Mosquitoes

[BobHelm]

I'm lucky that they don't normally seem very attracted to me, but, a couple of weeks ago they seemed to acquire a taste for my feet early in the morning when I was on the pc.
I don't use repellent because I just haven't found one that worked. On my first visit to Thailand I popped into Boots before I left the UK & purchased the strongest (& so most expensive ) repellent that they sell - Jungle strength it was called. I was only going to Samui so I thought that would be fine. Well it was - the mosquitoes loved it. You could almost see a black cloud of them following me when i wore it .
I'm not very keen on chucking chemicals into the air to kill them as I have to breathe it in as well. I figure if it is killing insects then it ain't doing me a whole lot of good either.
So 2 weeks ago I went into Macro & purchased a fluorescent light bug killer. It cost, from memory, 800 baht and is the best 800 baht I have spent in a long time. Admittedly sometimes the noise it gives off when it zaps them is loud & even causes the cat to jump. But over the last 2 weeks it has killed 100s I am totally amazed how many it has done in.
I don't think that it is deliberately luring them into the house as it is out of sight of the doors & windows but it sure does work. Oh yeah they seem to have gone off the taste of my feet too...

[747man]

I'm lucky that they don't normally seem very attracted to me, but, a couple of weeks ago they seemed to acquire a taste for my feet early in the morning when I was on the pc.
I don't use repellent because I just haven't found one that worked. On my first visit to Thailand I popped into Boots before I left the UK & purchased the strongest (& so most expensive ) repellent that they sell - Jungle strength it was called. I was only going to Samui so I thought that would be fine. Well it was - the mosquitoes loved it. You could almost see a black cloud of them following me when i wore it .
I'm not very keen on chucking chemicals into the air to kill them as I have to breathe it in as well. I figure if it is killing insects then it ain't doing me a whole lot of good either.
So 2 weeks ago I went into Macro & purchased a fluorescent light bug killer. It cost, from memory, 800 baht and is the best 800 baht I have spent in a long time. Admittedly sometimes the noise it gives off when it zaps them is loud & even causes the cat to jump. But over the last 2 weeks it has killed 100s I am totally amazed how many it has done in.
I don't think that it is deliberately luring them into the house as it is out of sight of the doors & windows but it sure does work. Oh yeah they seem to have gone off the taste of my feet too...

Bob, " Killed 100s ?? Where Did you have your feet ?? In a Bowl of stagnant water ??

[aznyron]

Bob I also get bitten on my feet there is some thing about our feet that attracts them maybe it easy way to get our blood I also bought spray when I got here it did not seem to work so well for me either glad to hear your bug killer works well I will have to get me one

[BobHelm]

Ha,ha no 747. The strange thing is that the zapper is across the room from me as I type so it certainly attracts them, but I was just surprised how many were/are obviously in the house. &, so I guess what a small percentage were after my feet in the first place..

[arjay]

So 2 weeks ago I went into Macro & purchased a fluorescent light bug killer. It cost, from memory, 800 baht and is the best 800 baht I have spent in a long time. Admittedly sometimes the noise it gives off when it zaps them is loud & even causes the cat to jump. But over the last 2 weeks it has killed 100s I am totally amazed how many it has done in.

Is that what you call an Issan Bar-B-Q?

I have fly screens on the doors and windows, so don't normally get troubled inside the house.

I am not usually troubled too much by mossies, but if I go out in the evening I sometimes spray my feet and ankles (which is where they tend to get me too) with "Sketolene" which you can get for about 65 baht from most pharmacies stock over here. That seems to work ok.

[beer monkey]

Koi-ya sip har..(15) spelling ?? , cheap as chips.
does a great job, could i find some near the complex one night in Udon..nahhh had to shell out for a highly over priced 'Boots Own brand' roll on piece of crap, with a ball that hardly rolled.

[jingjai]

It may be too late for this years crop...
I just received this in my inbox:

"Don’t know if this really works...or just a sales push for Listerine...!
Mosquitoes
I can't wait to try this in the summer!
I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared.
The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And WALA! That worked as well.
It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby.
During the summer, I don't leave home without it.....Pass it on.
------------------
OUR FRIEND'S COMMENTS:
I tried this on my deck and around all of my doors. It works - in fact, it killed them instantly. I bought my bottle from Target and it cost me $1.89.
It really doesn't take much, and it is a big bottle, too; so it is not as expensive to use as the can of spray you buy that doesn't last 30 minutes.
So, try this, please. It will last a couple of Days. Don't spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames, and even inside the dog house."

[rickfarang]

BobHelm, please give us an update in a few weeks. If the mosquitoes still aren't biting, that will be proof enough for me!

The ankles are warm because of amount of blood just under the surface, and teh mosquitoes home in on the heat.

I have realized some benefit from repellents containing DEET. There is a brand with a Thai name that I can't read and comes in a white bottle with red, blue and black priting on it.. I most recently picked it up at Big C for 37 baht for a small (about 40 ml) bottle. It lasts almost forever because I usually don't think to put it on until I've been bitten, and then a pair of socks pretty much solves the problem without the mess or smell.

[arjay]

Rick, they can and will get you through socks!

I find I get bitten around the ankles less now than when I used to wear shoes and socks for work, though that maybe because the smell of the socks used to attract them!!

JJ, I did like the idea of spraying with Listerine, stops the build up of plaque & tartar on the lawn, wood flooring and decking!!

....And you don't even have to close your mouth (or wear a mask) when spraying!!

[Irish Alan]

I have realized some benefit from repellents containing DEET. There is a brand with a Thai name that I can't read and comes in a white bottle with red, blue and black priting on it.. I most recently picked it up at Big C for 37 baht for a small (about 40 ml) bottle. It lasts almost forever because I usually don't think to put it on until I've been bitten, and then a pair of socks pretty much solves the problem without the mess or smell.

Maybe called Soffell. 13% DEET. I swear by it if I could just remember to apply it when going out. I usually wear long pants going out at night to avoid the bites... The ba5tards always go for my arms and hands.

[jackspratt]

Rick, they can and will get you through socks!

I find I get bitten around the ankles less now than when I used to wear shoes and socks for work, though that maybe because the smell of the socks used to attract them!!

JJ, I did like the idea of spraying with Listerine, stops the build up of plaque & tartar on the lawn, wood flooring and decking!!

....And you don't even have to close your mouth (or wear a mask) when spraying!!

No doubt you also get bitten a lot around that cleavage RJ

[Roy]

An Aussie pal gave me some stuff called Bushman, 80% Deet!
It sure kept the mozzies away but had the side affect of no other living thing coming within 100m of you to

[treehugger]

I understand that human perspiration/odour also affects mosquitoes, which is why the effectiveness of individual repellents varies from person to person. I have tried many different repellents, and the one I find most effective is

[beer monkey]

I understand that human perspiration/odour also affects mosquitoes, which is why the effectiveness of individual repellents varies from person to person. I have tried many different repellents, and the one I find most effective is “OFF”, sold in orange coloured aerosols throughout Udon and elsewhere.

yes it gives a clear message to the little rascals, like F-OFF.!

[saint]

according to the N G O they can pick up your foot odour from 30 metres, and are 5 times more active when there is a full moon !!!

[woody]

I was led to believe they can smell carbon dioxide

coming out with your breath.