Pure Evil

[chykensa]

My brother-in-law is a pharmacist, and suggested that I take Vitamin B tablets befoe I go abroad, as the little blighters make a beeline (no pun intended!) for me; and it works!!
I remember I was in rural France some years back and was staying near a lake. Every evening I was plagued by mozzies, and my legs came up in huge welts which took weeks to disappear, and were very itchy too.
Since trying the Vit B I haven't had a single problem. Apparently it remains in your blood stream and biting insects don't like the taste. You have to take the tablets for a week before you go for the vitamin levels to reach a high enough level. toots posting about Marmite, which contains quite a high level of Vit B, reminded me about this!

[smifee]

Any flying bugs that invade our house are dealt with using a racquet zapper.

Mossies are deterred by eating LOTS of garlic. Appears to deter humans as well

If you have a wasp nest ant powder kills them as well as ants.

[toots]

Apr 18, 2014 22:26:39 GMT chykensa said:

My brother-in-law is a pharmacist, and suggested that I take Vitamin B tablets befoe I go abroad, as the little blighters make a beeline (no pun intended!) for me; and it works!!
I remember I was in rural France some years back and was staying near a lake. Every evening I was plagued by mozzies, and my legs came up in huge welts which took weeks to disappear, and were very itchy too.
Since trying the Vit B I haven't had a single problem. Apparently it remains in your blood stream and biting insects don't like the taste. You have to take the tablets for a week before you go for the vitamin levels to reach a high enough level. toots posting about Marmite, which contains quite a high level of Vit B, reminded me about this!

Aha, so that could be right about the marmite then, hmm, must remember to eat much more marmite than I currently do. Think I'd get sick of it after a while though

You say you have to take the Vitamin B tablets for a week before you go abroad to reach a high enough level, so I suppose I'd have to take them permanently

[chykensa]

toots - I think the Vit B stays in your system for a week or so, so you could try taking them week on, week off, and see if that makes a difference. I find that with a weeks dose before I go, if I forget to take them while abroad (usually due to a surfeit of wine or beer!), I don' suffer any consequences, so the Vit B must still be in my system.

[CaptainChaos]

chykensa & toots ... I love Marmite, but I'm not sure I'd want to spread that all over me 'out in the jungle' to keep the mozzies at bay. They'd probably just fly too near me & get stuck in it & I'd wake up looking like a brown Mosquito Twiglet!!

[chykensa]

Just spread it all over your insides instead CaptainChaos, far more enjoyable all around

[CaptainChaos]

I have just posted a squeezy jar of Marmite to friends in Utah, USA because they can't get hold of it easily and are desperate to try it.

I will let them know that they can also use it to divert mosquitoes

[lairey]

Apr 18, 2014 22:50:45 GMT toots said:

Apr 18, 2014 22:26:39 GMT chykensa said:

My brother-in-law is a pharmacist, and suggested that I take Vitamin B tablets befoe I go abroad, as the little blighters make a beeline (no pun intended!) for me; and it works!!
I remember I was in rural France some years back and was staying near a lake. Every evening I was plagued by mozzies, and my legs came up in huge welts which took weeks to disappear, and were very itchy too.
Since trying the Vit B I haven't had a single problem. Apparently it remains in your blood stream and biting insects don't like the taste. You have to take the tablets for a week before you go for the vitamin levels to reach a high enough level. toots posting about Marmite, which contains quite a high level of Vit B, reminded me about this!

Aha, so that could be right about the marmite then, hmm, must remember to eat much more marmite than I currently do. Think I'd get sick of it after a while though

You say you have to take the Vitamin B tablets for a week before you go abroad to reach a high enough level, so I suppose I'd have to take them permanently

Taking a B Complex vitamin supplement daily isn't necessarily a bad idea anyway toots.  Aside from keeping the mossies away, the benefits include

-- Ease Stress

-- Treat anxiety and depression

-- Aid memory

-- Relieve PMS

-- Reduce heart-disease risk
-- Boost Energy

The B's are best taken with food -- they can cause nausea when taken on an empty stomach -- and early in the day. (Vitamin B6 increases neurotransmitter activity; when taken late in the day, it can lead to increased dreaming, resulting in a restless night's sleep.)  I take mine with my breakfast, but maybe I should leave it until lunch