I'm just back from treasure beach and had an amazing time appart from the Mosquitos love me big time!
Usually I'm just covered in red slightly itchy blotches, this time was the same appart from two ocassions where my whole eyelid swole up for a day and was numb and the following day my lip was very swollen and numb! It might have been something else that bites in the night!?
I used off spray and took piriton tablets too!
Just wondering if anyone else has been troubled by them big time like me?
I never let them ruin my fun though they just try to!

Sounds like a case of hives to me.It could be caused from some ingredient in the repellant that you used.On the other hand,some insects bite like the bee or wasp (hornet) do cause hives but I have never heard of mosquitoes causing this.(I could be wrong).Check with your doctor and in the mean time you can take 2 Benadryl.It's very good for allergies,but makes you drowsy.

Wonder if it's an allergic reaction to a food or lotion Lisa?

Also, sometimes a bite may become infected by bacteria, specially when ones scratches.

Anyone know if gingi fly causes this sort of skin reaction?

Google DEET, garlic and the habits of mosquitoes before your next trip.

Check your doctor. There should be no problem, they may advise future preventives and check if it is an allergy.

Best, turey.

Sounds just like me. If I get bit from a skeeter I swell up so bad it hurts. The skin around the bite swells and feels hot to the touch. Sometimes I am left with a slight bruise. It takes about 2 days for the reactions to go away. I never had reactions like this until a few years ago. Even here at home, during the summer I get the same reactions from bites.
Do a google search for "skeeter syndrome".

My son has a similar reaction to mosquito bites..BIG time swelling! I am a nurse and we take benedryl and also an epi-pen with us to Jamaica, just in case...usually a reaction that becomes more severe can eventually become dangerous..better safe than sorry!

I have exactly the same thing happen to me. I have come to realise that it occurs during the night when I am asleep and the mosquitos have longer time to settle and 'feed'. They prefer parts of the body where the skin has thinner layers with blood nearer the surface, so eyelids and the outside edge of lips are always a target. The only solution I have found, I'm afraid, is to make sure you smear a small amount of repellent cream on vulnerable areas just before the sun goes down each evening AND just before you go to sleep. If you don't you'll have some lovely fat, well-fed mosquitos on your bedroom wall!

o0o0o benedryl... good idea. I'll have to remember that. That might help me too. My legs look cancerous when I leave TB, and they stay that way for weeks after I've left. They also get 'numbish' and I still have dark spots where I have been bitten in the past. However, last few years I've been saved by deet - though it takes the nail polish off yer toes, it also keeps my leg from looking gangrenous by the end of the week. Even if its a trillion degrees in my room, I still sleep under the covers (head and all lol) cuz otherwise I'll wake up looking like I've suffered the plague.

If there is a hungry mosquito in Jamaica, it'll find me. =)

It was most likely an allergic reaction to the Off Spray. You maybe allergic to the "deek" in the spray, are some other ingredient in it.
Since only your eyelids and lips swoll up, which is not places that mossies usually bite, I would definitely say that it was an allergic reaction to the spray.
ONE LOVE !!!
Mike

Mosquitoes love me and I often get bitten no matter what I do to prevent it. But I have never had a reaction similar to what you did. This sounds like an allergic reaction to something different than mosquitoes.

Lisa, i dont know what it is with those mosquitos, i took my baby home for the first time late last year and she was bitten so bad, under her left eye there were two bumps i thought they would go away but instead of just dissapearing the went flat and the the area turned white, only for the doctor to tell me its a fungal infection.

Started taking B-12 which I've never done before.
Sources are divided as to its effectiveness but I figure it can't hurt. I usually have more of a problem with sand fleas or no see ums at dusk. It appears that overproof splashed on the ankles and also taken internally fix me right up.

Aloe Vera (Sinkle Bible) grows wild in TB. I break a leaf and apply the gel that pours out wherever needed. The live leaf is more effective than preserved and bottled gel.

It should not be used on an open cut or sting. A small percentage of people are allergic to it. Test a small spot first if not sure.

Google for it's uses and how it works. Many Jamaicans drink it with juice and rub their hair and skin regularly. Some bite the leaf and eat it regardless of the bitterness.

