rwj42

I'm looking for some help with mosquito repellent advice. I am going to be spending some time in Thailand and KL late Dec. and early Jan. What mosquito repellent tricks/products work best for you. Thanks for your help.

hobbes

Autan is effective if you can handle the smell...any citronella based herbal product is highly effective as citronella is a very repellent smell to mosquitoes

Kathie

A deet product containing 25-50 deet is your best bet. Citronella is actually not very effective (it is effective for approx. 30 minutes on your skin).

StanKase

Sometimes products like "OFF" with 30% DEET are not enough. I find Ben's oil in a small orange container-98% DEET really does the job. It is a bit more expensive but your comfort by having 2 containers will insure (almost) that you will be itch free.

glorialf

If you're going to be in cities in Thailand you really shouldn't need much of anything.

I've found that taking garlic pills (the kind that is NOT listed as odor free) and 300 mg. of b-1 every day helps keep them away. And avoid anything with any kind of perfume.

Mosquitos love me but I rarely need to use repellant in Bangkok of CM during the winter months.

Florida1

I used Ultrathon in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica and on a very recent trip to Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand and have found it very effective, if a bit sticky.

Kathie

There has been extensive research on what repels mosquitos. I think you can access one summary article at the consumer reports website www.consumersuntion.org

In short, there is absolutely no evidence that garlic pills, B vitamins or anything else taken internally has any impact whatsoever on mosquitos biting.

Deet is the most effective repellant. Conccentrations of 25-50% are best, with the higher concentrations simply being effective for longer. Concentrations above 50% are NOT recommended. Indeed, the 100% deet you can buy is not for application to the skin. Once you get above about 50% deet, you don't get any added benefit in repellant effectiveness, but you increase the likelihood of skin reactions to deet. Autan, referred to by hobbes, is an effective repellant.

Gloria is quite right about cities, you're very unlikely to get biten by mosquitos in the major cities.

easytraveler

I'd suggest going to your local sporting goods store, like an REI.

There are several different kinds of products.

One is a spray that you can treat your clothes with. The repellant works even after the clothes have been washed. This is stuff that is being used by our troops, so you should shop early, the store may not always have it in stock (most of it goes with our troops).

The deet advice is excellent.

There is also a deet-free product if your skin reacts with deet.

Lastly, I strongly suggest getting "After Bite". If you have been bitten, rub this one and it's wonderful to stop the itching.

All over Asia there are cheap "mosquito coils" which you can burn like an incense and it'll be protection against mosquitoes.