Living as a location independent professional in paradise comes with its downsides…
The biggest of these for us at the moment are mosquitoes (and as I’ve just discovered today, needle jellyfish – but that’s another post). The pesky little things (although not so little here in Grenada, some are the size of small birds) are voracious, persistent and very sneaky.
If you, like me, have quite a violent reaction to any kind of bite or sting (I used to get red lines travelling up my left arm any time I was bitten there) or you are travelling to malaria-infected locations, then you obviously need to be very careful. As always, prevention is better than cure so here are some of the things I’ve learned in 20+ years of avoiding mossies, that can help prevent getting any bites in the first place…
Mosquito repellant (natural vs. DEET)
Never forget the mossie repellent. If you’re into health/natural stuff, then the best brand I’ve found is Herbal Armour which only seems to be available in the States and the UK from health shops. Otherwise, DEET is still one of the most effective repellants if you can bear to put it on your skin. We use the natural versions 90% of the time but will wear 50% DEET repellant if we know we’re going to be exposed to lots of the critters on certain occasions.
Sometimes you can get locally-made versions of repellent – these are often well worth trying as they maybe more suited to the local ‘variety’ of bugs. In Grenada, there is a local repellent made by Arawak Islands from natural ingredients – we’ve found however that it has limited effect and I still get bitten when I wear it.
Avoid going out at dusk
Literally as soon as the sun sets on the horizon but it’s still light, the mosquitoes are at their most voracious. This can put a bit of a dampener on your sundowner drinks but if you cover up (light, loose fitting long sleeves & long trousers) and slather on the repellant, you should be ok. Early mornings can be similar – so always ensure you’re protected before venturing out.
Mosquito Gadgets
Many of the places we stay have damaged mosquito screens on the doors & windows which is not the most comforting sign. As extra precaution when indoors, we use a combination of the mosquito coils (a bit like curly wurly incense sticks) and the plug-in zappers. The most effective electric zappers seem to be the ones with a small jar of ‘perfume’ which last for several days at a time and usually smell more pleasant than any of the others. If you can’t buy these on location, take a couple with you.
I have tried various other gadgets…mosquito bands (not great), mosquito clips (not great) and mosquito patches (not great). Many of these are ‘natural’ repellants based on citronella ingredients and so their efficacy is limited. I suspect the DEET equivalents might be somewhat more effective.
Anti-mosquito clothes
You can buy clothing which is treated with mosquito repellant which is quite effective. I’ve only ever tried some trousers which seemed quite effective (but then my legs were covered up so they woud be, no?!?) and the repellant only lasts so many washes. It’s a slightly more expensive way of doing it, but if you are going jungle trekking or you simply can’t be bothered to keep applying the repellant to yourself, then it might be a sensible option. Note, you will still have to protect the parts of you uncovered by the clothes.
In the next post, I’ll be talking about the best way to treat mosquito bites to lessen your suffering, should these tips not be as effective as you’d like…
