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You are here: Home / Bedbugs – Bites, Stings and Itches / Mosquitoes and flies / Mosquitoes / Prevention and protection

Prevention and protection

Season for biting mosquitoes
Fig. 35 Mosquitoes are mostly troublesome when they are numerous. This happens when the pupae of the forest mosquitoes hatch in June.

Mosquitoes have been kept away from humans and animals using smoke from fires. The ancient Egyptians and Romans rubbed themselves with highly odorous plants. At the beginning of this century, numerous mosquito balms of plants like clove, cinnamon, lavender, camphor, etc. were developed. The best was citronella oil, which is extracted from a tropical ryegrass. It is still used, in citronella candles, but the effect is weak and brief. During World War II the search for effective mosquito repellents intensified. To this day, the effects of more than 30,000 different repellents have been tested, and only few were found to be effective.

Effective oil-based mosquito repellents. Repellents containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) and / or dimethyl phthalate were among the best. When used carefully, they can maintain the repellent effect for several hours after application. Instead of using the repellents directly on the skin, clothing can be treated with the repellent. In Danish pharmacies, it is not possible to buy repellents with DEET, however, there are other types of repellents with almost the same effect. For example the Autan repellent is also recommended if you need protection in the tropics.

The modus operandi of mosquito repellents. As mentioned, the mosquito primarily finds its blood host by searching for the warm, moist air that is radiated from the skin. The mosquito has some small hairs on its palps, and these senses moisture in the air. There are many indications that effective mosquito repellents can clog the fine pores of the sensory hairs and prevent the moist air from entering. Therefore, the repellents do not give out an odor that mosquitoes do not like. Furthermore, it is not to be expected that the repellents keep mosquitoes at a distance. The mosquitoes are not confused until they are about to land.

Pot decorated with mosquitoes from the 13th century
Fig. 34. Around the year 1200, a potter from New Mexico decorated a bowl with this swarm of mosquitoes. (Rodeck)

Vitamin B. It is sometimes claimed that taking large quantities vitamin B is mosquito repellent. The effect of vitamin B is a result of parts of the vitamin being excreted through the skin. People, who eat large amounts of vitamin b, often smell of yeast or bread. In controlled studies, including studies done at the Danish National Pest Infestation Laboratory, has failed to show any effect on mosquitoes.

Smoke from Pyrethrin-based coils or sticks, or from tablets that are electrically heated, can keep mosquitoes away from the room or from the terrace. They must be placed so that you sit in the smoke or the smoke is between you and the mosquitoes.

Sound – A flying female mosquito, beat her wings about 320 times per second. This gives a sound with a frequency of 320 Hertz. It is the sound you hear when a mosquito is approaching. The male mosquitoes have good auditory organs on the bushy palps, and they find the females by listening. A trap, which sends out sounds with a frequency of 3-400 wing beatings per second, can catch male mosquitoes. These traps are used for research, but they have no practical significance, since it is the female mosquito that bites. The female mosquito’s auditory sense is not well developed, and it has never been proven to be useful. Nevertheless, new devices that claim keep the mosquitoes away using sound are regularly introduced. They send out tones which are not very loud but have a high frequency of about 15000-20000 Hertz. The frequency is so high, that the human ear can barely hear the sound. There is no reasonable explanation as to why the female mosquitoes should react to this sound. Consequently, there is nothing to suggest that the devices work. There are users of these devices who think that they work. (The World wants to be deceived).

Lights – especially from the ultraviolet part of the spectrum – are appealing to many insects. Several types of insect traps lure the insects with ultraviolet light and capture animals in traps or kill them with electricity. The ultraviolet light attracts mosquitoes, but the traps are not suitable for use outdoors. First, they attract more mosquitoes than they catch, and secondly, they kill many peaceful moths and other insects that fly at night.

Nets. Tulle or other suitable fabrics can be used to cover windows and doors. This is a reasonable way to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house or the caravan.

If too many mosquitoes enter the house, they can be killed with one of the pyrethrin insect repellents for flying insects.

Aedes mosquitoes - Bedbugs, Bites, Stings and Itches - Page 64
Aedes mosquitoes

Blackflies - Bedbugs, Bites, Stings and Itches - Page 64
Blackflies

Midges - Bedbugs, Bites, Stings and Itches - Page 64
Midges

Fig. 36. Of the three Diptera species which attacks humans, mosquitoes the largest. Black flies and midges are the smallest. Here, they are shown in natural size.

