putting on baby oil after taking a shower works well for me. I never get mosquito bites.

Try garlic pills the work great for pets now there is a study going on with people the effects of garlic as a bug repellent. story was on CNN yesterday

If mosquitos love you, don't put on any perfume. They seem to love it as well.

Marilyn: Did you get Cutters in the US or overseas? Thanks. Carol

Carol -- I have always bought my Cutter's in the US, at an outdoors store like REI. You may have to do a little looking to find the stick form, but I swear by it. I don't know if it is available in Europe, but since I NEVER leave home without it...<BR><BR>I have been in situations where no one else is getting bit, and I'm being eaten alive. Eating garlic has NO effect on this attraction I seem to exert on 'squit's. And I never wear perfume (oddly, my husband thinks all perfume smells like bug spray). I don't even use scented hand lotion in mosquito territory. So, DEET it is, and thank god it exists!

Personally, the Skin So Soft does not work on our family. And we tend to forget to bring anything and so end up with bites and then we are on the hunt for some form of relief creme. It is now a big joke in our family...every time we travel overseas we have to bring home mosquito bite creme from whatever countries we visited. One of those silly traditions you come up with out of necessity:)

Thank you Marilyn. Carol

We spent a week at Chincoteague Island,VA, notorious for mosquitoes, in early August. I bought Skin So Soft on the recommendation of the pharmacist on the island - do NOT use this product! Well, don't use it for mosquito protection, anyway - it's great for apr&egrave;s sun emollient and it smells great. But the first night I slathered it on all members of the family, and as we left the house, between the front door and the car to go play mini-golf and get ice cream, we all four combined got 26 mosquito bites. It was as though the Chincoteague mosquitoes made a beeline for that Skin So Soft.<BR><BR>Lovely smelling stuff. As far as I'm concerned, it's USELESS against mosquitoes.<BR><BR>Back to Cutter's or anything with loads of DEET. And with all the dead crows around Northern Virginia right now, I'm tempted to slather the stuff on daily as part of my routine.

Autan and Off are two eurpean products, both containing Deet, that can be easily found not only at pharmacies but also at supermarkets (they are cheaper at supermarkets than at pharmacies!). They come in a rather wide range of fprmula, stronger or lighter, suoted for kis or not, spray, lotion or roll-on. All these are toxic, though, so they are not suited for extensive use. A good alternative are lotions, creams or sprays with "cistronella" and geranium, they work well enough for a while but have to be applied every hour or even more often. Yet they are my choice for kids, since they are not as toxic. Also, in emergency you can use plain basil leaves: crush the leaves and smear them on the skin. B vitamin works also, but it also causes a nice effect: you get FAT!

Jungle formula is 75% DEET (available in Scotland).Autan is only about 5%.

Autanspray, Florence may have experienced the coldest and wettest summer of the year 2002, but the original post is dated 6/06/2000!

Frank:<BR><BR>Italy is neither a jungle nor a siberian steppe. We have relatively few and weak mosquitoes and Autan or even plain itronella and geranium lotions work well enough for them.

The very best repellent that I found in Italy is just called "OFF". It is a clear liquid and very effective. I was surprised and pleased to find it here in Australia too.......both Italy and Oz carry it in most supermarkets.<BR><BR>Carole

I just got back from Rome and Florence and with all the rain out there, the bugs are killer. My best freind who isn't allergic to anything that she knows of, got bit by something in Rome and the welt was as big as a baseball on her calf the next day. She said it hurt like hell too. Bring the bugs spray with you for sure!!!!