ARE YOU A MOSQUITO MAGNET?

Researchers claim that tall, fair-skinned people are most likely to be mosquito magnets as they offer more skin that is easier to penetrate. My fellow travelers and I spent many an evening in hammocks on our trek through Costa Rica discussing internal remedies and topical treatments to discourage the pesky and harmful pests. Most people have heard of the chemical DEET and know of DEET-related products, however many of the people on our tour preferred something a bit more natural and I thought it might be useful to share what seemed most effective.

One gentleman wore a Portable Ultrasonic Mosquito Repeller clipped to his belt. The theory behind this device is that when activated it creates a frequency of sound mimicking the wingbeats of dragonflies, the biggest predators of mosquitoes. The small device emits a noise that is harmless to humans and animals but repels mosquitoes at an effective range of approximately 129 sq. ft. Roy said that he had not received one mosquito bite since he landed in Costa Rica.

Several people were taking Vitamin B1, also called Thiamine, which is a water-soluble vitamin that, when consumed daily, is excreted through your skin when you sweat, producing a skin odor that female mosquitoes don’t like. The tall, fair-skinned Irish family taking the daily dose of Vitamin B1 said that they were suffering only minimal mosquito bites.

From personal experience, I can give Avon’s Expedition Strength Skin So Soft a resounding endorsement. It is a non-chemical topical mosquito repellant spray that was recommended by our tall, fair-skinned Travel Consultant Rochelle DeBaun– who is highly allergic to mosquito bites. The mosquitoes were not a problem for the first few days of my trek due to the high altitude however, as we started descending from the cloud forest, the mosquitoes became more persistent. One morning I arose at dawn to greet the sunrise, and with the sun came the mosquitoes flying into our lodge in droves.  I ran to my tent and started spraying myself with the Skin So Soft spray and I literally could see the mosquitoes hovering over my arms but not alighting.  Several other fair-skinned folk on our tour borrowed my Expedition Strength Skin So Soft and had greater success with fending off the winged beasts than with the Deet-laden sprays they had brought with them. –Claire, February 2015