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Mosquitos


CaityMarie
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I know this sounds silly, and seems like there is a simple solution. I am severely allergic to Mosquitoes. I know that there are more mosquitos in warmer climates, so I am assuming that there are going to be a few on our cruise. We are going to the Carribean in November. We will be visiting Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay & Costa Maya. I don't really want to coat myself in bug spray, plus when I have in the past I still get bites. Does anyone have any tips or ideas?

 

Caity

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In ten cruises,the only places we have had a problem with mosquitos was at chankanaab back by the crocs (no where else in the park) and in Belize walking through the jungle to a cave. We carried bug spray with us in Roatan when we went ziplining last month because we assumed it would be just like walking through the jungle in Belize, but we forgot to put it on and we never saw any mosquitos. We were just all around the Costa Maya port and nearby town and never saw any. Choose activities that keep you in town or on beaches and you'll probably never see any.

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I don't really want to coat myself in bug spray, plus when I have in the past I still get bites. Does anyone have any tips or ideas?
Consider a cruise to Alaska.... Alaskan mosquitos are Zika and Dengue free.
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Consider a cruise to Alaska.... Alaskan mosquitos are Zika and Dengue free.

 

Granted the mosquitoes should be Zika free, but they were horrific when I visited Alaska in june. If one needs to avoid them due to severe allergy, I'd say Alaska is not a good choice. Unless you go at the very start of the season, when it's still cold. We were swarmed continuously on our excursion into the Yukon. Mosquito swarms all over us whenever the bus door opened. We were slapping bugs constantly to keep from getting bit.

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Much easier that bug spray are wipes. They are readily available in stores and are small and individually wrapped, so you don't need to carry a can around. Have used them for a few years, and although I am not truly allergic, I do seem to attract bugs and frequently have gotten bites from all kinds of critters. The wipes have helped tremendously. Very easy to use and carry.

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Consider a cruise to Alaska.... Alaskan mosquitos are Zika and Dengue free.

 

But they can be big suckers (pun intended)! Biggest and most aggressive mosquitoes I've ever seen!

 

I also recommend the wipes. Very convenient and work well for me.

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I've never actually seen mosquitoes when in the Caribbean on cruises--and we've been to most of the islands ships go to. If you are really allergic, though, you are going to want to use some kind of protection, just in case.

 

I always carry a travel size repellent with us; have never used it, even walking through the jungle in Belize or ziplining various places. That doesn't mean there aren't any, just not too common, especially at the time of day excursions happen; ie not early morning or late in the evening, when mosquitoes are more likely to be around.

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I know this sounds silly, and seems like there is a simple solution. I am severely allergic to Mosquitoes. I know that there are more mosquitos in warmer climates, so I am assuming that there are going to be a few on our cruise. We are going to the Carribean in November. We will be visiting Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay & Costa Maya. I don't really want to coat myself in bug spray, plus when I have in the past I still get bites. Does anyone have any tips or ideas?

 

Long-sleeved shirts and long pants will help if you can get used to wearing them.

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We have a family member who shares the OP's problem re nasty reactions to mosquito bites. Despite another post to the contrary, there are plenty of mosquitoes in the Caribbean. In fact one only needs to look at the CDC maps on places with reported Zika (Dengue is another risk) and you will find every Caribbean Island plus Mexico and even the USA.. One can certainly use some common sense and try to avoid being outdoors at dusk. But even this is not a guarantee. So it seems to come down to using a lot of Deet products (praying that you do not have an allergy to Deet), and also treating your clothes with Permethrin (an interesting option not used by many). Other then that, one can ask their physician for help with obtaining drugs that help with the inflammation from bites..

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I know this sounds silly, and seems like there is a simple solution. I am severely allergic to Mosquitoes. I know that there are more mosquitos in warmer climates, so I am assuming that there are going to be a few on our cruise. We are going to the Carribean in November. We will be visiting Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay & Costa Maya. I don't really want to coat myself in bug spray, plus when I have in the past I still get bites. Does anyone have any tips or ideas?

