Mosquitoes ,My biggest piss off living in LOS

[Dr Mick 111]

I do not have any regrets about moving to Khon Kaen ,but I must admit I do get fed up

being bit by Mosquitoes whilst sitting outside my home in day time and evenings.

Its not to bad if I wear a repelent ,but I hate putting on in the day time every day.

So im thinking of planting pots of lemon grass around my patio area also near doors and windows.

Do any BMs have any experiance using lemon grass around the garden area ???

Also I make sure no standing water in containers around the house.

I never kill any Toads or lizzards as IM sure these kill many of the insects which I hate.

 

As well as Lemmon Grass is there any other plants I could use with the fight against these biting insects ???

 

See info below in which I found out about Lemmon Grass

 

 

 

Handmade Organic Mosquito Repellent (HOMeR)

The abandoned ricefields in our valley on Lantau Island breed hordes of fierce mosquitoes, and at dusk they attack in force. But it's hard to tell which is worse, the mosquitoes or the commercial repellents.

 

 

Two weeks earlier we cut this lemon grass to the height of Midori's hand

The mosquitoes are horrific -- they're highly aggressive, you can be bitten hundreds of times without protection, it's torture, impossible to bear.

 

But the commercial repellant sprays mostly use diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), a nasty chemical that can cause rashes, swelling, eye irritation, and worse problems, though they're unusual -- including brain swelling in children, anaphylactic shock, low blood pressure, and one report of death. It hasn't had any of those effects on us (yet), but it's horrible stuff to have on your skin -- and with these mosquitoes you have to cover every single square inch of exposed skin. They'll even bite you right through a T-shirt or socks.

 

The alternative is incense coils, which you burn -- they fill the air with smoke containing insecticides. And indeed the mosquitoes keep away. We think this is very wise of them -- we don't like the coils much more than they do.

 

We tried all the commercial herbal preparations, but they just don't work very well -- these mosquitoes are fierce!

 

So what to do? It's both an immediate problem and a longer-term one for us -- Journey to Forever will be travelling through many mosquito-infested and malarial areas.

 

We've found one good answer. We planted three stalks of Thai lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) we got from the local supermarket, and after a few months they'd grown into a composite clump about 15" across. We used a lot of stalks for cooking, but the clump didn't seem to get any smaller. We cut the tops every couple of weeks because it shaded out the other herbs in the herb bed (lots of green stuff for the compost), but it quickly grew back. And we found it keeps the mosquitoes away. It contains something very similar to citronella oil, it's a safe and natural insect repellent that's just as effective as the commercial chemical products, especially when it's fresh. In fact lemon grass is more effective than true citronella.

 

Rubbing the long, grassy leaves on the skin worked well, but the stalk worked even better. Take one stalk of fresh lemon grass (grip it near the ground and give it a sharp sideways tug to break it off from the clump), peel off the outer leaves, snap off the grass blades behind the swollen stem at the base. Bend the stem between your fingers, loosening it, then rub it vigorously between your palms so that it fractures into a kind of fibrous juicy mass, and rub this mess over all exposed skin, covering thoroughly at least once. Pleasant on the skin and effective: 98% protection at the Beach House at sundown, 100% any other time, and the effect lasts about 4-5 hours. In most places, where the mosquitoes are less fanatical, you can use less and it'll last longer.

[Skygod 40]

Burning citronella candles is also effective.

[jacko 8,822]

Constant battle mate.

I have sprays, repellents, coils, swatter bats, zapper bats and a zapper UV light.

 

Finding where they are coming from, and eliminating it if possible helps.

Wet ground as well as standing water to be checked.

 

A light shirt and keep your feet impolitely high to protect those ankles.

 

Getting the TGF to sit nearby seems to help too as they now seem to prefer her!

[Kev 178]

Interesting article Mick, might try it at home (that is break the stem and rub on myself) and see if it works.

 

We have a few mossies at home in West Aust as well mate.

[Dungheap 243]

Katorisenko mosquito coils work well (in Japan anyway) if you place them at strategic places in the garden/deck. Try to light them up 30 minutes to an hour before you plan on going outside. They last several hours. They are available in Thailand and there are also similar local versions.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Dungheap

[Obsession 571]

I heard fans stop them flying. I use johnsons repellant from most 7/11s. Works well.

[nidnoyham 30]

Si tells me, that one reason the mossies are getting more of a problem, is the new method of growing three or four crops of rice, as opposed to one a year. This means the fields are flooded more often, giving the little buggers a breeding season 24/7.

 

She loves sitting out in our garden in the evening here, with nothing stinging or biting her- that includes me !

 

I have used cheap Thai whiskey, dabbed on wrists, ankles, elbows and neck to be quite effective at keeping them away. Perhaps they get pissed and pick a fight with a toad !

[ozijeff 9]

Dr Mick,

I had mozzie problems in my hotel room in Phuket.

