I have come to believe that I am a natural mosquito repellent for anyone in my general vicinity - They'll chew me alive before anyone else - at least in Jamaica. The skeeters don't "bug" me too much here.

So, with that - along with the standing water in Treasure beach, how bad ARE the mosquitos after the washout?

I'd really like to come home this year with legs that don't look cancerous, so I'm seeking advice from other mosquito magnets as to what is the BEST skeeter repellent that doesn't stink to high heaven.

While picking up some things yesterday at the store, I found "Mosquito repellent patches!" Has anyone tried them? Do they work? I bought a package of em. They say they last for 6 hours. I'd love to try them out, but uhm... mosquitos don't "do" snow - so I'll have to wait I guess.

suggestions?

I share the same problem.. mosquito magnet fi sure.. Curious to hear replies on this as well. I actually did well on Oct trip.. very few bugs/bites. I now carry a cache of about 4-5 sprays & am going to try those high pitch mosquito alarm/buzzer things you wear.. I'll have to look for the 'patch'.. lol.

I was in Great Bay a couple weeks ago and the skeeters ate me alive...used replent and it helped a little, I think with all the water it made them more abundant. I hate using the Skeeter net over the bed (too hot) so that didn't help either. Next trip I'll be looking for the patch too

We magnet types are just so very sweet and that's why they prefer us over the others.
Having served up a buffet myself on our last reach I can tell you - pp thought I had chicken pox
Anything with deet works best, it melts my skin so I don't use it ...
Have found essential oils great to keep ants and such away, but I don't find they work well, over time for serious hungry biting bugs
RL would like to hear how the thing you wear works out
Mair what is in the patch???? Did you buy it in Chinatown????
Maybe that is our purpose in life to feed the hungry blood sucker critters of this planet?

I'd definitely like to hear about repellants that work. I've tried the coils (vapor worked better for me than baygon) and those ridiculous plastic bracelet coils you're supposed to wear that make absolutely no difference. I've tried all the varieties of 'Off' as well as three or four natural repellants and the aromatherapy candle. I tried that "Bunny" spray that's sold in the shops on Frenchman's ... and on each trip I have been horribly bitten. In October, after only 5 days in TB, we counted over 300 bites! I have begun to think all my 'tools' only serve as a neon sign to the mosquitoes so they know how to find me! In October, someone tried to explain to me that I have to change what I'm eating if I want the bugs to leave me be, but he couldn't tell me what I need to eat and what I need to leave out of my diet. If anyone knows anything about the effects that the food I eat might have on the bugs, I'd welcome information on that. I love TB and will continue to visit whenever I can afford to make the trip, but I'd LOVE to be able to avoid the misery of the mosquitoes!

GG

some people find the Avon product skin so soft ,SSS , works well and makes you smell good , no harful chemicals

did anybody hear --or maybe even try out-- NOBITE ? I hear itīs a gel for the skin and a spray for the clothes....and someone mentioned "anti brumm", a swiss product...does anyone know that one ?? would be good to know more about it. I havenīt tried it out yet.

Made a bit of a revolutionary discovery about warding off mosquitoes when I was in TB a few weeks ago. I was running the Reggae Marathon and had lightly smeared my ankles with Vaseline to stop any rubbing and blisters. The race started at 5.15am so I was running through peak mosquito breakfast time. Strange thing was, I didn't get any bites at all. But when I looked down at my ankles, the mozzies were caught up helpless in the grease. So, a touch of the all-purpose petroleum jelly not only keeps your skin looking good - it also seems to clog up the jaws of those little blighters!

Mosskitters like young gals - fact. You want to minimise the problem? First, don't use creams, lotions, aftersun or scents. Second, dont bathe in the evening; go around and pong for all you are worth and stand downwind of the crowd if you're that sensitive.
Third, take vitamin B1 ten days before you expose yourself to the hazard.

Attention to the above is from 60 years of experience worldwide and it works!

I've "survived" Canada in the summer on fishing trips in the past and I once lived in a high mosquito population area. I've found that taking vitamin B-12 on a regular basis and cutting back on nanners help (something about the potassium they like). But deet works the best, I think. Try putting a fabric softner sheet in your pocket or rubbing it on your clothes, that helps some. But when sceeters are hungry, you just cover up and hope for the best... What's with that patch? I am going to look for that too, but do some research first, that sounds kinda toxic.

I am looking forward to being in Great Bay for 3 weeks (arriving Christmas Day). But, I am not looking forward to the 'squitos.

Try Deep Woods Off for Sportsmen. It's 90-something percent DEET, and it's serious. Serious as in it will melt off your fingernail polish! I'm strictly a jeans and cotton t shirt kinda gal, so I spray it right on my clothes and everything.

Nothing else worked for me when the bugs are really out; SSS, Cutter, regular OFF, natural remedies . . . I am a magnet for biting bugs of any kind. I've been bitten thru denim, day and night. My bites often swell up to the size of oreo cookies, so my doctor recommended Deep Woods Off for Sportsmen. I generally make do with regular Deep Woods OFF when in Negril or Ocho Rios, but I'm bringing the full artillery for my first trip to TB in a few weeks.

The patch that I picked up is called "Skeeter Defense Patch." It's deet free, and "all natural" In essence, its a citronella candle minus the flame. I'm thinking that I'm going to need something a little more heavy duty than that. Here's the link to my patch's website.
http://www.goemerchant1.com/index.cgi?ST=&Merchant=lancoresearchllcn
On the left is the direct link to the skeeter defense patch.

In googlin', I found that there are quite a few patches that have way longer effects than what I have. I might have to look into them.

I'm definately going to follow the vitimin B regimen. Vitimin B (all numbers) are really good for ya anyways.

