49 Mosquitos

Hi Tim,

Can't answer your question as we were still getting pestered with both flies and mosquitos last November in Puglia........Maybe they stay active all winter there........I hope not. Having said that though, they seem to go for some people more than others; you, like me are probably one of the unlucky ones.

......BIG SECRET..........take Vit B Complex tablets; the smell from the brewer's yeast (undetectable to humans!) is an excellent natural insect repellant & will keep them away from you :D .........the alternative to the vitamins is to eat a daily portion of Marmite (eaten though, don't smear on!)

Oh, and one final (and HUGE!) benefit is that the Vitamin B complex is that it guarantees you NO HANGOVERS...........yes, read that again, no hangovers......ever, one or two tables in advance of 'going out' and you'll be fine :lol:

The usual portion for Vit B complex is one a day, but if you know that you might be partaking of the grape[i], it's possible to take two or three (in advance)[/i]

........you should note that Vitamin B complex cannot be over-ingested as it's passed through 'the system' and so does affect your wee.......it turns it a voilent (highlighter colour) yellow! :oops: ...........quite amusing actually!

All I can say is try it (for the mozzies, not so you can guzzle the wine, of course!).................works for us :wink:

aren't geraniums supposed to be the answer?

I don't know about Marmite etc, but, when in Italy, [Northern Lakes], I take great delight in spending the summer evenings on the balcony drinking cold gin and tonics and listening to the 'mossies' frying themselves on the electric ' zapping machine' - [like they have in restaurants - but smaller].

One large zapper on the balcony draws them away from me and my drinking companions, and small ones in the bedrooms keep them clear at night.

'Zappers' are quite cheap these days - about 40 Euros for a large one and under 30 Euros for the smaller ones.

When away from the hose - any body spray that has DEET in it seems quite effective.

We have always used plug in gadgets which give out an ultra sonic whine. We've yet to see any so something must be working. For outside we've used citronella candles and they too seem to do the trick.

Thank you all for your advice.

We checked out the vitamin thing with our favourite supplier of such things, Natures Best. You can find them at [url]www.naturesbest.co.uk[/url].

We have ordered a few things from them since we have lived out here and they provide an excellent service, with orders arriving quickly.

We emailed them for advice on the vitamin B thing and this is their reply.....

[i]Studies have shown that vitamin B1, which is found in Brewers Yeast, in
daily doses of 75-100mg may prevent against insect bites. The exact
mechanism by which B1 works is unclear but some researchers have suggested
that it may be due to the altered odour in the skin that vitamin B1
produces, which insects find repugnant.

Brewers Yeast and Marmite are both a rich source of the B-complex vitamins
including vitamin B1and it is for this reason rather than their yeast
content that they may be useful for warding off insect bites if enough is
consumed. Black Strap Molasses are also a good source of B vitamins. I
suggest you try vitamin B1 (Thiamin)100mg. If you wish to take this
supplement long-term, I recommend taking a B-complex alongside it such as
Multi-B complex,as the B vitamins work best when taken together. However,
if you are taking a multivitamin, there is no need to take a B-complex,
since most multivitamins contain B vitamins.[/i]

Hope you find this useful/interesting.

Sal and Tim
Bassano Del Grappa