The on again-off again teelak told me to turn the air-con on as they cant survive the cold.

She was right, 10 mins later, no mosquitos.

Think about it ... no mosquitos in cold climates.

 

This of course wont help you sitting outside.

Try and avoid sunset and sunrise, prime mozzie times.

Dont wear dark coloured clothes.. attracts them.

Get coils, burn incense or get a zapper. Avoid sitting near light sources.

Now give this a go ...

Take lots of vitamin B. I read the smell we put off when we have lots of vitamin B (B6 mainly) in our system is very unpleasant to mosquitos.

Either get tablets or take Beroccas (available from Boots).

Give it a try, Vit B is good for you anyway.

[joekicker 53]

Yeah, the coils and candles you can pick up in any supermarket for a few baht work. You have to be close to the smoke, but then you always have to be near the "cure" anyhow.

 

The tennis-racquet zappers are really fun for a few nights, making them light up with little teensy bodies.

 

Some of the plug-in doodads work okay. But so does spraying yourself head to toe with Red Ars, Thailand's greatest product name of all time. Do that and the mosquitoes will stay off until you die of cancer.

 

Just kidding. I think. Getting the Red Ars does work but the cure is arguably worse than the disease, like most stinky sprays and roll-ons.

[Owen` 2]

FYI, it's not the cold. Plenty of them in Alaska.

 

It's wind.

 

That's why fans work. There isn't much horsepower in a mosquito engine so when the wind speed is up to about 7 mph, they go to the ground and stay there.

 

Wind blows, no mosquitos. Fan blows, ditto. Air con is cold, but it also has a blower.

[LBJ 533]

Off just started selling these belt clip-on things that supposedly keep the yoongs away. Not sure if they will be sold in Thailand but you'd think it would be a natural market.

 

Off Clip-on

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

Think about it ... no mosquitos in cold climates.

You have not been to Alaska then?

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

The mosquito that transmits Dengue fever (Aedes aegypti) is a day time feeder.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aedes_aegypti

 

They don't travel far. I cannot find that link I read recently but in cities where there are outbreaks it is localized and does not spread far so the mosquito is not a far traveller like the night feeding Anopheles mosquito (malaria)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anopheles

 

The relevant part about the Aedes aegypti article:

 

"[edit] Spread of disease and prevention

 

The CDC traveler's page on preventing dengue fever suggests using mosquito repellents that contain DEET (N, N-diethylmetatoluamide). It also explains the following:

 

Although it may feed at any time, the mosquito bites humans only between a few hours after dawn until an hour or so after sunset.

The mosquito's preferred breeding areas are in areas of stagnant water, such as flower vases, uncovered barrels, buckets, and discarded tires, but the most dangerous areas are wet shower floors and toilet tanks, as they allow the mosquitos to breed right in the residence. Research has shown that certain chemicals emanating from bacteria in water containers stimulate the female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. They are particularly motivated to lay eggs in water containers that have just the right amounts of specific fatty acids associated with bacteria involved in the degradation of leaves and other organic matter in water. The chemicals associated with the microbial stew are far more stimulating to discerning female mosquitoes than plain water, for example, or filtered water in which the bacteria once lived."

 

Your house may not be where the mosquito is breeding. I wish I could find the link for their range but you may need to expand your search for breeding sites and the types of places you are looking for.

 

Found it:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15741559

 

"Dispersal of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti within and between rural communities.Harrington LC, Scott TW, Lerdthusnee K, Coleman RC, Costero A, Clark GG, Jones JJ, Kitthawee S, Kittayapong P, Sithiprasasna R, Edman JD.

Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA. lch27@cornell.edu

 

Knowledge of mosquito dispersal is critical for vector-borne disease control and prevention strategies and for understanding population structure and pathogen dissemination. We determined Aedes aegypti flight range and dispersal patterns from 21 mark-release-recapture experiments conducted over 11 years (1991-2002) in Puerto Rico and Thailand. Dispersal was compared by release location, sex, age, season, and village. For all experiments, the majority of mosquitoes were collected from their release house or adjacent house. Inter-village movement was detected rarely, with a few mosquitoes moving a maximum of 512 meters from one Thai village to the next. Average dispersal distances were similar for males and females and females released indoors versus outdoors. The movement of Ae. aegypti was not influenced by season or age, but differed by village. Results demonstrate that adult Ae. aegypti disperse relatively short distances, suggesting that people rather than mosquitoes are the primary mode of dengue virus dissemination within and among communities.

 

PMID: 15741559 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]"

 

I assuming it is Aedes aegypti you are dealing with. It makes sense.

Edited June 16, 2009 by midlifecrisis

[ttownjeff 1]

Crazy as it is,

Something most of us have already,

Listerine..

a little spash on the finger then smered on ur neck

does wonders,

Just a thought

in a pinch give it a try..