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Henri Mourier
Biologist at Statens Skadedyrslaboratorium
Author of:
"Pests in House and Home"
"Bed Bugs - Bites, Stings and Itches"
"Food Pests"
"Husets dyreliv" (Insects Around the House - Only danish)
"Skadedyr i træ" (Timber Pests - Only danish)
"Stuefluen" (Common Housefly - Only danish)
Latest posts by Henri Mourier (see all)
    Bedbugs – Bites, Stings and Itches
    Introduction
    Unease about small animals
    Frequency
    Where?
    The active substances, venom, poison and saliva
    Symptoms
    Dealing with the problem
    Bed bugs
    Where does it come from?
    A bit of history
    How do they look?
    Food consumption
    Disease transmission
    Can you recognize a bed bug bite?
    Mating
    Egg-laying
    Development of adult bed bugs
    Temperature dependence
    Bed bugs stick together
    How do you get bed bugs?
    Prevention
    Pesticides and methods
    Physical methods
    Who will take care of the problem.
    Lice
    The head louse
    Occurrence
    Life cycle
    Lice bites
    Suspicion of head lice
    Detection
    Spreading of head lice
    Lice control
    Collective lice control
    The body louse
    The crab louse
    Biology
    Occurrence
    Crab louse bites
    Spreading of crab lice
    Detection
    Control
    Lice in dogs
    Lice in cats
    Thrips
    Life cycle
    Bites and irritation
    Prevention and eradication
    Bugs
    Bed bugs in animals
    The masked hunter
    The debris bug
    The common flower bug
    Water bugs
    Butterflies and beetles
    Butterflies
    Butterfly scales
    Butterfly larvae hair
    Beetles
    Larder beetle larvae hairs.
    Mosquitoes and flies
    Mosquitoes
    Life cycle
    Mosquito bites
    Transmission of disease
    Control
    Prevention and protection
    Biting midges
    Bites
    Prevention and control
    Black flies
    Life cycle
    Black fly bites
    Prevention and control
    The stable fly
    Life cycle
    Stable fly bites
    Control
    Horse-flies
    Horse-fly bites
    Life cycle
    Prevention and control
    Louse flies
    Life cycle
    Prevention and control
    Bees, wasps and ants
    The honey bee
    Life cycle
    Bee stings
    Prevention and control
    Bumblebees
    Bumblebee stings
    Control
    Solitary bees
    Hornets (actual wasps)
    Life cycle
    Hornet stings
    Prevention
    Control
    Other wasps
    Ants
    Fleas
    The adult flea
    Eggs and larvae
    Flea bites
    General treatment
    Many kinds of fleas
    Human fleas
    Hedgehog fleas
    Bird fleas
    Bird flea control
    Dog fleas and cat fleas
    Cat flea biology
    Cat fleas bite people
    Flea bite allergies
    Detection
    Control
    Control on the host animal
    Flea control in the surrounding environment
    Prevention of dog- and cat fleas
    Ticks
    The castor bean tick
    Life cycle
    Biting locations
    The castor bean tick bite
    Tick removal
    Detection
    Control
    Prevention
    The brown dog tick
    Life cycle
    Suspected brown dog tick infestation
    Brown dog tick control
    The european pigeon tick
    Biology
    Detection
    European pigeon tick bites
    If the European pigeon ticks are not controlled
    Control
    Small mites
    Itch mites
    Appearance
    Biology
    Symptoms
    Process
    Mode of transmission between humans
    Control
    Scabies from animals
    Scabies in animals
    Follicle mites
    Follicle mites in humans
    The canine follicle mite
    Ear mites
    Ear mites on dogs
    The canine nasal mite
    Fur mites
    Three kinds of fur mites
    Life cycle
    Fur mite bites
    People’s reaction to the bite
    Host animal’s reactions to the bite
    Infection and the spreading between animals
    Detection
    Control
    Prevention
    Water mites
    An unusual family
    Bird mites
    Biology
    Control
    The harvest mite
    Occurrence
    Life cycle
    Trombiculosis
    Control
    House dust mites
    Storage mites
    Other animals
    Stinging jellyfish
    Cercariae
    Leeches
    Centipedes
    Scorpions
    Spiders
    Tarantulas
    Greater weevers
    The european adder
    Animals that do not exist
    Suspected delusional parasitosis
    What to do
    Possibilities of confusion
    Ectoparasites
    Index

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