what helps to prevent mosquito bites?

Question

i have heard taking garlic capsules before going on hol???

Answer 1

mosquitos hate rosemary as well as penniroyal. Want a good skin conditioner and a repellant? Mix 5 drops rosemary essential oil (thats essential oil not oil of rosemary) and 3 drops of penniroyal to every 50ml of almond oil. It will repel them critters really well!

FYI-DDT is highly carcinogenic, and if the WHO said otherwise they are clearly being run by evil influences. Ive never heard anyone in the know say this. Its just plain STUPID:

Facts:

So far, we have learned that DDT is an extremely persistent chemical. It gets into the fats of organisms, and it stays there. But what makes it so dangerous to organisms? In this section, we'll discover how DDT works.

The current misunderstanding is that DDT kills by disturbing an organism's nerve cells.

All cells, including nerve cells, have a plasma membrane, which is the cell's outer boundary. Like an egg shell, the plasma membrane separates the inside of the cell from the outside. One important difference, though: The plasma membrane allows special substances to enter and leave the cell, (food, oxygen, water, etc.).


plasma membrane

The plasma membrane is made up mostly of lipids (fats). Remember that DDT is fat soluble, and so it will dissolve easily into the plasma membrane. In order to get into the plasma membrane, the DDT must open up the membrane slightly to make room for itself. DDT, unfortunately, opens up the membrane a little too much and causes the cell to leak.

Two things which will slip through these leaks are sodium ions and potassium ions.

CHEM WINDOW - Ions

For a nerve cell, the concentration of Na+ and K+ inside and outside of a cell are especially important, because they help determine when the nerve cell will fire its signals. After DDT gets into the plasma membrane, nerve impulses (signals) no longer fire when they are supposed to.

If you are not familiar with biology, nerve impulse tell the muscles when to contract and relax. Thus, when an organism is poisoned with DDT, it dies by either convulsions (random, uncontrolled contraction of the muscles) or paralysis (complete loss of muscle control).


This completes the Dangers of DDT.

Answer 2

I guess that you have been offered a number of applications that will discourage the biting things, and you are talking in terms of European mozzies rather than the malaria carrying type found in more exotic locations?

Well, I note that the mozzies do not like the bright sun, but rather hang around in the shade, or come out around dusk and like to remain below the level of the tree tops. Using such observations will allow you to avoid places where the mozzies congregate.

Obviously covering up is effective, but quite impractical in hot places. However, at night, they may well invade your sleeping space, so why not go in for a mosquito net over your bed? Most of the malarial countries are recommended to use such nets, and while the danger in Europe is not so great, the itching does not really make you feel any the better for that.

I do not see how you can avoid mozzies, after all they are always around in summer, but you might also like to try those "green rings" that you burn or an anti mosquito candle which I find quite effective.

Remember, it is only the female that bites as she needs blood for the egg laying process, hence the seasonal nature of this nuisance.

Oh and btw, I hear that the WHO is now going back on previous advice, and suggests that it is a good idea to spray DDT (if you are old enough to remember it) in the living area, as it sticks to all the surfaces, and when the beasties land on anything they are poisoned by it, and hopefully will do so before you are bitten. The earlier advice NOT to use DDT was based on the fact that it was being sprayed pretty well everywhere in the outside environment and killing off all the nice things as well. If spraying is kept indoors, it should not be so damaging.

Best of Luck!

Answer 3

I live in Spain, and have always suffered from Mosquito bites until recently. The best detterrent is citronela. You can buy this in a spray, or, quite recently as I have found in Spain, buy small transparent patches that you put on your wrist. These absorb the citronella into your bloodstream (it's totally natural), and the smell, which is not really strong, fends off the mosquitos. This is the best thing that I have found so far. I haven't had a bite yet this summer.

Answer 4

You can get the "Skin-S-Soft" stuff that "Avon" has. It stops the Mosquitoes and is good for your skin. Also, Don't eat Bananas during the summer 'cause this draws them to you.The potassium.I think. We heard that about the garlic capsuls too. Maybe 'cause garlic keeps vampires away and they are also blood-suckers,so don't know if this is true or not.

Answer 5

Garlic doesn't help much. Use an insect repellent spray (Boots do a good one). That should protect you against bites when you're out.

Use a plug-in mosquito killer (the tablets seem to work better than the liquid) to clear them from your room at night. Follow the instructions carefully.

Answer 6

Rather than Sprays - Deet products, which are harmful to the body and have to re-applied every 30 mins I would suggest Arnywear, it is a fabric that is 100% Natural and Safe to be used even by infants.

1)It has been clinically tested and proven by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
2) Boots - Best Pharmacy
3) Mothercare - Best in infants clothing.

Answer 7

Really? Stay away from mosquitoes. Consider taking your holidays in places where mosquitoes aren't rampant. If that's not an option, use unscented personal care products and laundry detergent (the perfumes in these products can be attractive to insects). When outdoors, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts and use DEET or citronella-based products to keep the mosquitoes away.

Answer 8

Marmite and other compounds containg B vits help. I raise working sheepdogs and because they're prone to ticks I put a dozen Brewer's Yeast tablets in their food. I have only once in 30 years had a dog with a tick. I take Brewer's Yeast myself as I'm keen on a bit of the ol' fishing and have no worry from mozzies.

Answer 9

I don't know if taking garlic helps before, but I have been told that if you are unlucky enough to get bitten, cut a fresh clove in half and rub it over the bite - problem solved.

Answer 10

As strange as this might sound carrying a dryer sheet around is meant to stop the bites, they don't like the smell apparently. I haven't tried it myself but have heard the tip many times If you try it let me know if it works.