Biting Insects: Mosquitos and Sandflies

By janiner, 6 December, 2024
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Mosquito

There was an article in the Sydney Herald today (6/12/2024) about the main summer pest, mosquitos. I have had a few requests for information from new residents, so here is what I know.

At North Arm Cove, we can get at least 2 varieties of mosquitos- the ones that breed in salt water amongst the mangroves and the ones that breed in fresh water such as bird baths and in pot plant saucers. They all bite and in NSW they also carry the risk of Ross River Fever. Occasionally other mosquito borne viruses crop up in spots in NSW, including -Japanese encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis and Kunjin Virus.

We also have sandflies or midges at North Arm Cove, which also breed in the mangroves. Many people find their bites last for many days and are terribly itchy.

Why do these insects bite some people and often ignore others? Some species of overseas mosquito apparently prefer people with blood type O. All species seem to be attracted by the carbon dioxide in our breath, so if you are breathing heavily, you may be a more attractive target. Dark coloured clothing is more attractive than light-coloured clothes or green clothes. Eating vitamin B1 is said to be a deterrent, but it hasn’t worked for me. Eating large quantities of bananas or drinking beer may help, but none of these remedies are proven. Garlic, vegemite and vitamin B patches have been debunked as myths.

My own personal experience leads me to think that woman may be more attractive targets than men. I am a biting insect magnet but my husband only occasionally gets bitten. I am so attractive that sandflies even manage to get me under my clothing!!

So what do we do besides covering up in light coloured clothing and applying a liberal coating of an insect repellent containing DEET? Here are some suggestions:

  • You can buy a trap which emits carbon dioxide. They generally also have a blue light. We tried one of these and we caught lots of insects of all types, but plenty of biting critters still lurked around our house. The trap was excellent at keeping insects away from the front door, so we got fewer buzzing sounds in the middle of the night. These devices can be bought online.
  • Insect zappers have a blue light which attracts insects at night. The only problem is that you kill a lot of moths and beetles as well.
  • We have also tried the battery-operated device that you can buy at the supermarket or hardware store that emits a puff of fly spray every couple of minutes. One of these on the front verandah also lessens the risk of insects getting in the house.
  • You can get plug in devices for inside or outside that emit a chemical deterrent. They generally have a small detachable bowl of insecticide. I’m not fond of sleeping with these on and breathing up the fumes for hours at a time, but they do provide some protection. They are also available at the supermarket.
  • Mossie coils are helpful outdoors, but easily go out if it is windy and we don’t necessarily wish to be breathing the fumes for long periods of time.
  • To stop sandflies getting in the house, you need midge proof flyscreens. This mesh can be purchased at the hardware store. It is stiffer than ordinary flyscreen and the sandflies cannot squeeze through the holes.
  • For personal protection, you can get some wearable devices that are impregnated with naturally occurring chemicals or alternatively emit a sound. The chemist at Tea Gardens has a good range or you can look online. I haven’t found these very successful.

Once you are bitten, what can you do? I find nothing relieves the itch, but I still go through the process of applying bite creams and potions available from the chemist. I have been told that putting a hot pack on the site speeds up recovery, but it certainly did not work for me. I have also been told that scratching the top off sandfly bites gets rid of the poison, but this seems a rather risky proposal and a huge infection risk. My best advice is to try to avoid the bites in the first place, but this is easier said than done. Any suggestions are most welcome.

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