Anyone else suffering from mosquitos this year

RIN

RIN

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 Mar 2003
Messages
3,236
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
Spent a couple of nights on the boat this week and each night had to go round swatting the mozzies, then retired to bed only to hear the alarmingly loud high pitched whine of the damn things dive bombing us. Leaving a light on seemed to do the trick as they were drawn to it and could be picked off one by one
I don't remember having this much trouble in any previous season. Is it bad where you are? Boat is kept in Holes bay, Poole
 
ah ! Malaria !

I'm being serious for change. There were nearly 1600 cases of malaria in the UK last year, nearly all of them imported by travellers returning from foreign climes. However, there were a significant number of "cryptic" cases, for which no overseas vector could be found.

Now, you only have to have a plasmodiumcarrying victim being bitten by an English anopheles mozzy (and they are resident in the Bournemouth area) and we can have an epidemic.

Every skipper on the South Coast should therefore be carrying chemoprophylaxis on board as a routine precaution, covering all openings with mosquito fabric, and training crew in the use of fly swats.

My preferred chemoprophylaxis is Laphroaig, BTW.
 
We had a plague of mossies in the town where I live about 4 years ago. But it was localised to a small part of the south side of the town. I live in Drogheda on the Boyne River. There is a water treatment plant on the south side of the river and apparently this was where the mossies were coming from. The mossies were plaguing a number of housing estates on the southside of the town within about a mile radius from the water plant and river. Outside this radius was clear of the little barstewards!
It went on for about 8 weeks, July and August, everyone in the house was being eaten alive, we had to by nets for the windows and those repellent tablets that you put in a little heater which gives off fumes to repel them (NOT!).
It hasn't happened since, thank God, probably because the last three summers have been too sh*te for the mossies.
 
mosquito's

Don't get that problem in Scotland, although we do suffer from Midges from time to time, although this year I have not encountered any as yet.
 
It is said that if you hear them buzzing its already too late they have bitten you! the theory is that they are very silent until they draw your blood, then their wings have to work much harder to lift the weight and fly so hence the buzzing! so its too late by the time you hear one! squash one and the blood on your hands is yours!!
Barry
 
RIN said:
...Leaving a light on seemed to do the trick as they were drawn to it and could be picked off one by one...
Click to expand...

If you're swatting the ones attracted to light you're prob'ly wasting your time. They will be the males.

Only the female mosquito bites - they need an enzyme that we have in order to fertilize their eggs, or summat. They can detect the presence of Carbon Dioxide from a distance of anything up to a couple of kilometres and home in accordingly.

I have no problem with them nicking a tiny bit of my blood. The irritant is the anti-coagulant they inject when first biting you to stop your blood from clotting, allowing it to flow freely. That's the bit that itches so much, which you then scratch and your skin reacts by swelling.

Here's a piccy showing exactly what's happening...


Mosquito_mouthparts.jpg
 
We also get massive numbers of Mozzies out here, have always found a repellent product called *Aerogard*, either spray or roll-on to work just fine. Hate the little so & so's.
 
My husband never usually suffers from mozzie bites (except once in Scotland up in the hills dealing with a water supply when he had over a hundred midge bites to his face and head and was really poorley for a day or two) but his year he received a bite on his wrist that turned into cellulitis within 24 hours.

I also got one on my leg last year that did exactly the same thing and became very nasty - I am now terrified of getting bitten and the Doctor has given me some anti histimanes to take if I get bit.:eek:

Are the mozzies just becoming nastier:mad:

May
xx
 
Us ditch crawlers (RSevern) probably suffer more than you coastal sorts, but it has not really been a problem on the boart. More so at home. We use a citronella candle in the cockpit, and make sure there are no lights on below with hatches open after dusk. Hatches shut is no problem.

As mossies become more prevelant, then malaria is not the big problem, but Denghie. Eats away at your flesh................nice...................
 
rafiki_ said:
As mossies become more prevelant, then malaria is not the big problem, but Denghie. Eats away at your flesh................nice...................
Click to expand...

Is it possible to train them just to eat away at hips and derriere?:D;)

May
xx
 
This (East) end of Hayling Island is normally infested with them at this time of year making the garden a no-go zone after 4pm.

There seem far fewer this season, probably because the cold winter zapped a lot of them, although they are coming back...
 
As some know, I go fishing a fair bit and was in France 3 weeks ago by the side of a large lake in the middle of a forest with loads of mossies and worse still, deer ticks.... I usually use Ben's 100% deet safari strength spray as an effective deterent along with coils and if I do get caught out, zap the bite with a piezo zapper asap (sounds daft but really does work in stopping the itch and swelling)
 
Mossie bites

I react very badly to mosquito bites and have been recommended to take Weleda's "Combudoron Lotion" (available from Health Food shops) by someone who reacts very badly to bites. I have not tried it yet but bought some for our next trip.
Brenda, La Vie en Rose
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top