# can anyone help me ?



## steve brooker (Sep 11, 2012)

I have just moved to santa margarita from london, i love the place and the whole relaxed lifestyle, however i have come across a small problem. 
mosquito's and fly's.

is there any special secret to get rid of them, im covered in mosquito bites, have been to the chemist and got creams and repellents, and im starting to look more like a human than a zombie again. but does anyone know of any little tricks that keep them away ?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

steve brooker said:


> I have just moved to santa margarita from london, i love the place and the whole relaxed lifestyle, however i have come across a small problem.
> mosquito's and fly's.
> 
> is there any special secret to get rid of them, im covered in mosquito bites, have been to the chemist and got creams and repellents, and im starting to look more like a human than a zombie again. but does anyone know of any little tricks that keep them away ?


When we were in Canada we were plagued by mosquitos....The best remedy we found to keep them off our persons was a spray called 'Wild Woods' or something like that. You could get it in the UK so it's probavly available in Gib if not in Spanish pharmacies.

When sitting outdoors in the evenings we used to burn a variety of candles and I remember a very effective repellent, a sort of Olympic torch-like brand you stuck in the ground...Don't know if they are sold in Spain.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Are you talking about in the house, or outdoors?

If they are coming indoors, don't leave the doors and windows open! You can get get special mesh screens (mosquiteros) to put on the windows. Get a good fly spray and give it a blast before you go out. 

For outdoors, there's not much you can do apart from cover up, and use the repellent creams. Some people burn citronella candles but I've never found them to be much good.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

We found the mossies here love citronella candles and seems to attract them by their thousands. Inside we have found the Bloom anti mossie system to be quite effective although others find them useless too. I think you just have to keep trying all forms of preventatives and killing devices (we have the type that are used in professional kitchens and they zap flies and mossies without complaint. As for the reaction on your skin, vitamin B supplement can be very effective. It won't stop you being bitten but the effect is minimised hugely.


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## steve brooker (Sep 11, 2012)

many thanks. i brought citronella candles from the uk, but they are all gone now, although they did seem to work. perhaps i will get someone to send me a load.............


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

We tried all sorts of things
However the thing that works better for us is sold in Mercadona. Inkor repelente. Its in an orange vaporiador

Spray it onto your hand and then rub it on your legs / arms etc, rather than just use the spray on your body

Other than that get some fly screens for the windows (I made my own), a plug in mozzie repellent for the house, citronella for indoors, and those spirally things that you can get for outdoors (put it under the outside table if poss)


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

After 9 years, I have found that we seem to have developed a tolerance to mosquito bites. We probably still get bitten but no longer have a bad reaction to the bites.

If you think about it, most Spaniards do not have a problem.

When we have visitors and sit out in the evening they are all suffering the next day. We don't seem to get a reaction.


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

We get zero mossies where I live even though we have a river running through the village. When my daughter lived in Fuengirola they were terrible, we had to keep spraying the house and keep the windows shut!


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

I used to get horrendous reactions to Mozzie bites, some swollen to a 6 inch diameter.
Then I went on holiday to Coolum, Australia, the authorities one evening 'fogged' the nearby marshy mountain, with mozzie killer, so swarm of them flew into the Hyatt resort, I got nearly 80 bites that evening, despite being given repellant by the bar staff. My husband counted the bites as he applied the Anthisan cream, and I also had to take a months course of anti-histamines to bring down the swelling.
The 'local' Aussie's advised a method to prevent this reaction, and partly distract these things from biting for the future.
They advised taking a vit. B complex (must have Thiamine as a content), plus an odourless garlic tablet each day, apparently these leave an 'odour' on the skin, which mozzies don't like-but not detectable to humans!, in my case it doesn't stop the bites altogether, but I get far fewer bites, and certainly not the same bad reaction (maybe 1 inch diameter at worst) and not as swollen and itchy for as long.
I have taken the above remedies since then, also use a mozzie spray, and have had all my windows fitted with mozzie screens.
I think also, if your skin is very pale you are more prone to bites, but getting a sun tan too quickly, without adequate sun screens, has its danger too. My Husband has always worshipped the sun, in the past! but is very careful now after having a few malignant lesions removed surgically, and having to have many suspect changing skin problems burned off every two months.
I think a lot have Spaniards have less of a problem because their skin tends to be a little darker genetically and more adapted to the conditions here.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

steve brooker said:


> many thanks. i brought citronella candles from the uk, but they are all gone now, although they did seem to work. perhaps i will get someone to send me a load.............


You can buy them in Spain - try any garden centre or large DIY store like Leroy Merlin.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> We tried all sorts of things
> However the thing that works better for us is sold in Mercadona. Inkor repelente. Its in an orange vaporiador
> 
> Spray it onto your hand and then rub it on your legs / arms etc, rather than just use the spray on your body
> ...


Yes, I found that stuff worked too. I've still got some and use it in the UK altho we dont have such a severe problem here!!

Wearing perfume/aftershave is a no-no, cos that encourages them!!!!

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> You can buy them in Spain - try any garden centre or large DIY store like Leroy Merlin.


or even in Mercadona


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## steve brooker (Sep 11, 2012)

thanks for all your replies, and i found a very effective but short term solution, that meant i could sit outside all evening, with the doors open, and the lights on...... i wore a wetsuit.

only kidding...

i bought a lemon, cut it into slices and stuck 5 cloves into each slice, then placed each slice on a plate and put a plate in selected rooms. no mosquitos in the house ! and in the garden i left one slice of lemon on the table, and my girlfriend and i sat out all evening !!!!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

steve brooker said:


> thanks for all your replies, and i found a very effective but short term solution, that meant i could sit outside all evening, with the doors open, and the lights on...... i wore a wetsuit.
> 
> only kidding...
> 
> i bought a lemon, cut it into slices and stuck 5 cloves into each slice, then placed each slice on a plate and put a plate in selected rooms. no mosquitos in the house ! and in the garden i left one slice of lemon on the table, and my girlfriend and i sat out all evening !!!!


Citronella candles, eating garlic, body spray from Mercadona.......... all of that

Jo xxx


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Just read an interesting article on what attracts mossies.

Only females bite, and they need blood not for food, but to fertilise their eggs.

They locate you via the carbon dioxide you breathe out, which they can detect from 50m away. So heavy breathing is a no-no! 

One in ten people are exceptionally attractive to mosquitoes and this is largely genetic. It has to do with body chemistry: 



> Scientists do know that genetics account for a whopping 85% of our susceptibility to mosquito bites. They've also identified certain elements of our body chemistry that, when found in excess on the skin's surface, make mosquitoes swarm closer.
> 
> People with high concentrations of steroids or cholesterol on their skin surface attract mosquitoes. That doesn't necessarily mean that mosquitoes prey on people with higher overall levels of cholesterol. These people simply may be more efficient at processing cholesterol, the byproducts of which remain on the skin's surface.
> 
> Mosquitoes also target people who produce excess amounts of certain acids, such as uric acid. These substances can trigger mosquitoes' sense of smell, luring them to land on unsuspecting victims.


Mosquito Magnets: Who/What Attracts Mosquitoes?


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