Thanks for the big response... =) I'm glad I'm not alone!

Cutter, Deep-Woods Off and another mfg. launched a new Deet-less mosquito/no-see-ums
repellant this past summer that's touted aa
twice as effective as the old high-Deet formula.
Avon Skin So Soft, herbal lotions with pennyroyal,
citronella, daily doses of mega Vitamin D and the like are low on the protection scale.

Prior to my last trip to Jamaica, a jamaican friend of mine located here in the UK, gave me some seracee, (bitters) and told me to make tea with it. He advised that many Jamaicans drink this as it helps thin/purify the blood, thus you are not so tasty to our mozzie friends!! He suggested that I drank a cup of this tea every other day for about 10 days prior to departing the UK. As it tastes HORRIBLE, I was unable to drink a cupful at a time. Instead, I boiled up the 'evil brew' and had a few tablespoons about 2 to 3 times a day every day for 10 days - followed by gallons of cold water to wash it down.....lol

I found that for the first week of my holiday, the mozzies never came anywhere near me, though they were feasting on my friend. I intended to carry a bottle of the tea with me to Jamaica so that I could continue to take my daily dosage to keep the little beasts at bay. However, being my normal scatterbrained self I forgot it. Hence during the second week, once the effects of the seracee had started to leave my system, the mozzies then decided to make up for lost time and attacked me with vengence.

I asked Chris, (a friend of mine in TB) to bring me some seracee so that I could make more tea. Bless him, he did so, but I had to place it in the sun to dry out before I could make my brew. This was well into the second week of my holiday and sadly was not as effective as my previous dosage as it didn't really have time to get back into my system.

Anyway, I suggest that if you can get your hands on some seracee prior to your trip to JA you make the tea and drink it, or take it as I did, like a medicine. And to ensure continual protection carry it with you to JA to drink on a regular basis during your stay or ask a jamaican friend to have some dried and ready to boil when you arrive - Don't leave it until you reach JA to start drinking this, as it needs to get right into your system before you arrive for maximum effect.

Also be warned - seracee is also a diuretic, so you may find yourself making extra trips to the ladies/gents!

Skin So Soft has not worked for me (especially in Jamaica)

Try changing your shampoo, skip the perfumes/aftershave, skip the skin lotions (use pure petrolium jelly), get scentless laundry soap, scentless anti-perspirant. It is amazing how many scented items we carry with us, and they all can attrach the bugs.

There is also an Avon product with Skin So Soft and DEET, together.

Are the mosquitos better, worse or about the same in March & April?

Try vit. b12 and stay away from banana's. They are the worst thing. Also anything with deet in it. Please let us know how the patches work as we will be there in january.

Take care with cerasee tea -- let alone bitter,
it's a strong purgative also used for stomach pains and general bodily
cleansing/blood and liver detox.

For what its worth, I used to get bitten a lot here, and now I don't (as much). So don't think everyone goes home with a permanent scar/souvenir from TB.

From the posts above, it sounds like it has to do a lot with what scents we put on us as well as what our bodies produce 'naturally'.

I used to be 'sweet' (as my grandmother put it), but I guess I've soured enough recently. Or perhaps I've just managed to surround myself with such sweet people the mozzies don't even see me.

(As I wrote this, I got bitten. So count me in the 10 bites or less club, instead of the 40+ per leg that I used to claim membership in)

Yeah, I should also mention that my first trip about 4 years ago yielded me only a few souvenirs. In fact, I was surprised at how few I really had, considering that I didn't use any bug spray of any kind. I brought the subject up again because of the extra water hanging around.

I'm gonna be prepared. Besides, its far better to be chewed alive by Jamaican mosquitoes than to be shoveling snow.

I hear ya on the bites!!!
Oh man do those critters love me!!
I always use the highest deet spray I can get..it seems to be the only thing that helps me, and believe me I have tried it all!! But I am going to take a look at the B10 vitamin.
Just be careful with the spray..it will remove nail polish, furniture varnish...etc! Can be nasty and it sure smells horrible....but it does work!
I could live in Jamaica forever if it weren't for the mozzies!!!

We have just left treasure beach and have had only a couple of bites from mosquitoes. My boyfriend usually gets eaten alive alive. this year about 2 weeks before we left we took vitamin B1 tablets and are using REPEL 50. so far we are fine but next week we are in Port Antonio so we are expecting the worse.

I have found that the small citronella candles keeps them away when I am outside. You can purchase the starfish candles, and the starfish no mosquito spray, it works for me.

I am Jamaican and live here and they do not attack me as much, but I have had three sets of visitors in the last six months who have sat outside to eat alfresco each evening and did not get attacked when I burnt these candles (about three of them, put them on the ground) -

Try them!
The spray is good for ankles and legs....

Lynntt....that sportsmen's DeepWoods formula really does work better than anything else.
Scary stuff tho!!!
Last summer I arrived between Hurricanes Charlie, and Ivan, so there was plenty of standing water.
I stayed in a house with no mesh for the most part.
I found that they like my feet best, so I tend to sleep in socks, sprayed with OFF and of course the fan on high!
BUT, I was in TB for 3 weeks and found that eventually the amount of bites became less and less, so I'm guessing that it's definitely in the diet.
Maybe the scotch bonnets....

Note to self to eat plenty of peppper.

Garlic is also known for keeping the mozzies away.

GOOD !!!
I love garlic

Since the skeeter topic was brought up again elsewhere, I thought I'd update on my "patches" haha... Yeah... save your money. I smelled like a citronella candle, and they just bit around the patch. LoL

Used the ole' deep woods off. Took the nail polish off muh toes, but I made it back without any month long disfiguring skeeter bites.