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Mosquitos of doom...

XNine

XNine

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Apr 7, 2005
3,154
0
Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?
Okay, my family is from Minnesota, who honestly have the WORST mosquitos ever. I mean, they've been known to carry small animals and children away.

You don't expect that here in Colorado. And in fact, it wasn't until two weeks ago that I even saw a mosquito here in Colorado this year. Which means they either migrated or finally hatched after we got three days of straight rain...

Well, yesterday morning I woke up beside the girl I'm seeing and my arm felt like it was literally on fire. I didn't know what was wrong. Then throughout the day, it got worse and my entire hand was swollen. And still is today...

Come to find out, the three bites, one on my thumb, index finger and ring finger are massive. I've never been allergic to mosquitos, but this it bad. I also got bit three times on my right leg, which has swollen my ankle.

Anyone else having these problems with mosquitos this year?
 
My wife is from the Minneapolis area and going up there in the summer/fall is always brutal. A few weeks ago I was filling up at a gas station in Wisconsin and got about 10 welts in 5 minutes. Personally I like living in downtown Chicago where I get 2-5 bites a year. Don't quite know why so few, air pollution maybe? If you go out to the 'burbs or heavily wooded areas the pests get pretty bad.
 
Yeah... usually they're pretty bad here in Wisconsin. (We like to call mosquitos our State Bird.) This season has been better than most, but usually it's pretty bad here. Consequently, I dont' have many horror stories to tell... this year. :)
 
Onizuka said:
Anyone else having these problems with mosquitos this year?
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Sounds like you need some DEET.

200.jpg


The place we moved into recently is quite bat-laden, so that really keeps the mosquito population under control. The few bites I've gotten have been pretty mild, though.

Incidentally, if anyone is making any iridescent makeup, do I have some guano to sell you!
 
thedude110 said:
The place we moved into recently is quite bat-laden.... The few bites I've gotten have been pretty mild, though.
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From the bats? :p

Oni - that sounds like a pretty steep reaction to a mosquito bite. Hopefully some cortisone cream or similar will help with the itching/swelling. Also, I find that rubbing alcohol works as well.
 
When I lived in NJ, in the pine barrons, we had em pretty bad. There would be one day a year, usually in July when it had rained quite a bit then was really hot the next day, we would get so many mosquitos that you couldn't go outside, not because you would be bitten, but because they were so thick you couldn't breathe. I was about 6, so I may have seen things a bit skewed, but my parents back me up. Here in Oregon we have mosquitoes but knowhere near as bad as a lot of places on the East Coast.

Also, when I was in Italy two summers ago, I was sleeping in a bed that was 5ft long (I am 6ft 2in), so my feet and a good bit of my leg stuck out the end of the bed. We had to leave the windows open (no screens) because it never go bellow 90f and there was no AC. I got nearly 30 bites in a week, most on my lower legs while I was asleep. Most of them looked like welts or spider bites. It was the worst biting I have ever gotten. However, I was in Italy so it really didn't matter...
 
The only real way to keep them away is for your body to give off a smell they don't like. Eating more garlic does the job for me. Sweating that out all night keeps them well off.
 
emw said:
From the bats? :p
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You know, almost! The bats were getting in the house, and I'm running around with a broom trying to chase one out the window. Meanwhile, the woman (a veterinarian) is in the basement, trying to keep the dog from coming upstairs and getting in the way.

As I'm running around with the broom, chasing this very agile, dive-bombing bat, it dawns on me -- who's the only in the house who's not rabies vaccinated?
 
thedude110 said:
Meanwhile, the woman (a veterinarian) is in the basement...
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I first read that as "vegetarian" and wondered what that had to do with anything :p

We've never had bats in the house, but have friends that did. Not a fun experience, from what I understand. Generally, though, I think they just try and open the windows and get it to go out, potentially shutting the door to the room to help it along. I don't think they want to be in there any more than you want them there.
 
You can buy plug-in insect repellent. Extremely effective - I've actually watched giant Omani mosquitoes mill around the open door but be unable to come in.

If you want a natural alternative, get hold of an essential oil burner and put lemongrass in it. Not as effective but better than nothing. Plus it smells nice.
 
I had a friend buy me some Permanone (permethrin spray), which I used to soak into my jacket and hat when I went for 2 weeks of summer camp volunteering a while back. It seemed to work pretty nicely.

You can't buy the stuff at all here in Canada but apparently it's readily available at Wal-Marts in the States.
 
The suckers have landed in England too. We're having a heat wave at the moment and temps have soared up high. The other night I was hearing that high pitched noise they make near ur ear and turned around to see the world of these nasty things flying behind me.

I checked for bites and lucky for me I had none (Davidoff Coolwaters...etc). Fly sprayed out the room and put a net on the window. Really dont need these horrid things coming into my bedroom carrying the nasty microbes they do. I mean what if ones just sucked on a HIV positive person and then come and bit you up like poor Onizuka? Poor guy!
 
Eeek. That sounds bad, Onizuka. I always swell up like a freak when I get bitten for some reason.

One thing, along with creams and stuff you put on the outside, is to take an anti-histamine if it's swollen and bad. Works from the inside as well.
 
Lau said:
Eeek. That sounds bad, Onizuka. I always swell up like a freak when I get bitten for some reason.

One thing, along with creams and stuff you put on the outside, is to take an anti-histamine if it's swollen and bad. Works from the inside as well.
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I've rubbed my hand with cream, taken Claritan, and ibuprofrene and nothing has helped except the burning/itching is gone. Pain ist there a little. I think I have wesnile...
 
michaelrjohnson said:
Thanks for recommending an SC Johnson product. That's where I'm working this summer!
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So is it the family business for you? ;)
 
michaelrjohnson said:
Thanks for recommending an SC Johnson product. That's where I'm working this summer!
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Not to get too far OT but are you working at the Racine, WI headquarters? I was up there (client call) a few months ago - killer Frank Lloyd Wright designed building.

SCJ HDQ.

emw said:
I doubt it. However, you may be having some allergic reaction. Any chance it's not a mosquito bite, but spider bites?
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Maybe MonkeyPox?
 
i went hiking and i went through a "wildlife reserver" (which was more of a swamp) and near an organic farm... one guy i was with had 80 bits on his legs(no lie) it was crazy!
 
WildCowboy said:
So is it the family business for you? ;)
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Oh, don't I wish! But the first time I meet anyone there, they seem to be a little bit cautious... until they find out I'm not one of "the" Johnson's. Oh well...
 
aricher said:
Not to get too far OT but are you working at the Racine, WI headquarters? I was up there (client call) a few months ago - killer Frank Lloyd Wright designed building.

SCJ HDQ.
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Yes.

Racine is my hometown, and I'm working on the main campus near downtown. They have several other complexes in the city, but none of them compare to the HQ in terms of architecture. It really is beautiful. I would encourage anyone passing near Racine on a Friday (The only day they offer Architectural Tours) to do it. There's some beautiful stuff there.
 
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