Never had any bites in the Canary Islands

One of my sons always reacts badly to mosquito bites, but he was not bitten at all (none of us were) in Tunisia this August. And like the previous poster, we had no bites in Gran Canaria in February. I think you need to watch the month as well as the destination, as some times of year are worse than others.

Benidorm - to be honest we never even seen mozzies there

I have tried absolutely everything I can lay my hands on to avoid the bites including taking tablets before I go, "local" remedies, the strongest Deet available, garlic, lemon, Vit B and many many more.

My son is just about to go to Ethiopia on a humanitarian project, and has lent me his Cadogan Guide called Bugs, Bites and Bowels by Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth, who actually lectured to his course at Cranfield Uni earlier this year on health hazards when travelling.

I strongly recommend this book for its detail and simplicity of reading. However it is NOT directed just at gap year or other students but travellers of all ages visiting foreign shores.

Concerning mosquito bites, you should investigate areas which are particularly dangerous as regards malaria which is carried by mosquitoes, but other diseases can also be carried by mosquitoes. Even if your mossie is healthy, you may react to the bites! You should not play around with 'local' or even homeopathic or natural remedies, because they DO NOT HELP (so that knocks on the head garlic, vit B (and Marmite) and the lemons!). If you are going to an area that has a malaria risk - even slight - or has biting mosquitoes (and you may find them closer to home than you might care to
think, please consider a course of antimalarials which need to be started before you leave home and continued when you get back. It is a false economy, for which you might pay with your life, if you only take tablets when you arrive (and local ones at that).

The good doc recommends using DEET as a topical protection, suggests showering before dusk, covering yourself with repellent from dusk to dawn - when the mossies are at their worst - sleeping under a mosquito net (preferably DEET treated), protect your ankles with socks, and if you have a gap between a shirt/t shirt and your neck to put a neckerchief or scarf there to 'seal' it.

She also suggests wearing light coloured, long and loose clothes and avoiding wearing perfume and smelly soaps and also shiny jewellery because mosquitoes are attracted to these things. They also like smelly feet ...

To help with bits, she mentions EURAX cream, (which you are likely to have to buy before you set off in the UK) or as a last resort, minty toothpaste.

Thank you for all your replies, I think maybe I should do some studying on times of the year etc. Plus as Tunisa was mentioned I might look at that. Maybe that would be similar to Egypt????

The arid southern resorts in the Canary Islands are worth considering because the volcanic rock (which is the geographical core element of the Islands) acts as a sponge and soaks up any land surface water after a rainfall, however, further north where there is more rainfall and lush greenery, you will find a lot more mosquitoes.
The Canaries also have plenty of natural mosquito predators like cockroaches, dragonflies, lizards and bats...a bat can consume millions of mosquito larva in a day.

A word of caution......The minty toothpaste remedy is based on the bicarbonate of soda that's in the "paste" types of toothpaste as a gentle abrasive to clean the teeth, plus the cooling of menthol.
Bicarbonate of soda has local anaesthetic and anti irritant properties, ..therefore the gel type toothpastes don't work and some people have reported their skin being burnt when applying toothpaste on their face as a self remedy for a zit because of the high levels of hydrogen peroxide in mint flavoured whitening toothpaste's and gels.
They applied a small blob on the zit and let it dry to a crust and later washed the remainder off, but they found that when they washed off the toothpaste, it had actually burnt their skin....so check what's in your minty toothpaste before putting it on a mozzie bite.

Sanji
PS: There are no mosquitoes in Iceland, you might pick up a good deal there at the moment.

I've learned my lessons (many of them) the hard way. And it's hard to visit a range of hotter destinations and avoid the blighters completely. I've another frequent major mosquito casualty on holiday.

I now will try to only book accommodation virtually on a beach, and preferably somewhere with a good sea breeze, and places to eat on the beach or right by the sea. Oh, and at least at first floor level away from drains! Evenings, I don't venture away from the beach, and the little blighters leave me alone much more. All that, and I shower and change before dusk and use bucket loads of DEET repellent, and have mosquito coils everywhere on my balconies. It's the only way, other than choosing the same small repertoire of destinations for ever.

One of the places I suffered least was Morocco (Marrakech... no sea - and Essaouira). That was end of March and hot inland, a bit cooler in Essaouira by day (chilly by night there).

PS: There are no mosquitoes in Iceland, you might pick up a good deal there at the moment.

Are you sure? That Kerry Katona looks like she might have a few flies buzzing about her!!!

i also have terrible reactions to bites

places ive found ok

USA (probably because of all the aircon)
Dominican republic

Greece in sept/oct

Lanzarote in Jan

i think the time of year really does affect the mossies

worst place ever was Turkey

We had a lot of bites in Crete at the end of October.

Disney World is good because they spray it very thoroughly every night. We also had no bites in Arizona, if you fancy the Grand Canyon!

Before you go booking Tunisia or anywhere, I should post a question on the appropriate forum page to check on as many people as possible's experiences. I should hate you to go just on my word and it turned out we were just very lucky!

Worst place - corfu - Still have the scars, they formed the biggest blisters ever (size of a 10p) - as much as I loved the place - I wouldn't rush to go back- for this reason alone.

2nd Worse: Gran canaria

3rd Lanzarote

Funnily enough they didn't effect me as much in tenerife - although I wasn't completely "Let off"

In all the years I have been going to benidorm, (Different months too) - I have never been bitten once !

Belly

To be honest, I get bitten no matter where I go - even the midges here at home target me! However, the worst place so far for me has been the Costa del Sol - I've been there twice - once more than 25 years ago - and I still have the scars from the bites I got. The last time - a few years back, like someone else has said, I had blistered bites the size of 10p pieces which became so badly infected I had to go to the doctor.

Thanks to everyone it appears that everyone is different in each place. Maybe if you have the type of blood the mozzies like you are doomed no matter where you go.

Still cant decide must take our time and research lots and lots.

Hi Allipops, I have just seen this post. Tunisia is relatively mosquito free, but a few years ago they invaded Mahdia to such an extent that the planes had to be brought in to spray an extensive area south of the town. This area is now being developed into a huge marina - subsequently, the low lying areas have been filled in, so hopefully that problem will be eradicated for ever.
During our winter stay last year, I was badly bitten for the first time and our local friends said that the nasty little creatures often pay surprise visits - so it's just down to pot luck I guess. Jenny x

I received my highest number of bites in Lanzarote as did my daughter and sister.

Least number of bites received was in Sharm.

I've found where ever you go you get bitten, so I start using aloa vera, both in creams and bath/shower gel have not had bites last two holidays. if you go aboard to a chemist they can sell you an aloa vera gel it is brill

Has anyone ever been bit on the face?
gb

I was bitten badly on the face in the Costa del Sol years ago (more than 25) and to this day I still have a "crater" on one eyebrow where the bite became badly infected. I react really badly to bites - they end up massive and blistered. A few years back, we went to the Costa del Sol again, and I got really badly bitten yet again - I've still got the marks on my legs to prove it. Had to go to the doctor when I got back for antibiotics to clear them up.

Lots of times bitten on the face (around the eyes and mouth, especially - oh and a couple of blinders on my forehead). Had some sympathetic looks.... whilst waiters have positively glowered at my poor other half!