet - and the fact that sun exposure make the skin thicken slightly so the mozzie can't get through so easily

Thanks again sanji,

Put off the citronella, thought it was too good to be true. After all she is only 9, the teachers have made it very clear they will not help the children at all with either insect repellant or sun lotion. Think I might have to leave the insect repellent unless anyone can advise what she could use hereself, but that she can use with sun lotion (she gets slight ezcema). I would rather she is fully protected from the sun, she will be taking her antihistamines for hayfeaver, so hopefully if she was unlucky enough to get bitten then it might not react too much.

Was going to get some of the insect repellant wipes she could use in the evening time, its just the day time!

Any help very much appreciated.

Hi Katiesmum,

I don't know if they still do it but my Mum speaks highly of a combined sunlotion and insect repellent that Boots did in their own brand Soltan range last year. She is both highly susceptible to insect bites and has sensitive skin that reacts badly to a number of allergens - she had exzema as child but no longer. If you've the time it might be worth trying to get some and doing a small skin patch test on your daughter.

SM