Fighting Mosquitoes: A Beginner’s Guide

Fighting Mosquitoes: A Beginner’s Guide

All right you are here. This is not for those ‘thick-skinned’ who offer a tough time to the silly creature . Those who feel they are juicy and yummy to mosquitoes may please go ahead reading.

To start with I remember a question asked by one of my friends to the teacher who had given us an hour-long lecture on mosquitoes. The teasing question by my buddy to the teacher was “Why does mosquitoes bite only in the night?” .The answer was still interesting. “You please go and ask the mosquitos!”

Coming to the point, mosquito undoubtfully is a mood spoiler for anyone. I wonder which one is more annoying the humming or the bite. I don’t mind donating a fraction of a drop of my blood every night to maintain the biological food chain envisaged by God. But the fine needle prick makes me jump. The flying ballet cum symphony around my head drives me crazy and in no way acceptable to me as a co animal in the eco system. They beat the wings 600 timea a second (wow!) making the sound. Was there any rationale behind this orchestra when God created mosquitoes? May be yes. Without some trouble man he thought would sleep peacefuly for long and there is no challenge in sleeping.

Only the female mosquitoes dance around and bite you. The male suck juice from leaves and don’t trouble the tourists (so nice of you decent chaps!).

Unlike the current wars ‘War on Mosquitoes’ had started centuries back. And it would continue for the imaginable future, both man and mosquitoes claiming victory. The legendary mosquito nets have a history as old as Indus valley civilization. Even today a net is the best bet against mosquitoes even though it is a bit clumsy to manage. Mosquito nets are available in all imaginable sizes shapes and colors. They range from the ‘umbrella nets’ used to cover the baby cots to the ceiling hanging romantic nets for the huge beds. Also there exists a variety to cover the doors and windows to keep the beasts away from your home. See to that the nets are down by the evening before the mosquito brigade arrives. Don't back pack that huge stuff if you are short of space.If required a simple bed net can be localy bought for a cost anything from Rs100 to Rs 300. If you are the one who look for ‘cheap’ lodges carry one and a roll of thread also. Many may not have the posts to hang the net. But at four remote corners for the room there would be a set of nails on the wall. Use the thread as string to install your net!

If you want to go sophisticated an assorted range of chemical weapons are available in the market. The typical ones are the room spray, the liquid repellant, the mat, the coil and the body cream. All are useful based on the application conditions. For example if you are in an open area (yes they do venture close to your campfire!) a net or mat many not be all that useful.

The liquid, mat and the coil all work based on the same simple principle. When heated they create the chemical fumes toxic to mosquitoes. The liquid and mat are heated with a small electric gadget. The coil burns like a cigarette. Keep the windows and doors closed in the evening. Switch on the heater. Allow the fumes to reach all the nook and corner of the room for about 45 minutes. Any mosquito trapped in the room is now neutralized. Now open all the windows allowing the stuffed air to escape. Allow fresh air to circulate the room. Keep the heater in ON all through night. There is no need after this procedure to close all the windows. The same is true for the coil also. Coil I like because it is interesting & challenging to split the spiral coils from the disk without getting cut ! The coil last for about 8 hours, enough for a night. The mat you need to change every night. The liquid bottle last for about 45 nights. A bottle cost approximately Rs60.

A ceiling fan in full speed can successfully disorient the mosquito brigade. You can do this during summer. But imagine you doing that on a chilly winter night! On a rainy day you may find to your surprise that the entire battalion got washed away! But this happiness will last only for a day or two as they comeback soon with all the might.

You can buy a range of body creams to immune you from mosquitoes. Especially useful if you are on a outdoor tour. Like a trekking, boat ride, picnic etc in the evenings. ‘Odomos’ is a famous cream you can buy anywhere in India. Apply this and you are free! Apply on the exposed areas like face arm and leg. They don’t give you a sticky feeling or offensive smell. You need not have to apply this like they apply the facial mask in a beauty parlor!

There are sprays (HIT!) available, which can be used to spray your room to get the result.

The trouble of mosquitoes varies considerably from place to place in India. If you are in a decent hotel just don’t bother about them at all. They have ‘patented technologies’ to take care of these beasts. Some areas it is extremely difficult to locate a mosquito. Some places you can’t move without bumping on one. Don’t worry you are never alone in the battle.
Ever heared of the proverb Every mosquito has its night!

Thanks for reading,
Beach

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Mozzies bite me! I like the net idea but have found it's difficult to hold a conversation when sitting in a restaurant wearing a full-body net. It's hard to get someone to come under it with me. Actually I got vivax malaria this summer, more than 9 months after leaving India. My friend in Delhi got dengue fever, there was a small epidemic there recently. What I wanna know is what are the key animals up the food chain that eat mozzies and how can I support their eating habbits? I like geckos and I'm growing more fond of spiders, any other ideas??

Bats!

Mosquitos are very common where I live and a common solution is invite bats to live in your yard. Just build a Bat House in your backyard.

if you can, make sure even small pools of stagnant water are drained- such as rain water left in neglected containers around the house, flower pots, etc. Also there are a number of small fish that feast on larvae, you might (after chacking with local fish amd game) introduce them in your local water source.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3298045.stm

I was born with a boon. I do not get bitten by mosquitos. If I am travelling with others, they get swarmed with these creatures but they avoid me. Talk about tasteless blood.

One good way to escape mostquitos is to keep all the lights in the room off and open the door to a well lit alleyway. Good chances of the number of mosquitos reducing in number. This trick with a full speed fan has proved quite effective in many of my past stays in hotels filled with mosquitos.

I'm a big fan of geckos - nice, friendly creatures, and they eat mosquitos too.
More effective is my wonderful Good Knight mosquito killer; just plug it in half an hour before you use the room. Costs just 90 Rs at any pharmacy, the refill thingy lasts 45 nights.
I have been in India for over a month now and have only been bitten once in that time - the day before yesterday in my Agra room where there were no electricity plugs. (So yesterday I used my net for the first time).

You can sleep for 45 knights peacefully

one thing thats for certain its very common in goa to have power cuts so dont go relyiny on just your electric good knights

Two of my children are like mosquito magnets and I worry about them. Can you buy Good Knight and the refills in India? Is it a chemical that fills the room?? Thanks!

Yes, you can and also a couple of other brands - All Out, and Mortein. All coming with refills.There are two types - one is the bottle fixture with liquid, and the other is a little plug-in gadget that has a small 'mat' impregnated with the chemical. Both are effective. You plug them in at night, and yes, it is a chemical but it doesn't seem to 'fill the room'. Mozzies are attracted to the little light, and are killed in the vicinity of the gadget.

Thanks for that! And now I'm wondering what kind of shop they'd be found in??

And, a question about mosquito nets: I've been told it's best to buy the ones that are impregnated with insecticide, but that these are not available in India... and furthermore that the ones that are available in India are not very good quality. Is this true? Or is this just the travel stores way of getting us to pay $50 per net here??

I have a couple of plugins in the house. They need to be used with the doors and windows shut for a while to kill the mossies, but the last time I forgot ans spent most of the day inside, doors shut with the thing on, I felt quite ill. They are just another way of putting insecticide into the air.

Thanks - I figured there must be a bit of a catch, but it also sounds like it's worth the fumes - imagine it will give me peace of mind with my mosquito magnet kids.

And, sorry to be a pest, but could you tell me what kind of shop to find them in... and any advice about mosquito nets would also be appreciated.