[darkmancomes 75]

I agree with the information about the vitamen b when I visit LOS with my friends they are always complaining about being bitten by mossies but I dont get bothered by them .Tell lies I have been bitten once or twice around the ankles where I have no hair . Anyway I put it down to the fact I was quite hairy but as one of my other friends pointed out he is also. So anyway I use on a regular basis vit B timed released at home and rest from it when in Thailand. So I think its possibly a combination of both.

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

I have not tried it but heard the same thing.

 

BTW, B complex vitamins are water soluable so are not stored in the body, replace daily:

 

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/FOODNUT/09312.html

[jacko 8,822]

Crazy as it is,

Something most of us have already,

Listerine..

a little spash on the finger then smered on ur neck

does wonders,

Just a thought

in a pinch give it a try..

Original, green mint or blue mint.........?

(PS... have you seen the price of it here? )

Edited June 16, 2009 by jacko

[joekicker 53]

You have not been to Alaska then?

 

Or northern Quebec/Ontario.

[ozijeff 9]

Sheesh, Yes in fact I have been in Quebec and attacked by mosquitos, ....... during the SUMMER!

[nidnoyham 30]

Anything you use, has to cover the aroma of your blood, or make it smell unattractive- Vit B. Some things like Aftershave, do the opposite and attract them.

 

In Scotland the Midges are deadly. We tried a spray developed by the Forestry Commission, but at sunset in the Highlands, you had to be indoors. In the Rockies, we used a spray call Shoo or Off on the kids. That seemed to work quite well.

 

I think the Western diet, with less chilies in, does attract them more to our blood. I hate the insect that has a long snout and locks onto you at right angles. It is like a mini flying Seahorse.

[joekicker 53]

Sheesh, Yes in fact I have been in Quebec and attacked by mosquitos, ....... during the SUMMER!

 

The point was that there are no mosquitoes in a cold climate. But there are. Alaska and northern Canada have mosquitoes and cold climates.

 

To narrow it down a LOT: Northern Quebec summer nights with mosquitoes everywhere are a lot cooler than air-conditioned places in Thailand and, as you witnessed, it invigorates the mosquitoes. Making it "cold" in Thailand won't affect the mosquito problem, let alone solve it. Cold is NOT a solution; even sitting in the meat room at Villa, you'll get bitten by mosquitoes. I play hockey in Thailand, there have always been mosquitoes in the rinks.

 

An air-conditioned room, properly sealed and insulated, can be made mosquito-free, and then you can go in there and not worry too much about mosquitoes. It's not the cold, though. It's the combination of spray killing what's in there and the room seals keeping out new ones.

[Obsession 571]

I hate the insect that has a long snout and locks onto you at right angles. It is like a mini flying Seahorse.

 

That would be your mind altering drugs

 

They have a thing in Scotland now that hoovers midgies out the air. You obviously couldnt carry one around unless you had a generator in a wheelbarrow with you. But you could have one on your patio.

[player 1]

We've found one good answer. We planted three stalks of Thai lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) we got from the local supermarket, and after a few months they'd grown into a composite clump about 15" across. We used a lot of stalks for cooking, but the clump didn't seem to get any smaller. We cut the tops every couple of weeks because it shaded out the other herbs in the herb bed (lots of green stuff for the compost), but it quickly grew back. And we found it keeps the mosquitoes away. It contains something very similar to citronella oil, it's a safe and natural insect repellent that's just as effective as the commercial chemical products, especially when it's fresh. In fact lemon grass is more effective than true citronella.

 

Rubbing the long, grassy leaves on the skin worked well, but the stalk worked even better. Take one stalk of fresh lemon grass (grip it near the ground and give it a sharp sideways tug to break it off from the clump), peel off the outer leaves, snap off the grass blades behind the swollen stem at the base. Bend the stem between your fingers, loosening it, then rub it vigorously between your palms so that it fractures into a kind of fibrous juicy mass, and rub this mess over all exposed skin, covering thoroughly at least once. Pleasant on the skin and effective: 98% protection at the Beach House at sundown, 100% any other time, and the effect lasts about 4-5 hours. In most places, where the mosquitoes are less fanatical, you can use less and it'll last longer.

Dr Mick, glad to hear you enjoy life up north, rainy season started yet?

 

As far as using lemon grass, have you tried rubbing it on your skin like was posted?

The Thai lemon grass we use is very sharp and will cut you (paper cuts) very easily!

You have to be careful handling it. It does make excellent ice tea though!

[mrbill2 6]

g'day play mate'

 

i see it has been mention before in this discussion . LISTERINE spray it around your doorways ,or in your living area in generall....it has worked for my mate in QUEENSLAND

 

Hope it works for you . MRBILL2

[joekicker 53]

Yeah, in all my times using Listerine, three or four days in my life, I never had a mosquito bite me on the gum or tongue.