Mosquitos Anybody ??

[IrishBoy]

Hi,

:eek: as a fair skinned European male I am dinner for mosquitos the world over, I have been bitten from Germany to China to Mexico, my question is in October I will be doing East and West Carribean, are they a problem. I get severe swelling around the bite and dont fancy spending the cruise like the Michelin man. grateful for any remedys easily available, and any particularly bad areas for them.

Gerry

Dublin

Ireland

[Timmys_mom]

Being from Minnesota, where the state bird is a mosquito, I know a few things about the pesky little creatures.

 

First, a can of repellent, loaded with DEET is your best option. However, for post-attack remedies, Benadryl cream works well to calm the allergic reaction to the mosquito juice. Keeps the itching and swelling down too.

 

If that doesn't work, or Benadryl isn't available to you, use any over-the-counter hydrocortizone cream. This mild steroid will settle the swelling and redness down to a manageable level.

 

Or, you could pray for a hard frost just prior to your arrival in the area.:D

[sparky3229]

Gerry..My girls and I are in the same boat. My husband never gets a single bite, but they feast on us, esp. with the swelling. We are going to the western carr. in Nov, so I will be interested to see how you fare! I was just at my Dr.'s and asked her about any perscription cream that would be better than benadryl cream...she sadly shook her head "NO".:( She said, as the above poster did, to use benadryl cream, & calamine (which comes in clear now instead of pink!). I was hoping for something much stronger, but there isn't anything! And repellent with DEET is the best, but I hate using repellent....ewwwwww. But I will have some with me. If we get bitten the first day, then I will use it the rest of the trip!

[cherylandtk]

Many people report that taking a Vitamin B complex daily for at least two weeks changes whatever smell you give off that makes you attractive to mosquitos. It does not cause you to give off a discernable-to-humans smell (which does happen if you take garlic daily, also reported to repel mosquitos). I use the B vitamin when I travel and get very few bites, if any, and figure it can't hurt, so why not. But if you are concerned, do take a good DEET repellant for topical use. The trick is to make yourself less attractive than the nearest other warm-blooded creatures.

[Hootsie]

Are you going to Belize? If so, they have malaria there. I didn't know until I returned and went to give blood (I'm a nurse). I couldn't give it for 12 months after returning from there.

 

So, just a heads up. Mosquitoes are awful and LOVE me too (Scandinavian, very fair skinned). Just want you to bring the proper spray/clothing so you don't come down with something awful.

[vicocala]

I took Deep Woods Off with me, don't know if you have it in Ireland, but it contains DEET and had no problems and I was in the jungle in Belize!

 

One thing I would highly recommend is a very strong sunscreen. I live in Florida and have a tan and still would take an SPF 45-50 sunblocker with me. The sun could ruin your vacation as fast or faster than the blood suckers can.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Hootsie]

 

One thing I would highly recommend is a very strong sunscreen. I live in Florida and have a tan and still would take an SPF 45-50 sunblocker with me. The sun could ruin your vacation as fast or faster than the blood suckers can.

 

VERY good point! We got fried in Roatan and had waterproof SPF 50 on, but didn't reapply it like we should have (dermatologist said hourly when you are in the Caribbean). For our Hawaii trip and for our next cruise, I bought SPF clothing to put over our swimsuits. I think they are called "rash guards". Got them at a surf shop.

[Eliot Ness]

Not to alarm anyone, but I was reading about the Bot Flies over on the Belize board. It seems they lay eggs on a mosquito which are then deposited on the host (you) when they bite. The larva will then burrow into the hosts body while it grows. They say that getting one is an extremely unlikely occurence for the average visitor. Once you know what to look for there seems to be a few different ways to get them out. Make sure you apply deet and you may want to check out this website for more info:

 

http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/botfly.html

 

John

[jetskier]

Basically like everyone else is saying, get a can of repellant that contains DEET. I would try some before you go on the cruise to make sure you dont have a reaction to it. In Roatan during the Canopy Tour, we were the meal for the day until someone loaned us some spray.

Dave

[seashell36]

I agree with the previous poster. My mother, very fair skin (Scot-Irish), is allergic to DEET. She gets a horrid rash, which itches worse than the mosquitos. I, on the other hand, can wear it and do wear it anytime I go out since I am the local mosquitos favorite meal. I get red hives with bad itching and I don't get bitten just once, it's always 7-10 times. You can take oral antihistimines in addition to the topical Benadryl or Hydrocortisone. I am taking a tube of Cortaid (hydrocortisone), spray repellent, and the oral meds - just in case!:rolleyes:

[OCruisers]

Mosquitos do NOT fly very well in the wind!

 

We do catamarans, beach trips, and the sort of things where some wind can be expected. We try to avoid inland trips ... especially the rivers and swampy ones ... and others where it will be still and hot!

 

Deep Woods Off (as mentioned by vicocala) is about the only thing that works for us inland. Wal-Mart has it in a tiny spray bottle and on easy-to-carry wipes in the Hunting/Fishing section.

