Pesky little critters...

No, I'm not referring to the boys, but to mosquitos.

I set off for Thailand next week. Normally I book into View Talay 5 or 7 on a high floor where, unless they're brought up in the lifts, mosquitos aren't a problem. This time, however, I'm staying in a hotel's very large ground floor room, quite close to the front door, so I am anticipating encountering quite a few of the little devils keeping me awake and in discomfort at night (no, as I said, I'm not referring to my human overnight guests).

So far I have bought a couple of devices that plug into the mains and release a flow of insecticide (the instructions say to leave them on while you're out of the room). Can anyone advise whether those are going to be effective, or whether something else is a better solution?

I also see that, as well as anti-inflammatory creams, you can now buy some sort of hand-held personal zapper that, applied to the skin, apparently releases some sort of "shock" (is it battery powered?) that neutralises the irritation of the mosquito bite. Has anyone tried one of those? Did it work? It sounds to me as though it's like overkill - the equivalent of making you forget the pain of a minor graze by cauterising it with a red hot iron - but if anyone here finds it effective I'm willing to give it a try.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Another alternative is a good mosquito net for the period of your sleep, unmolested, safe and secure.

Another alternative is just keep the doors and windows closed.

Unfortunately, Matt, that's not much use when the cleaning staff have left doors open during the day while they're at work and you're out. By the time you get back you've already got unwanted visitors.

When I read the title o of the thread I thought it was about the mods. :D

My experience with mosquitoes is that what works well one day doesn't work as well a few days later. So I tend to use a variety of sprays, coils, plug ins and repellents in no particular rota.

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Originally Posted by Marsilius

Unfortunately, Matt, that's not much use when the cleaning staff have left doors open during the day while they're at work and you're out. By the time you get back you've already got unwanted visitors.

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Well, you can always do what we do. unleash half a can of repellent in the room, then leave for an hour or two.

Seems to do the job fine. Bit stinky, but it works. :)

But yes, be careful about the mosquitos here. Not only are they annoying, they can also give you neat things like dengue fever. Not sure about you, but I don't want to find out what dengue fever feels like.

Personally, we just spray the shit out of our rooms, then leave them for a couple hours, and it seems to do the job just fine.

Brilliant solution, matt.

Do the mosquitoes die from the poison, or do they drown?

From matt's description I believe they shit themselves to death.

Count up what your holiday is going to cost (flights, hotel, food, drinks, rentboys, gifts, tips, loss of earnings if employed, loss of business if self-employed).

Draw that money out of the bank in cash

Go on your local gay dating app

Hire local boys until your holiday money is done

No mosquitoes, no airport hassles, no sitting crammed in an aircraft seat for hours on end, no sweating like a pig the minute you step outside, no pushy mamasans

:p

But more seriously - mosquitoes love me even more than I love myself. I have tried everything - sprays, lotions, plug-in insecticide, plug in zappers, wristbands, ankle bands, the electric shock treatment you mention, anti-histamines, hydrocortisone - and nothing works any better that a cheap bottle of SKETOLENE from (I think) Family Mart?? There are two varieties - I think it's the yellow label one that's the more effective.

I couldn’t find the insecticide that plugs into the mains in Thailand. I did buy one in Brazil, so that is what I am bringing for my visit to Isaan.

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Originally Posted by arsenal

When I read the title o of the thread I thought it was about the mods.

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That's certainly what I would of meant had I started the thread.
(Marsillius however is much more of a gentleman than I.)

To the topic: many folks here buy themselves one of those electric tennis raquets. I have one at the ready.
The best thing about the raquets is that one can obliterate a few dozen moderators ... oops -- I meant mosquitos ... with a single well-placed swipe. My friend across the soi and I take turns trying for a the most dead bodies with a single serve. We count 'em up over beer and 'moo dat dieou'.

You can definitely get the plug in insecticide in Thailand and the bonus is it obviously fits their power sockets without an adaptor.

The appliance itself is like a rectangular cage and you slide an insecticide "tablet" through a slot. The tablet which is also rectangular, is usually blue on one side and silver foil on the other. The silver foil side is then heated on the plinth the tablet sits on inside the cage and that's what releases the insecticide into the air.

I have seen liquid versions in other countries where a bottle of liquid insecticide screws on to bottom of the appliance

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Originally Posted by scottish-guy

I have seen liquid versions in other countries where a bottle of liquid insecticide screws on to bottom of the appliance

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The liquid version is commonly available in Thailand and has been for the last 10 years or so.....

