Mosquito bite prevention Italy May

You can get small sticky impregnated discs you attach to a part of your clothing and they stop insects biting you. We get them at the chemist here. Bushman’s is the best insect repellant if you can get it there. Spray or roll on. We get some really nasty biters in parts of Australia and both those things stop them in their tracks.

Incognito is a plant based, free from DEET, mosquito repellent. It's recommended by the WHO and NHS for use in high risk, from mosquito born disease, parts of the
world.
I was in Florence in September and didn't see a mosquito, nor was I bitten. May is the start of the mosquito season, September, peak time.
Have a wonderful experience in this beautiful city.

It’s never occurred to me to use insect repellent in Italy🤔 I’ve been lots of times to different parts including Florence and the surrounding countryside and I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem- or not to notice anyway.

Still I use Jungle Formula when travelling to other parts of the world. It’s always been effective.

I suffer badly from mosquito bites. Most sprays like Deet have never worked for me. The only thing that helped was vitamin B1 tablets, take every day for about 2 weeks before the trip and every day that you are away. They never stopped me getting bites but they were much smaller and less significant than previously. I do empathise with anyone who goes through this, it used to make my holidays so miserable that I almost felt like not going away anymore.

I had some worst mosquito bites ever on a camp site near Venice in 1970 !!
Whatever repellent you use, make sure you have a good supply of Anthisan if you do succumb.

Mosquitoes love me and I use a repellent she with 50% deet . The natural ones don’t work on me . I also use a shower gel with teatree oil , no perfume . Post shower I use Avon skin so soft and then bug spray . I also have a plug-in spray for the room . And take vitamin b complex for 2 weeks prior . This seems to work . Although I was recently in Thailand and got bitten but I think that was sand flies during the day .

Jungle Formula Maximum strength is the only product that works for me.

Whenever I get bitten without having had applied it, I then need a course of antibiotics from the GP

You can buy mosquito repellant clothing ( and socks hats etc) from outdoor sports companies (such as crag hoppers ‘Nosi’’ but other brands too) The downside is the styles are also aimed at outdoor sports such as hiking which may not suite Florence.
I don’t remember mosquitoes being a nuisance in Florence ( I think we were there late May) - although they were a nuisance in Venice ( we were camping next to water).
I use stick on patches ( Mozipatch bought from Sainsburys) when the threat is low- stuck on clothes. Mozipatch are meant for children but a couple stuck on adult clothes - one near the top and one or two lower down- seem to work ok in low risk areas ( Ds and I react badly to bites but have skin sensitivities so avoid skin sprayed repellant except when there is higher risk) The patches are brightly coloured! I think patches are meant to disguise the attractive human smell for several inches so protect the bare skin near by.

crissy

I had some worst mosquito bites ever on a camp site near Venice in 1970 !!
Whatever repellent you use, make sure you have a good supply of Anthisan if you do succumb.

I have memories of camping at Lido Di Jesolo (sp) in my youth and they used to spray the campsite each night with something very toxic. Years later photos of my daughter covered in mozzie bites at the same place. I used to have a little pen that I used to dab on any bite straight away that would help greatly. It smelt like bleach. Can’t use too much Jungle Formula or have too much antihistamine cream and tablets imo.

…the upside is that the aftermath of mozzie bites now seems to release endorphins in my body as it thinks it’s still lying on a Mediterranean beach.

Florence is notorious for mosquitoes.

As well as mosquito repellant, I take a daily antihistamine to offset the itchiness and inflammation.

I use Avon Skin so Soft oil daily. It is well known for its insect repelling properties even though it is not advertised as such. Seems to work for me. Added bonus of nice smell and moisturisation.

Skin so soft helps and apparently used by the army . Worst mosquito experienced was near the Old Man of Hoy , Orkney . They come out of the heather as soon as no breeze and sunny so it’s either bad weather or Mozzies . I used a large brim sun hat with mosquito jet too .

50% DEET works for me. The plant-based ones never worked for me.

Don't think we get that here as I brought it back from Oz

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Drink lots of Gin&Tonics before you go and whilst you are there!!!
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Someone I knew swears by Brewers Yeast tablets , similar effect to Vit b but much stronger.
He would start taking them about 3weeks before camping in Europe during the school holidays.
Said they were very effective.

They avoid you if you take B vitamins.

Avon skin-so-soft (spray on body oil). Avon themselves clearly don’t want to get involved as it would involve a lot of liability issues along with properly conducted testing. But it’s well-known for being extremely good for repelling mosquitos and I’ve even heard it being used very successfully on horses to repel horseflies. I also use either a strong lemon soap or citrus shower gel as well.

We use Skin So Soft from Avon. Seems to work. I've heard that the SAS use it.....

Avon skin so soft dry oil spray usually keep the little buggers away .

Skin so soft does nothing for me. I was advised to take an antihistamine a week before I travel and whilst I am away. I use the strongest deet I can find and avoid being outside at dusk. It's the only thing that works for me.

I think some of you may be interested in this study which found Avon's Skin so Soft to be pretty good - but only gor an hour.

www.researchgate.net/publication/287046713_Mosquito_repellent_effectiveness_A_placebo_controlled_trial_comparing_95_DEET_Avon_Skin_So_Soft_and_a_special_mixture_containing_eucalyptus_oil?hl=en-GB#:~:text=Mosquito%20repellent%20effectiveness%3A%20A%20placebo,Article