FS Digest

Not sure if this belongs here, but I figured that if anyone had advice on avoiding these little buggers it would be the people who hang out by water. Pretty much, I have a medical condition that causes me to have a very bad allergic reaction to mosquitoes. Every time I get bitten I break out in hives all over my body, develop weird blisters, and my hands and feet swell up. The itching is absolutely horrible and lasts days. It started late last summer. Thankfully I was too depressed to spend much time outside then, but I got episodes like this a few times. It’s gotten worse each time. My doctor is trying to figure out medication to treat it but I have other issues and we haven’t found a solution yet. She said that there’s a chance it could become life-threatening. We’re nearing mosquito season and I’m terrified to go outside. Regular bug spray doesn’t seem to do much for me and even one bite can set off a bad reaction. What advice can you give? How do you avoid mosquitoes (and other types of biting bugs)?

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by Corgi_Cookies

FS Digest

I use to work in a retail store that sold hunting and fishing equipment and a LOT of people swore by thermacell. It's a small electronic thing hard to describe. I've never used it but every spring (fishing picks up) and fall (hunting season) we would sell out and they would be on backorder so there must be something to it lol good luck.

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by ACBisME

FS Digest

Yes! Thermacells are awesome, I have a few and make a ring of them around me.

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by rbrown7896

FS Digest

I’ve never heard of this but it looks really good. If you’re say, going for a walk, is this something you could clip on your backpack or belt and walk with? Would it still work?

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by Corgi_Cookies

FS Digest

They make holders for them that let you carry it easily.

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by jswledhed

FS Digest

Wear long clothes in layers and use mosquito repellant with high deet percentages. I use Muskol, which has 30% deet when I head into the worst mosquito area I've ever seen in the Northwest Territories. Works a charm. Cover your clothes, hat, ears, back of neck. Avoid your forehead, eyes and mouth, but otherwise cover all exposed skin.

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by oldlinuxguy

FS Digest

Definitely going to invest in Muslim. I wear as much clothing as possible but unfortunately another side effect of this fabulous disease is that I overhear very easily so I can only do so much. But thank you!

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by Corgi_Cookies

FS Digest

I don't think you can invest in Muslim. I don't believe that religions are listed on the stock exchange. Maybe consider muslin as an alternative. :)

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by oldlinuxguy

FS Digest

MUSKOL 😂😂😂

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by Corgi_Cookies

FS Digest

In other parts of the world, we used mosquito coils. Cut a pencil sized branch, split the end. Break a section of the coil, light it up and stick it in the fork/split. Attach the branch somewhere somehow on your clothing, and you'll be breathing smoke while keeping away mosquitoes :)

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by Bashed_to_a_pulp

FS Digest

Thermacell and Key Lime juice.

ETA: there are also several soaps being made primarily for donation to people living in areas where malaria is a problem. Google malaria soap. It prevents malaria by repelling mosquitoes. Might be worth buying a bar to see if that helps, too.

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by jswledhed

dont7518

I have used a thermocell in south America with success as well. however, I have found a good covering of lemon eucalyptus works good for me. it is more pleasant the deet products. I have strong allergic reactions to the very small insects I call no-seums and the lemon seems to do better for me. Good luck and stay safe.

islandtom

Skin-so-soft with deet. Works and is good for your skin

Theworm8

I go to Haiti and the best that I have found is PERMETHRIN. Wash your clothes in it and it will kill mosquitoes when they light. It bonds with the material so will last for 4 or 5 washings. It will also kill ticks on your clothing. I will also mix a diluted spray to use on my skin. Works very well. The treatment for chiggers is a permethrin salve. Permethrin can found in farm stores as a multi-use insecticide for farm animals.

revbev

I have heard of fan systems that work inside of the clothing, but I've never seen any. They may be prohibitively expensive. If you're over-sensitive to heat this might help. Try Amazon or Googling the topic. I sometimes wear very lightweight full-body covering; the head piece of this anti-mosquito jacket zips so you can unzip it (like when you go indoors for a short trip, say to the post office or gas station). Otherwise you look like an alien or perhaps a robber! I wear gloves as well depending on the situation. Brown recluse spiders came to Alaska in the late 1990s and many residents have since been bitten by them, many of them with very severe reactions. Our adult daughter who has multiple health conditions was bitten on the neck by one when she and her kids were fishing out in the open at a lake beach, and she was in the hospital for a week or so on 24/7 IV antibiotics and other meds and treatments! Severe reactions to spiders and other bugs can be life-threatening, as you indicate, and if you are sensitive or allergic to topical applications of repellents it can be very challenging to manage. Good luck!