# Mosquitoes & Noseeums



## HolyMole

I live in the relatively-dry British Columbia interior, where the sight of a mosquito is a fairly rare event. I originally come from Montreal, where the voracious mosquitoes make sitting outside on a summer evening unpleasant. 

In our seemingly never-ending quest to narrow down potential retirement spots in Mexico, one of the considerations, for me at least, is mosquitoes and other biting insects. If there's one within a kilometer, it finds me.

Our travels so far to Mexico have always been between late October - late April.....the dry season. Even so, mosquitoes and biting sand fleas in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo are bothersome, and probably much more so in the rainy season. 

Mazatlan, on the other hand, seems relatively bug-free, at least during the dry season.

How about you folks living in other parts of Mexico? Are mosquitoes a problem ?
All year, or just in the rainy season?


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## RVGRINGO

Not many at all at our Chapala location. Certainly not like Montreal, or my home at Plattsburgh.


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## HolyMole

*Ah, Plattsburgh, NY*



RVGRINGO said:


> Not many at all at our Chapala location. Certainly not like Montreal, or my home at Plattsburgh.


The drinking age was 18 in New York and 21 in Quebec in the early 60's, so we often used to run down to Brody's in Plattsburgh......and always stopped for the wonderful cinnamon donuts in Chazy.

That's a surprise to hear there are few mosquitoes in Chapala. I thought the lake would be a natural breeding ground. 
Is that year-round or is there a noticeable increase in mosquitoes during the May-November period?


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## El Toro Furioso

There is an increase in the mosquito (zancudo) population during the rainy season. And the rainy season is also bobo season on the lake. Bobos are non-biting bird food that live just long enough to procreate and get eaten or fly into a light bulb and fry. The fact that they don't bite does not render them harmless, however. They love flying into your ears or up your nose. Mouths are handy spots as well. Taste sort of like chicken, but more bland. 
The coast gets a huge increase in zancudos during the rainy season, though they are around all year. There is also an increase in what the locals call jejenes (translates as gnats). A jején is a small but visible brown critter whose bites itch like hell and can last for up to two weeks. They are solely responsible for real estate prices in San Blas being so much lower than the rest of the central/northern Pacific coast. Your sense that Matzatlán has fewer hungry bugs may have to do with staying near the beach. Bay breezes tend to blow the ******s inland a bit.


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## HolyMole

El Toro Furioso said:


> There is an increase in the mosquito (zancudo) population during the rainy season. And the rainy season is also bobo season on the lake. Bobos are non-biting bird food that live just long enough to procreate and get eaten or fly into a light bulb and fry. The fact that they don't bite does not render them harmless, however. They love flying into your ears or up your nose. Mouths are handy spots as well. Taste sort of like chicken, but more bland.
> The coast gets a huge increase in zancudos during the rainy season, though they are around all year. There is also an increase in what the locals call jejenes (translates as gnats). A jején is a small but visible brown critter whose bites itch like hell and can last for up to two weeks. They are solely responsible for real estate prices in San Blas being so much lower than the rest of the central/northern Pacific coast. Your sense that Matzatlán has fewer hungry bugs may have to do with staying near the beach. Bay breezes tend to blow the ******s inland a bit.


Zihuatanejo evenings are usually fairly warm during the winter....and I'm sure much more so during the rainy season. The spot we've stayed at is right on the water with ocean breezes all night, but no A/C or screens. It's difficult to sleep when it's 22C and you've got the sheet up over your head to get away from the damn mosquitoes. If we decide to live anywhere near the coast, A/C is obviously a necessity, at least in the bedroom.
At Playa Larga, a few miles south of Zihua, the beach is very wide. There's a 20 foot wide stretch mid-beach where the jejenes congregate in clouds. These critters are voracious....very similar to Canadian blackflies. They don't just bite...they take out small chunks. Run their gauntlet and the rest of the beach isn't too bad. Wherever there are lagoons along the coast, there seems to be very little building. I think the bugs must be the reason; they would make life miserable, (although the locals never seem to be bothered).
Window screens in San Blas are such small mesh-size that they block any breeze. I simply could not live in that area due to the jejenes, period.


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## El Toro Furioso

Design Doctor said:


> You get bitten mainly at night here, and it's worse nearer to the seafront. But it's not a big issue.
> 
> The Autan spray works best for me. Ankles being their favourite target.
> 
> Dengue fever pops up now and then. Daytime mossies are the carriers. The council sprays around the town from a lorry to try and deal with them.


Same thing in La Manzanilla, the spraying. I'm not aware of anyone in La Manz actually contracting Dengue fever, though. We like the Autan, too. We also use H24, but it is hard to find on the coast. It has the same repelente ingredient as Off, but four times as much (20% vs 5%). It costs a lot less than Autan or Off and goes a lot further.


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## RVGRINGO

We've never found the need to use a repellant here at Chapala, unless sitting very close to the edge of the lake. Once in a while, we'll go somewhere and get a bite or two; probably because of a standing water source, like an abandoned pool or fountain in the immediate neighborhood.


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## HolyMole

El Toro Furioso said:


> Same thing in La Manzanilla, the spraying. I'm not aware of anyone in La Manz actually contracting Dengue fever, though. We like the Autan, too. We also use H24, but it is hard to find on the coast. It has the same repelente ingredient as Off, but four times as much (20% vs 5%). It costs a lot less than Autan or Off and goes a lot further.


Autan and H24 are OK, but fairly expensive, I say. I just wish I didn't have to slather on all those strong chemicals every night. I tried mosquito coils....useless and gave me a cough.


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## makaloco

Very few mosquitos in La Paz. Owing to the threat of dengue, health department reps come around regularly to check and (if necessary) treat any open standing water. We occasionally get little clouds of no-see-ums in late summer, usually just before a storm when the air is very heavy. But 99.5% of the time, we sit comfortably outdoors in the evening. I have never needed insect repellent here. Keep in mind that this is essentially a desert near the coast, and there is almost no grass or dense foliage.

Edit: Also, the city sprays during storm season.


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## mexliving

i went to a wedding in san blas at the ancient fort...... tons of sancudos came out to feast on all the guests.... i had some repellent...


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## MexicoKaren

I'd like to report that the Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit area is different, but it isn't. The mosquitos here in Bucerias have not been too bad this summer: the local health officials have conducted a pretty aggressive campaign, going door to door to eliminate standing water sources and spraying. But the jejenes! They love to feast on my legs and ankles, BUT they don't bother my husband at all. As a matter of fact, I think he doubted their existence for a long time and maybe thought I was imagining things. Until he saw the red welts. I have developed a sensitivity to Autan after using it for a few years, and can only use Off or H24. But I apply it 2-3 times a day this time of year. I don't like the idea of slathering myself with chemicals either, but that's my only option. It is the only real downside to living here.


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## BajaGringo

Where we are building out on the Pacific coast, west of San Quintin in Baja we rarely see any mosquitoes. I suppose the constant ocean breezes here keep them inland...


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## El Toro Furioso

What about jejenes?


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## BajaGringo

El Toro Furioso said:


> What about jejenes?


Nope - not much of them either. What we do see are bees this time of year. They aren't aggressive at all and if you just keep a small bucket with water with a piece of foam floating where they can land (away from the house) they really don't bother much at all...


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