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Insect Repellent Recommendations.

Mullardman

Mullardman

Moderately extreme...
Early planning for a trip to Mexico next March. I believe 'Mozzies' can be an issue. Zika virus too.. though since it's a relatively mild infection and the chances of me being pregnant are fairly minimal....

Thing is, I sometimes use Industrial Strength DEET based repellents here in the UK when I'm catching rays and I know that assorted Horse Flies and Black Flies are about.. but these products do tend to leave you feeling like you've had a coat of very smelly Yacht Varnish applied.. and they ruin fabrics, paintwork and furniture... You can't really do much else but sunbathe unless you wash all the DEET off again.

So.. I'm looking for something which will repel Mozzies in the less intense times.. When you actually have clothes on and are out for dinner in the evening.. or when on an excursion etc. Something which works but won't dissolve my shoes or weld me to a cheap restaurant seat..

Anything?
 
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Avon Skin So Soft spray, repels nasties while aiding your beauty regime, thus attracting not nasties (wanted to write nicies, but it looked too much like nieces....)

Not taking the piss, it's really good.
 
Mull

A golden rule of travelling is to leave British meds at home and go into a local chemist and buy what they use. What works in the UK is generally useless in hotter countries.
This also applies to meds for stomach issues and going down with the runs (Mexico is a gut rot certainty second only to Egypt), buy the local stuff as it works better and more importantly, quicker.

Also buy the little things you plug into wall sockets in your hotel room, it will make your room smell like a cheap brothel but you will almost certainly be sleeping naked without a top sheet due to the humid heat and will be very vulnerable to mossies, so these little gadgets are a godsend.

Be warned that their beer is full of gas and it does make you fart and burp a lot. This is made worse if you eat the beans that are served with almost every dish. Avoid salads at all cost because if you do eat them, the runs will surely follow. Your tour guide will confirm this.

Enjoy the experience.

Regards

Mick
 
Mull,

You can pick up Deep Woods OFF Dry once you have arrived in Mexico. The Dry version is nice as it does not feel like lacquer but does the job.

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X2 using local stuff is best. (Different country mind)
We use a natural, herb based, product that works well but does need regular, say 3 hourly, re-applying to stay effective. It also comes in a range of nifty niffs!
 
Treat your clothes with permetherin, then use a product of your choice with min 20% DEET on exposed skin and 3 inches beyond cuffs. If also needing sunscreen, apply sunscreen first, then wait 20 minutes for it to bind fully, then apply the insect goop. Be aware that the sunscreen efficacy will be reduced by a third with a deet overlay.
 
Mick P said:
Mull

A golden rule of travelling is to leave British meds at home and go into a local chemist and buy what they use. What works in the UK is generally useless in hotter countries.
This also applies to meds for stomach issues and going down with the runs (Mexico is a gut rot certainty second only to Egypt), buy the local stuff as it works better and more importantly, quicker.

Also buy the little things you plug into wall sockets in your hotel room, it will make your room smell like a cheap brothel but you will almost certainly be sleeping naked without a top sheet due to the humid heat and will be very vulnerable to mossies, so these little gadgets are a godsend.

Be warned that their beer is full of gas and it does make you fart and burp a lot. This is made worse if you eat the beans that are served with almost every dish. Avoid salads at all cost because if you do eat them, the runs will surely follow. Your tour guide will confirm this.

Enjoy the experience.

Regards

Mick
Click to expand...

That's when the hotel cleaning staff are not letting their mates in during the day to sup from the mini-bar and watch your TV. She may even leave the fag ends in the ash tray if she gets careless.
 
My wife is the best mossi repellant they all bite her and ignore me. She swears by the repellant outdoor clothing as the best thing ever.
 
I get bit and my skin reacts very badly to insect bites. (bites are like cigarette burns on me, last for a month minimum)

The "Off.." spray is good (available locally in Mexico i think)
I generally use jungle formula deet stuff.
The Avon stuff did not work for me, not one iota.

Long sleeve shirts and long trousers essential in the evening.

Take some antihistamine tablets with you

I agree with the plug-in things for your room, you need to be really strict re: windows/doors open in the evening...
 
I have read that if you take vitamin B for a few weeks before the trip it repels bugs. Not sure which version or whether it actually works though. It costs us $500 in medical fees when we went to the Dominican REpublic as my wife reacts badly to insect bites.
 
Mick P said:
A golden rule of travelling is to leave British meds at home and go into a local chemist and buy what they use. What works in the UK is generally useless in hotter countries.
This also applies to meds for stomach issues and going down with the runs (Mexico is a gut rot certainty second only to Egypt), buy the local stuff as it works better and more importantly, quicker.
Click to expand...


in all my travels abroad for work, I have never found this to be case. In fact in India on the two occasions I had upset stomach, the stuff I bought from home worked better and quicker than the local stuff.

If often asked our pharmacy dept about local medicines, and they were very worried about local medicines containing ingredients banned in Europe or the US.

Deet based products just work. Oh and if you are staying in a decent hotel and an electric repellent is needed then IME the hotel will supply. Keep the AC on and windows shut in your room and you won't be troubled.
 
Another vote for the plug in things, in Greece last year we were getting eaten by mozzies, my mate got absolutely hammered by them. Bought the plug ins, no more bother.
DEET is best but ruins plastics etc. Avon spray is OK. As a casual deterrent it's pretty good because it's just a skin cream. The drawback is that it makes you smell like an old lady.
 
my next door neighbours who holiday annually in Mexico in many different locations regularly tell the story of buying local medicine in a respected pharmacy, only to discover after a week of sh**tting and having to fly home in that state, that the medicine they had been sold was fake and contained no active ingredients. One dose of something purchased in Boots sorted ghem out. But the whole experience ruined their holiday
 
I rarely get bitten, and when I do I don't react badly, but Mrs MikeMA does. We use the plug in devices with liquid or impregnated mats in our hovel in Greece and when staying in hotels. They seem to work well. Mrs MikeMA also covers herself in something called Autan which seems to work. However this is Europe only these days, and I suspect Mexican bugs will be bigger and more aggressive and may require something stronger. Watch out for scorpions spiders and snakes too.
 
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