Last year we were setting at Lenox's small bar on the beach. It started to rain hard, well we sat for a couple of hours. When we got back to the villa the backs of my legs started to burn and sting. No where else. I had massave bumps that I had to sit in HOT HOT water just to get the ich to stop. My question is What bit me?? We never saw or heard any skeeters. Could it have been what they call sand flees?? They did not go away for quite a while.

If you are prone to sunburn, Aloe Vera should not be applied to the skin during the day if you plan to be outside.....you will burn even more. Better to rub fresh aloe all over at dusk.

Thanks Dr. Turey. You deserve such a name because you provided info that I never knew.

Two points of general assistance for those being plagued by mozzies.

Girls ! Don't apply ANY kind of skin lotion OR perfume when when prettying up for the nighttime socialising. Go make-up naked and they'll not bother you so much. Better still, don't even have a shower beforehand!

Having said this there is one skin product on the market which flying biters HATE. Now, don't laugh. It is made and sold by AVON and called "Skin so Soft". Look on the internet if you don't believe me.

It is possible that these are not mosquito bites but sand flea bites which show up within a week and can show residual effects for a month plus.

Thanks for the title Grateful. A Dr of General Advice eh.

I am too old to spend time in Spanish Town for practicing medicine without a licence.

Still, if I'm sure they would send me to Richmond Farm ....

And thanks Aloe. Guess gel is not a sun blocker but a skin healer, so blocker first, gel later.

Right on about sand flies/fleas. I wonder what else is there and does DEET deter them?

Newcomers should be careful about walking in pastures. There are other lice and ticks lurking around cows.

I once took care of grass lice and silver ticks by rubbing with white rum, washing in sea water then applying aloe. Guava leaves crushed are supposed to deter them.

I've never heard of anything like the tick fever that is a threat in the N American bush from deer ticks transmitting a micro organism.

The bite of the local centipedes felt like an ants bite. Never had scorpion. I guess it depends if the person has an allergic reaction too.

If anyone sees a purple jelly like thing on a beach, stay far; it is probably a portuguese man'o'war. I have never felt pain like that. I was a faas pickney and go touch it.....!!!

I'll show off my wasp trick when I come down ;)

All things bright and beautiful, some toxic and have teeth too.

To Uncle Peter,

Skin so soft is indeed very effective in repelling the mozzies but for a woman to go to the club without make-up and without washing her body....... inconceivable.

A natural homeopathic remedy for ALL bites is called APIS you can buy it a health store or whre remedies are sold. A must have in your travel kit.

Get 200CH (strength) take 3 pellets under your tongue and one dose should be all it takes for those who are really sensitive to the bites.

I had the reaction to the mosquito bites on my last visit. I was swollen red all over. It took a few weeks to go away. Those vampires love foreign blood.

Importantly and usually impossible, don't scratch the itches. At least keep fingernails and fingers super clean in case you scratch while asleep. Treat scratched bites on waking.

Find out if your hosts have mosquito netting. Bring some as a gift and use it to keep them off at nights while there.

Some burn moquito coils. Here is a good article on repellants.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52165

In case bites get red and swollen which could be infection, it is best to have an over the counter antibiotic cream on hand. Apply after cleaning with soap and water and cover with a band aid.

Remember that there are no Walgreens or London Drugs around the corner. Get some basics before you come.

I bet I know your trick with the wasps Turey, we did this when we were kids. I won't say what it is as not to spoil the surprise for those that do not know or maybe I'm wrong and I have a trick to show you one day. Nets help, vinegar on the bite helps with the itch and swelling, garlic helps with the bacteria and swelling. Never tried this but Rosemary leaves is believed by Juliet of the herbs to be one of the greatest healing plants on the planet. She's a spark for the holistic herbal movement in North America since the 50's even though each culture has its remedies that stretch very far back and she helps in passing that on. Research,Research and try try again and again and everyone is different so please be careful not everyone will react the same. I was once told by an elder that the Kita dem don't like hot peppers in the blood. The Elders know a lot ask them, write it down and pass it on before they pass and its gone. (Knowledge is Invaluable). 1LOVE Earth Child

I'm looking forward to our exchange of tricks Earth Child. The bigger the nest, the more dramatic.

We eat lots of pepper and garlic here, maybe one of the reasons most are not bothered.

The Rosemary in TB is particularly hardy. Shirley Genus-Duggan could tell us a lot about it, bites and more.

I'm sure Juliet would have much to teach us and discover things here too.

1LOVE, turey.

