Mosquitos

[itself]

Oakleaf,

Thanks for the link to BiteBlocker. I feel your pain, as I too have the same problem, one mosquito, two hundred people, they aim for my juicy veins!

I'll check Whole Foods for it...thanks again!

[Cataboo]

I spend too much time kayaking in salt marshes or other places where mosquitos are godawful.

Deet works about 10 mins in such situations and then the mosquitos are back eating you alive.

I've switched to picaridin based bug sprays, which is not as nasty feeling, doesn't melt plastic like deet does, and is an awful lot more effective at keeping the mosquitos at bay.

You do have to spray it on your clothing, because very persistent mosquitos will swarm your clothing and try to bite you through it - and depending on the fabric and how tight it is, they can manage to bite through clothing.

Ex officio buzz off brand clothing is also good, but is basically pemerthrin soaked clothing - and you could just soak your clothing yourself if you can still buy the stuff.

[alexis_the_tiny]

Where I live, little bloodsuckers really come out in full force during monsoon season, doesn't make for pleasent mountain biking. Plus, there'd be like 10 people in my group and they will all come bite ME.

I find that repellents sold in stores aren't all that effective for me, and they smell toxic. There's a citronella repellent I used to buy in Thailand that's dead effective. In the absence of that, I use lavender oil, sometimes neat, sometimes diluted with some carrier oil. It has the added advantage of being able to treat bites from mosquitoes that refuse to be repelled. And it smells much better.

[chickabonita]

Got a tip from a family member, he said don't eat a lot of sweats. He said they like sweet blood, so stick to salty, spicy or sour. I am not 100% sure that is true as he may have been pulling my leg, but I guess it's worth a try.

[Biciclista]

mosquitoes are attracted to your scent and your body heat. Not sure avoiding sweets is going to do me much good