From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.camping
Subject: Re: anti-mosquito measures
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 23:16:56 -0400

B Yen wrote:
>
> I am going to Africa, & want to minimize the mosquito/malaria risk.  I
> already bought a mosquito net (& will coat it with Permethrin).  I will
> also use DEET.
>
> I saw the following at a store:
>
> - ultrasonic devices (1 AAA battery)

No.

> - mosquito coils

Practically speaking, no.  They do emit a little insecticide but
unless you're in a VERY tightly enclosed space, not enough to help.

Here are some other things and techniques that work.  They may not
be practical for Africa but they do work.

1. Heat-based foggers.  Burgess has made the consumer grade unit for
at least 30 years.  Both propane and electric ones are available.
The fogger vaporizes a permethrin-bearing oil (usually light
kerosene) and discharges it to air.  This fog is cold and if the
wind is not blowing, it will hang around the ground and in foliage
for a long time.  Since according to research, most mosquitoes that
bite you come from about a 100 ft radius, if you gas the area around
you with this device, you will have several hours of mosquito-free
enjoyment.   I've had one for 20+ years.  It is an essential part of
our outdoors kit, especially when we go to our lake property.

2. Get rid of ALL scents and perfumes.  Mosquitoes LOVE scents.  I
have to prove that to my wife every year.  I *HATE* all perfumes and
use only unscented toiletries, except for Ivory snow bath soap which
doesn't seem to matter.  We go outside, she gets bit, I mostly
don't.  She quits stinking herself up, the mosquitoes quit biting
her too.

3. Take the note on emedicine.com about light clothing seriously.
It makes a LOT of difference.  Red seems to be OK but blue and green
as well as the dark colors are not.

4. Avoid anything that emits ultraviolet light.  The usual offender
at the camp site is the fluorescent lamp lantern.  The UV tells
'skeeters "Soup's On!"

5. If you're going to be at a campsite for any length of time, find
the nearby standing water and dribble a little kerosene, lantern
fuel, cooking oil, etc on the water.  This will smother the wigglers
(mosquito larvae) before they can mature.  A well-fertilized puddle
will erupt a daily crop of hungry mosquitoes for days.  If you
suddenly suffer an epidemic of skeeters at home, look around for
that puddle.  I found one here over the weekend (actually a garbage
can lid) that must have had a zillion wigglers in probably no more
than a gallon of water.

John

From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.camping
Subject: Re: anti-mosquito measures
Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 02:08:38 -0400

GonFishin wrote:


> Neon John <johngdDONTYOUDARE@bellsouth.net> wrote in
> <3B009FA8.A23D8542@bellsouth.net>:
>
> > 5. If you're going to be at a campsite for any length of time,
> > find the nearby standing water and dribble a little kerosene,
> > lantern fuel, cooking oil, etc on the water.  This will smother
> > the wigglers (mosquito larvae) before they can mature.  A
> > well-fertilized puddle will erupt a daily crop of hungry
> > mosquitoes for days.  If you suddenly suffer an epidemic of
> > skeeters at home, look around for that puddle.  I found one
> > here over the weekend (actually a garbage can lid) that must
> > have had a zillion wigglers in probably no more than a gallon
> > of water.
> >
>
> Gee, it seems to me the advice about dribbling oil based products on
> water is highly polluting.  There may be fines involved if caught
> doing so.  Better to eliminate the water somehow, IMHO.

I kinda figured a comment like this would ooze up sooner or later.
I'm sure you didn't bother to read this guy's original post so I'll
quote the first sentence

"I am going to Africa, & want to minimize the mosquito/malaria
risk."

Something tells me that in the midst of fighting off malaria, dengue
fever, viral encephalitis, yellow fever and all the other goodies
that african mosquitoes carry, this fellow could not care less if
the remedy leaves an oil sheen on a puddle!

Closer to home, "oil based products" constitute a wide variety of
EPA approved chemicals that are applied directly to plants, ground
and water.  That includes my favorite herbicide, 2,4 d in diesel
oil.  Of course, if your level of education leave you with
environmental beliefs that trend toward the mythic, you could use
mineral oil which is harmless - or just let the skeeters bite you
and suffer the consequences.

>
> Our favorite method of keeping the Minnesota 'skeeters away is
> garlic.  The entire family except our youngest ate foods with lots
> of garlic seasoning for a month before the start of camping season
> and for the duration.  Seemed to work for us.  YMMV

I imagine that since you didn't see the original question, you also
missed this link from another post in this thread:

http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic540.htm

Quoting the relevant part:

"Despite the obvious desirability of finding an effective oral
insect repellent, no such agent has been identified yet. Neither
ingested garlic, brewer's yeast, nor thiamine is effective at
repelling insects. The quest to develop the `perfect' topical
repellent has been an ongoing scientific goal for years, and has yet
to be achieved. "