I used to get eaten alive no matter what spray I used. People suggested all sorts of remedies -- eat more bananas, eat less sugar, drink more water -- but nothing helped. My bites would swell up and be extremely painful. Then I saw an old thread on this forum and someone mentioned mosquito patches ... like nicotine patches, but to keep the bugs from biting. I figured it was worth a try and found a store online that sells them.

I still get bitten, but not nearly as much: going from 200-300 bites per trip down to maybe 2 dozen. When I do get bitten, I put a little benadryl cream on to keep the itching down. And I always burn coils at night.

My only complaints about the patches are that they smell funky, like vitamins ... and that means you smell a little like vitamins, too. (Hey, maybe that's what keeps the mosquitos from biting!) Also, if you perspire a lot -- because it's hot in JA, after all -- the patch might not stick so well. I've found that putting it on right after my morning shower worked best.

I found the patches at a shop called Valley Naturals. That link will take you directly to the patches. Hope this helps.

PRECAUTION WATER-STORERS & FELLOW TRAVELERS:

Dengue Threat in Yardie's Parish of St Mary:

A dengue epidemic is threatening to hit St Mary with the parish's health department detecting a breeding level of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries the disease, that is almost four times the accepted level set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The report attributed the current situation, at least in part, to the water problem being experienced in the parish as several householders have been storing water for domestic use in drums which act as breeding sites for the mosquitoes.

/www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100215/lead/lead2.html

Oh Deities! Give Us A Break...No more Biblical Curses for a While, if You Please.

This is NOT a Biblical curse. It IS dangerous. This is from infected mosquitoes that bite during the day, not at dusk.

As my planned structure will incorporate rain catchment and storage ZED, the breeding of mosquitos and other creatures must be considered.

I was planning on a cistern under the floor but was reminded that some people do not feel comfortable standing over water. I'm not sure if it is because they know what is under the solid concrete or they have a 'dowsing' sense.

The old time rammed clay or lime cement water tanks are traditional, maybe the art has been forgotten in many places. They are still in use in St Elizabeth and elsewhere. These homes will have water when all are walking to a standpipe or trecking to the nearest spring come drought.

A circle of mosquito netting tied around tops of water catchment barrels should take care of breeding. The nylon type is best. That's a little business for someone.

Some put a few small local freshwater fish in the tanks for them to eat the larvae. Long ago the water was put through a limestone drip then boiled.

These consequences are not from Deity Zed, they are a result of designs that need tuning and organisations that are in need of better synchronisation. I know, funds. I also know common sense, open communication and how to make $ stretch.

Other breeding places are in toilet tanks, flower pots, garbage with plastic containers that collect water, old tyres etc. We used to have a mosquito eradication programme way back. They would leave a bit of paper on a door to certify the place was free of breeding places and larvae.

Dengue is haawful. It lick me once and my son twice. I could not go out in the sun for a good year after and I live outdoors.

Here is the US EPA page on mosquito control that discusses the use of bacillus thuringiensis and sphaericus etc.

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/mosquitoes/larvicides4mosquitoes.htm

BLASPHEMY NOT INTENDED

Did not intend to make light of dengue as a "deity" curse...just an exasperation over another health & welfare recurrent situation requiring a governmental response (Public Health).

Perhaps, it was also an unscientific reflection on the the Swahili (ika dinga pepo) derivation of the origin of the affliction as being caused by an evil spirit.

I recall a public health officer referring to dengue as breakbone fever due to the unsteady walking gait resulting from muscle, joint & bone pain from the flu-like illness.
It is extremely widespread in the tropics, and the case loads are legion.

There is much that can be said about preventing the breeding of larvae, especially after rains when standing water is everywhere, but it is interesting that for mosquitoes, in general, indoor air conditioning is said to help ward off their attacks. Similarly, higher elevations above 4000 feet have been sought out as respites from their bites.
The use or need for air conditioning to help ward off mosquito attacks, in the home, presents choice dilemmas for those attempting to keep cool merely with passive design strategies and overhead fans.

A Brief on Dengue:
"Dengue fever is caused by a bite from an infected Aedes mosquito. This species of mosquito has black and white stripes on its legs and body. It bites during daylight hours. Its preferred breeding waters are clean, stagnant waters in shady area

You need to see your physician immediately if you show clinical signs of dengue. The symptoms include fever, bad headaches, muscle and joint pains, skin rashes and overall weakness in the body. DHF has further complications of cough, vomiting and stomach pains. DSS is detected with symptoms like cold, sweaty palms, nose or gum bleeds, excretion of blood, vomiting and stomach pains.

