Stop Mosquitos stealing your blood

Mosquitoes are a nuisance, not just because of the discomfort and annoying itching, redness and swelling accompanied by each an every bite, but also because they carry many diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, and West Nile virus, some of which can be fatal.

Prevention is always better than any than cure, and with more than a million people dying from Malaria each year, it is best to do all you can to prevent the mosquitoes from actually biting you.

Mosquitoes are very small winged insects and are often not visible to the human eye. There are more than two-thousand different kinds of mosquitoes.

You receive a bite by the Female (usually pregnant) mosquito, so they can drink your blood, male mosquitoes do not drink blood, they drink fluids from plants.

It is alleged that the buzzing mosquitoes are not the ones to worry about; it's the silent ones that bite!

A few tips to avoid bites:

Stay indoors

Dawn and dusk is the peak mosquito biting times. Mosquitoes are especially active for two hours after sunset. The mosquito season is from May through October with the peak season being late summer months. Avoid prime mosquito locations including ponds and wetlands.

Wear protective clothing

When possible, wear light coloured long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and closed shoes whenever you are outdoors, mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours.

Clothing that has been impregnated with permethrin will also help repel insects if you will be working in a rural area. This clothing, along with impregnated wrist and ankle bands, lower the risk of being bitten.

If you are reluctant to impregnate everyday clothing, impregnated netting worn over the clothing will prevent chemical contact with the skin. It is important that fellow travellers are protected in a similar way, as repelled mosquitoes will go to another person who is not protected!

Use mosquito repellents

DEET is the most effective repellent. The more DEET a repellent contains the longer the time it can protect you from mosquito bites.

A higher percentage of DEET in a repellent means that it will last longer not protect better. Do not apply repellent to cuts, wounds, or irritated skin. Follow label directions to prevent harm. After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water.

Using DEET Mosquito Repellent Properly Most apparent repellence failures with DEET are due to misapplications, so care should be taken to apply it thoroughly (avoiding the eyes and mucous membranes).

These tips where taken from the ebook: How to Avoid Mosquito Bites available at sallys ebooks website.