Alternatively of course, one could read out loud Matt's life story and simply bore them to death. Haha. Just joking Matt.
:mocking_mini:

dunno which is worse risk. the short time liability of mosquito borne virus like dengue/zika or the long tern risk of
breathing insecticide that kills/repels them.

supposedly DEET is approved (almost safe?)as a topical but I dunno about anything sprayed indoors and I am going to be breathing
even a couple hours later. It just isn't going anywhere and won't be degraded/safe to breathe that soon.

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Originally Posted by Marsilius

Any advice will be gratefully received.

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For convenience and portability, try using a mosquito repellent patch. You can stick it to the hem of your shirt, bedroom walls or anywhere else where it's needed. The smell (from eucalyptus if I'm not mistaken) can be quite strong so make sure you don't stick it too close to your face. Lasts for 10-12 hours. A popular brand in Singapore is Tiger Balm (remember to visit the Tiger Balm Gardens or Haw Par Villa if you're here!) but there are other brands too. I think I saw some at Boots.

I have found the plug in devices to be unsatisfactory. Although, of course not all may be equally bad.

1 If there is a mosquito problem, my strategy is to spray the room with one of those aerosols just before leaving the room for the day. To minimize my personal exposure, I swiftly retreat to the door whilst spraying & leave.
2 If there is a single rogue mozzie in the evening, I try to swat it. If that doesn't work, I may apply some citronella spray on myself & the bedding.

Actually, we got a new toy about a week ago that made me think about this thread. Wasn't quite sure what it was until I played with it today.

Anyway, you can buy these little ping pong paddle sized things. They're electric, with a little button on them. Just told the button down, and wave it around the room. It electrocutes any mosquitos you come in contact with. Seems to help with our house at least.

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Originally Posted by cdnmatt

Actually, we got a new toy about a week ago...

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So you'll be chasing the mosquitoes round the room and battering them to death with a dildo will you?

:D

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Originally Posted by cdnmatt

Actually, we got a new toy about a week ago that made me think about this thread. Wasn't quite sure what it was until I played with it today.

Anyway, you can buy these little ping pong paddle sized things. They're electric, with a little button on them. Just told the button down, and wave it around the room. It electrocutes any mosquitos you come in contact with. Seems to help with our house at least.

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I assume you have one modified for blind people? how can you roam around the house waving the thing without smashing everything to pieces? Yaaawn...

Here's one I haven't seen before - the mosquitoes in your loom are drawn in and apparently sucked dry until they expire.

I'm sure I read in Pattaya One News about something similar happening between a farang and a ladyboy :D

goo.gl/DkVMjF

Actually, spending so much time in Bangkok and living in a high floor apartment building, I rarely encounter mosquitoes these days. Perhaps a couple of times in 10 years a determined little stowaway got into the lift (elevator) and probably hitched a ride on my back, knowing he was in for a scrumptious feast when it got back to my apartment. Luckily, I always have some Boots Bite & Sting Relief to hand. And even today I always carry a tube of it in my rucksack.

When in Pattaya in January and March during this current holiday, I never had any problems with the ‘pesky little critters’, as Marsilius called them. Before heading out at night in Pattaya I sprayed my wrists, elbows and ankles with Boots REPEL Extra Strength containing 50% Deet and never had a problem.

When I lived in Hua Hin, that was a different story entirely. There, I employed the tennis racket type electrocution device to great effect. I used to swing it madly around all parts of the house in the early evening, taking far too much pleasure on hearing the zapping sounds, which indicated another little sod had bitten the dust and was no longer alive to feed on me.

And, like cdnmatt, around sunset, I used to spray the hell out of my bedroom, 3 or 4 hours before I intended using it, after firstly zapping any early risers with my ‘tennis racket’. Happily, there really is no need to spray or use the 'tennis racket' in my apartment in Bangkok.

But the worst place for mosquitoes that I can recall, was a Thai restaurant in Hua Hin, which may be known to Smiles. I speak of, ráan-aa-hăan ma-kăam* (Makkaam restaurant). It was mosquito central, a veritable breeding ground for the little fuckers. No matter what precautions I took, there was always one ingenious and dogged little shit who managed to get through my defences. I remember one time taking my poor sister there and she came away in a terrible state having been bitten several times. I lived to regret it because I never heard the end of it!

The thing is, it was a great eatery and one of the must eat at places to take your visiting friends and family. I wondered if it is still open and checked it out on Google maps and it is still shown. It is located off the Phetkasem Road flyover, near soi 112 on the road heading towards Pran Buri.

And one last thing. When I first started coming to Thailand, almost from day one, I started complaining about the mosquitoes, a fa-ràng friend who had been living in Thailand for many years, advised me to change my soap. I used Dove and still do when back in the UK. But while out in Thailand, I use Protex soap, which, I believe, can readily be purchased at any 7-ELEVEN or Tops Supermarket.