Dengue is a fatal disease and deserves immediate medical treatment. Intravenous fluids (IV) are used to treat the electrolyte imbalances and dehydration. Depending on the patient's condition, blood transfusion may be ordered by the doctor. Dengue needs hospitalization and intensive care. Recovery is possible. In contrast, untreated victims have only a 50 % chance of survival.

To cope with dengue, prevention of being bitten by a Aedes mosquito or any other infected mosquito is better than curing the disease. Guard against collection of stagnant water within the house. Flower vases, plant plates, receptacles, (non-biodegradable plastic packaging, trashed tires, bird baths, pet's water containers), rainwater and gully traps within bathrooms invite breeding. For water receptacles, change the water daily.

Outside the house, watch out for holes, accumulation of leaves, exposed rubbish and stagnant gully traps. These are sources of stagnant water for mosquito breeding.

There are sprays and insecticides to kill mosquitoes and larvae. These are cheap preventive measures as compared to the high costs of hospitalization and danger to human lives."
(From eSSORTMENT)

"There is no tested and approved vaccine for the dengue flavivirus; diagnosis is by blood test."

www.cdc.gov/Dengue/

Turey, at these times of extreme drought, you do keep the drumbeat pounding for Rainwater Harvesting whenever the skies do open up again.
I recognize the traditional methods you mentioned for rammed clay/ lime cement cisterns & water storage tanks still uncovered on some local properties. Cement cisterns under home/villa slabs and verandas seem to be the new state of the art.
There are also those unpleasing black poly tanks, above ground, some gravity flow, seen around these parts.

We hope,Turey, that neither you or your son suffered any disabling effects of dengue. When and where did you contract it?


RESOURCES:
• Natural Mosquito Barrier
www.mosquitobarrier.com/

• Mosquitoes' Main Aquatic Habitats:
www.cdc.gov/dengue/entomologyEcology/m_habitats.html

• Dengue Fever Prevention & Photo Close-up
www.news-medical.net/health/Dengue-Fever-Prevention.aspx

• Rainwater Harvesting:
•••Australian WebSite (They know a thing or two about drought)
www.rainharvesting.com.au/create_a_complete_system.asp

•••Virgin Polyethylene Potable Water Cistern Tanks: A Petroleum Product Trade-off versus Cement/Rebar/Labour
http://plastic-mart.com/class.php?cat=199

I got it in Kingston in the mid 80's ZED, my son in the late 90's. Maybe my rants are the side effects (:

DHF, dengue hemorrhagic fever leading to DSS, dengue shock syndrome, is rare. This is the course of disease that has high mortality. The more common course is painful and debilitating.

Late one night, my son bawled out that his head was madding him with pain. I had to massage and squeeze it to give hime a little relief. He remembered nothing come morning. He shows no side effects. I had a little man with a hammer behind my eyeballs that struck at will, if I ever see him again!

Here is a delightful site that focuses on the 'arrows of man', dengue included.

http://www.cbwinfo.com/Biological/Pathogens/DENV.html

AESTHETICS: RAINWATER STORAGE

Check out the terra cotta coloured Rainwater Storage Tank, resembling a coffered, wall-like, panel structure. (Photo Lower Right Hand Corner).

Could you live with that look, as a patio enclosure, for storing water?

www.rainharvesting.com.au/tank_selection.asp

Certainly could. It fits in with a cooling sytem I had in mind. Hmmm, the eight walls of the Canaye could each be water storage. Makes sense.

Rainwater is guttered into filtered troughs which are the walls. Airtight and light proof. I'd still filter it through sand and activated charcoal and solar boil it before use.

We're fortunate to be by the sea. Sea water can be made fresh the cheap way by solar distillation or the more costly reverse osmosis.

Yea, I know, extreme. I'd like to design for long term power and water independence. I'm sure we'll all learn from each others attempts in these directions.

Now where is Mr Goffe? Come in if you're reading this.

MOSQUITOES::DROUGHT::HEALTH MINISTRY::DISEASE

www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100219/news/news1.html

I know some one who had a reaction to the sand fly bites.