 

In Roatan SAND FLEAS are a BIG problem. :eek: Always sit in a beach chair! Never just put your towel on the sandy beach and sit on it!

 

Have fun and avoid being some bugs lunch! Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[IrishBoy]

Thank you all for the info, sounds like the Beliezian tourist board will be down a few tourists this year. The main problem is we dont get the little suckers here so the repellant/remedys are usually very mild. I lived in China for two years and the stuff they sold there would keep people away, there is no way they could sell it in the west, dogs would collapse on the street when I was wearing it, not to mention the social impact !!.

Thanks

Gerry :D

[cruzn buckeye]

We just got back from the Westeren itin, Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. It was Sunday to Sunday. On Saturday morning I started itching...didn't feel anything bite me. We had been to beaches in all four ports.

By Sunday evening I had these huge welts! On my neck, back, hip, one arm and the front of one leg. I used Benedryl cream...it relieved the itching a little but the redness and swelling did not go away. I went to the doctor on Tuesday. He put me on prescription Allegra and said that if that didn't clear it up he would have to give me steroids. Well, the itching has slowed and the welts aren't quite as bad as they were but I am still itching this morning! I have major surgery on 10/12 and hoping to get this cleared up by then! I hope it's o.k. to take the steroids in case I need them. I have no idea what bit me! No bites for my boyfriend....wasn't he the lucky one!?!

I'm thinking .... no more Belize or Roatan for me.

[imosoreal]

Hi, :eek: as a fair skinned European male I am dinner for mosquitos the world over, I have been bitten from Germany to China to Mexico, my question is in October I will be doing East and West Carribean, are they a problem. I get severe swelling around the bite and dont fancy spending the cruise

 

No mosquitos like dark meat. Just kidding, I couldn't help responding. My hubby who is fairly dark and bald gets eaten up by mosquitos even when wearing repellant. They love my ankle areas but rarely do I get bit anywhere else. I use repellants containing DEET and also Skin So Soft by Avon. For some reason it acts as a mosquito repellant and it is not a hard lotion. Actually smells okay too. We will be visiting Belize in November and will take every kind of repellant we can find.

[missylove12]

Hi,

:eek: as a fair skinned European male I am dinner for mosquitos the world over, I have been bitten from Germany to China to Mexico, my question is in October I will be doing East and West Carribean, are they a problem. I get severe swelling around the bite and dont fancy spending the cruise like the Michelin man. grateful for any remedys easily available, and any particularly bad areas for them.

 

Gerry

Dublin

Ireland

I just returned from the Valor last week, visited Belize, and Roatan. I used Cutter Advanced insect repellant. It's the new alternative to deet, recently released in the U.S. Recommended by the World Health Organization. It contains "Picaridin". It is unscented. I didn't get bit once and I walked through the rainforest!! I highly recommend it.

 

____________________

Sensation 9/18/04

Valor 9/18/05

[jetskier]

We just got back from the Westeren itin, Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. It was Sunday to Sunday. On Saturday morning I started itching...didn't feel anything bite me. We had been to beaches in all four ports.

 

It could have been sand fleas. Some of the places in Roatan treat their beaches and others do not.

Dave

[MrsBoo]

I saw recommended on another thread Personal Electronic Mosquito Repellers by Sunbeam (chemical free). They come on a keychain & are slightly bigger than a door remote for your car. Available at Walgreens - $9.99 for a set of 3. We're going on a Panama Canal cruise & was hoping that between the spray & electronic repellent that I'd be safe.

[FamilyDoc]

You might ask your local doc for a B12 shot for mosquito bite prevention. I've had several patients ask me for it and finally tried it myself. I shot my whole family and we were all bite free at the end of our Hawaii trip.

:)

[AppleValleyCruisers]

Doc- Would keeping your blood alcohol level at >.10 have the same effect? (I hate needles, but can handle partaking of the grape and grain):confused:

[big_duck]

I hope it's o.k. to take the steroids in case I need them.

 

Just don't lie to Congress about it. :D

[FamilyDoc]

Unless the mosquitoes like the grain and grape too :)

BTW, it is just a little-bitty baby needle.

[stlawrence]

When I went to Haiti on a mission trip, we were told to take garlic pills 1 month in advance. It work none of us came home w/dangie fever caused by insect bites.

[cruzn buckeye]

It could have been sand fleas. Some of the places in Roatan treat their beaches and others do not.

Dave

 

We just got our cruise pictures back and there is one of me sitting in a lounge chair in Roatan and you can see the bites on my shoulder! By the way, we were at Tabayana Beach and were told that they treat their sand for the sand fleas!

I beg to differ...... anyway welts are gone and only have some small spots left!

Looks like my surgery for next week is on! Pray for me everybody...this is going to be a big one....doc is removing a brain tumor.

 

Cruzn

[Wennfred]

Avon has a product called Skin So Soft, I beleive it doesnt contain Deet but does the job. Lots of people use it here in the U.S.

 

Good Luck. :)