So, dear readers, if you ever find yourself In Hua Hin and you are interested in eating some fine and reasonably priced Thai food, you fancy a challenge and have no fear of those ‘pesky little critters’, then give Makkaam Restaurant a visit.

* ma-kăam = Tamarind

When going to bed you can keep the mosquitoes away if you train a fan or the air conditioner on your bed. They can't fly into the stream of air.

Taking pleasure in killing insects. Mmmm...isn't that how serial killers start out?

JB, is there something you want to tell us?

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Originally Posted by a447

. . . Taking pleasure in killing insects. Mmmm...isn't that how serial killers start out?

JB, is there something you want to tell us?

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Was it my suggestion on Saturday night that we eat liver with fava beans, washed down with a lovely bottle of Chianti that has put this idea in your head, a447? Hmmm . . . I suppose that means you will no longer be having dinner with me on your future visits to Bangkok. I am soooo disappointed. F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f . . . :crazy_mini:

Seriously though, it is probably a bit too strong to say I have a pathological hated of the little fuckers, but I do intensely dislike them, and have good reason to.

I recall one incident during a 6 week visit to Chiang Mai, which I mentioned on another thread. During a visit to the toilet, in the lunch break, while at the AUA Thai Language School, I believe a mosquito bit me on the knee. I probably used some form of insect bite cream and thereafter ignored it.

A few weeks later when I returned to Hua Hin and resumed my daily visits to the Hilton gym, a fellow regular gym user, an American teaching at a local university, noticed the swollen and discoloured area around my knee. I had not realised that the swelling had increased and that it now looked badly bruised. He recommended that I immediately go to a hospital and have it treated. I may have brushed his advice aside as being slightly over the top. He then told me the harrowing story of a friend of his who had a mosquito bite, which looked very similar to mine. He too had ignored it and ended up in hospital. I forget the details, but the poor guy apparently went downhill very quickly and died. It was so long ago, I do not recall the cause of death. Malaria, encephalitis, sorry I cannot remember.

But the story was so horrific that I went straight to the local hospital after my gym session and was prescribed antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory. Thankfully it cleared up very quickly. But ever since, I have been very wary of being bitten by mosquitoes.

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I believe a mosquito bit me on the knee.

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It could have been a lot worse! LOL

A friend of mine went to Bali about 15 years ago, got bitten by a mosquito on Kuta beach and contracted dengue fever. She was bed-ridden for about 6 months, unable to get out of bed. She had to be fed and bathed by her sister who had to give up her job to take care of her. She still occasionally suffers from the effects of the illness.

Ever since, I take precautions whenever I go there.

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Originally Posted by a447

It could have been a lot worse! LOL . . .

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Aye! That’s very true. The thought of being bitten on the trossachs doesn’t bear thinking about and probably brings a tear to the eye to most of our red bloodied and sexually active readers!

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Originally Posted by a447

. . . Ever since, I take precautions whenever I go there.

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Yes, a very wise decision on your part, if I may so, a447, given your exploits as retold in your very detailed trip reports.

:D

In my experience even relatively devout Buddhists will happily become unashamed killers when it comes to mosquitoes. But there's an insect museum in Chiang Mai run by an elderly Thai couple who have devoted their lives to mosquito research. When I was there about ten years ago I had a chat with the male half of the partnership. He was wearing a baseball cap and had on a tee shirt with a picture of a mosquito on it. He was clearly dottily attached to the little bleeders. About a dozen types of mosquito have been discovered by him and his wife. He didn't mind if they bit him, happy in fact to give them a nice drink. He even justified their existence to me, though I've forgotten what it was (not convincing enough to prevent me from swatting them whenever they come near me anyway). I walked away from the museum feeling rather reassured to know that such a couple exist. People's obsessions are what help us to expand our knowledge of the natural world.

The museum is still there about halfway along Nimmanhemin Road and has a wide range of fascinating exhibits, not just mosquitoes, but butterflies, moths, beetles, rocks and much more. Well worth a visit if you're in the vicinity. Just don't let the owners see your mozzie spray.

I know mosquitoes don't like air streams, but neither do I!
These high voltage rackets are great!
Rarely problems with mosquitoes in rooms, but outside I get bitten occasionally.

I've been following the proffered advice and supplementing two plug-in devices with regular and heavy spraying every time I leave the room. On returning, it's gratifying to see plenty of corpses - not just mosquitos but the occasional cockroach too - littering the floor. Not a single bite in the room so far (apart, that is, from the boys).