It is customary for various hunting and fishing seasons to be to be given dates to open officially. Today, a different season has started (albeit without any official date)...

The Mosquito season has started officially. It started at around 3 a.m. this morning, when I woke up with a terrible itching on my upper lip. I went back to sleep and woke up at around 8 with the entire left-hand side of my face swollen. I now look like a cheap version of Quasimodo...

I have a terrible problem with mosquitos, not only do their bites itch like hell, I also get nausea and fever...

Curious thing is that a number of years ago I spent a rather unpleasant 2 weeks in the jungles of Belize with only the occasional spider bite and the odd leech or so. Here in Spain, particularly in the north, the mosquitos do have a certain 'strength' of character. Whether it is my 'imported' blood I don't know...

Whatever it is, I am definitely feeling sorry for myself... Nice to see the 'season' has started so well: Jim 0, Mosquitos 3....Jim

Gotta take care dude... these small little things can pack a punch.! Over here in South East Asia.. even though mosquitoes aren't a rarity.. the cases of Dengue Fever is on the rise.. Governments fear an epidemic might occur.. Better to be safe than sorry. Get more repellants and keep stagnant water away to prevent them from reproducing.. heh..

Our 'skitos here in the states are either small enough to get through through the holes in the screen or big enough to open the door. They carry West Nile and we have about five or six deaths a year from that in Indiana.

I hate those buggers.

Shaun

We just had another confirmed death to the West Nile virus here in Montgomery....be careful Jim...a good remedy is soaking the affected skin with alcohol. Start out with a good Scotch. Then move to whatever you have left in the cupboard. Soak the affected area from the inside. Swallow the excess. Very soon you'll forget about the bite and stop scratching after a while.

works everytime...

kevin

Some mosquitos are know to be carriers of the Eastern Equine Encephalitis, affectionately known as the Triple E. There was a 5-year old girl that died from that a little while ago. Scary stuff. Make sure you spray yourself with plenty of mosquito repelling chemicals.




I wonder what the alcohol blood level would need to be at to kill a mosquito. Hmm...I may need to experiment :-)

I remember being a kid and getting bitten by a mosquito in the general area of my right eye. Next morning that eye was swollen shut. This was not fun.

Well Jim!!

Although all are right about preventing Mosquitto bites, around this corner of Southern Europe there are not many deseases spread by their bites... you will not die from those!

I also suffer from huge sweallings and terrible itch, but I only got two or three of these bites a year - I might say you reached your quota Jim!

Just to make you happier (if possible):
The worst case I got was when on vacation in Fernando de Noronha Island (Brasil, 250 Km out in the Ocean) when I got 36 bites in less than 10 minutes (on my back).
Alexandra (Mrs Skipper) on the second evening got + 100 bites and was already starting to thing on leaving the Island (pills, repellant stick, repellant spray, window screens aparently weren't enought to stop those guys - or it was our "fresh" European blood that was so tasty to them)!

Appart from swealling, itching and bad temper, nothing bad happened

Hmmm Jim!
If pigs can fly, will bulls bite?

Use the alcohol treatment and you'll be fine, Quasim... Jim

Skipper

I wish I was that lucky.
I live on a forested hill. At the bottom on the one side is a small swamp.

The only time we don’t have skitos is in winter when its to cold for them. Thank god its almost that time.
We don’t even keep track of how many we get a year.

We don’t even use spray anymore. Doesn’t appear to stop them any.

Just watch that you don’t rub it open. I got 3 this year right above my ankle and my sock kept rubbing them open.

I'm a fellow sufferer. We go to my wife's home in Finland each summer and although the Mosquitos (Or whatever they are) don't touch my wife or daughter they come from all over Finland to feast on my blood.
In june I counted over 180 bites on me and that was while I was covered in repellent The swelling was so bad that I had to get something from the chemist that is usually used to treat snakebites. Earlier this month I was back in Finland and even though they're all supposed to be gone, a few die hards were waiting to ambush me and send me back to the chemist.
It must be the Guinness in my blood

It has to be pretty darn high. I have done numerous case studies involving warm summer evenings and Dewars...

Shaun

Boo Hoo
Seriously Jim, man up.

Watch out for that West Nile Virus. A couple dead birds around here tested pos. for it, and they say it spreads from mossies.

~Chip

I find this whole thread hilarious! I've slept in places where my whole party has awoken to find themselves half eaten, every single person.........except me. I've never been bitten in my life. Guess there's some knid of repellent in my blood.................or maybe I'm repellent myself! :-) :-) :-)

Vinnie

I was thinking the exact same whilst reading this.
I have been bitten once, as a kid, and never since.
I must taste so horrible, it must have left a ' leave well alone ' message. I can sit ( and have on many occasions, such as scout camps or bike weekends) outside, in an area with swamp or stagnant water, with all around being bitten to bu@@@@ry, and won't be bothered at all..

Having said that, wasps are a different kettle of fish..When ever I was stung, it was somewhere where i could not get at it to suck it out. Worst one was on my motorbike. I thought a fly had flown into my helmet ( hot day, low speed, visor up... ) and after half a mile or so it was buzzing around my ear, so I thought I'll move it away with my finger, whilst on the move....
That was to much excitement for the wasp, who retaliated by stinging me right behind my ear.... The ensuing emergency stop would have made my bike instructor wet his pants I'm sure..the pain was excruciating, and riding home very unpleasant. I had to stop a few times as I couldn't concentrate on the traffic enough. Second worse was also on a bike, another hot day ( I see a pattern here ) so I decided to go for a spin around the block. No need for leather jacket and scarf then... . Wasp gets caught in the collar of my cut off....One sting in the neck and another fine emergency stop later...
Don't ride a bike without wearing proper protection..

And Jim, I wish you a speedy recovery. Have you tried citrus plants on the window sill and bedside cabinet? Appaprently they can't stand the smell of those.




:-) :-) :-) :-)

Nice one Shaun.

Cheers
Henk

Ciao Jim,
Sorry to hear about that. I thought you meant American Football Season (NFL!!!). Here in Florida, we have our share of "Skeeters" and "Noseeums." I think they migrate between here and Louisiana. Yes, West Nile is not good either. Plus, we have Deer Flies (or Yellow Flies). I think those suckers carry box cutters to get blood.