 

Caity

 

I am allergic to mosquitoes but I wouldn't say I'm severely allergic. I just have horrible reactions to bites. The spot swells, turns red, stays red for a long time and then leaves a patch on my skin for over a year. Some bites leave larger red splotches than others. I do not like to use Deet. I have found 2 prays that work well. doTerra Outdoor Blend works fabulously and doesn't smell like bug spray. It is oily in nature. I struggled with which to put on first, bug spray or sun screen. I found that ensuring I sprayed it on multiple times a day was the trick. It's expensive though. I considered "selling it' to get the discount when I was working in tropical climates as I was going through 3 containers per week. Another spray that works really well and is priced cheaply, in comparison is California Baby natural bug blend bug spray repellent. This one is larger and smells of citronella, but I found I needed to reapply it more often than doTerra. As long as I was diligent about spraying it on often then I was fine, but the second I let off, I'd get 4 bug bites in one night. I was in Jamaica, and bugs would bite me during they day or at night, night time was worse.

 

Good luck with the bugs, and if you have other suggestions for bug spays I am always up for trying something more economical or that works better. Deet of course does a great job, but it's toxic and I always feel like I'm inhaling it....

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What has your doctor recommended? That's probably important advice to follow [emoji4]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fortunately my soon to be father in law has been my physician for my bug bite allergies in the past and will be on the cruise with me.

 

Maybe the use of the word severe was incorrect. I don't go into anaphylaxis or anything. I tend to get overly swollen bites and have had several bites (mosquitoes and spiders) turn into MRSa infections. If they stayed just bites that itched it wouldnt be the problem. However the main treatment of MRSa is penicillin/amoxicillin, in which I am severely allergic to.

 

Past experiences are bug spray never really works, I get bit anyway. I don't like the idea of deet due to the toxins.

 

I've been told they make bracelets and clip ons and haven't used them so I wonder if those are good.

 

I dont plan on doing any excursions in the jungle. Maybe one to go look at ruins or such, but mostly going to self guide at shops and through town.

 

Thanks...

 

Sent from my LG-H910 using Forums mobile app

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I believe if you take Quinine it can be helpful. The way it is thought to work is by modifying your perspiration scent such that you are less attractive to mosquitoes. The easiest source to get it from on a ship is from Indian Tonic Water; not to be confused with Tonic Water which does not contain Quinine. This can be combined with Gin or drunk neat for children they could also drink Irn Bru but I feel this is hard to source outside Scotland or the UK but I might be wrong on that.

 

Regards John

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I want to avoid DEET too, I ordered repel lemon eucalyptus spray. Consumer reports listed it as one of the more effective repellents. It does smell powerful. Haven't used it yet to say how well I think it works, but at least we'll have something on hand. I didn't want to get stuck buying something ridiculously expensive on board or in the gift shops at the port, and not having the choice of a product I'd want.

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I don't like the idea of deet due to the toxins.

 

A little hard to find int he USA but the most widely used repellent int he world is Picaridin. 20% level (the max) works the longest. Made from the same plant as Black Pepper and proven equally effective as DEET. Approved for sale in USA in 2005 but not widely available can be found at Amazon.com .

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you are hiking thru bush and jungle..long pants ..tuck the bottom of the pants ( the hem) inside your sock. Pulling your socks over your pant legs. Then the little "biters" can't land on your shoe before climbing up your leg to bite your ankles! Not a particularly "glamorous" look, but it works! Oh and use some Citronella Essential oil on your socks too. Just a few drops! Essential oils..do Terra and Young Living are very concentrated! A little goes a long way!

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For walking around, I invested in long sleeved loose linen tops. They are cool. I also have a pair of long and loose linen pants which I wore in the Amazon jungle. Both are from L.L. Bean. We found roll-on insect repellent in Thailand which we use on wrists, behind and on the ears and on exposed parts of the throat and neck. I have never looked for the roll-on repellent here but think it should be available.

 

My main reason is protection against mosquito born diseases.

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