Avoiding Mosquito Bites
Mosquitoes find their victims with their sense of smell. By masking body odor, you can avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. In addition, avoid going outdoors entirely during the early morning and late evening hours.
Far too many people think that taking a casual outing into the woods, on the spur of the moment, is perfectly safe. Hiking through tall brush, thickly wooded forests, and swampland is actually quite dangerous. You should always be dressed appropriately, which means wearing extra long loose fitting pants and long-sleeve shirts, along with ankle-high or higher thick leather boots that wrap over your pants. There is always the danger of accidentally stepping on snakes, which easily can be poisonous. Heavy duty hiking boots offer a measure of protection against snake bites.
Thank goodness that enjoying your own backyard or a local municipal park is a lot safer. Still, constantly getting bitten by mosquitoes and other insects is no fun.
Everyone should bear in mind that mosquitoes can transmit deadly diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, malaria[1], enchephalitis, and West Nile virus. However there are many different species of mosquitoes, such as the Asian tiger mosquitoes which recently have been showing up in New Jersey, which behave slightly differently from each other. And, not all mosquitoes are infected with diseases.
Disease agents are only deadly in immunocompromised individuals. Your natural immune system should, thus, always be prepared for challenges. The Natural Health Perspective has developed an effective immune boosting vitamin regiment that will help anyone boost their natural immunity. While avoiding getting sick is not always possible, being in a good position to survive a communicable disease is always highly desirable.
Mosquitoes are Attracted by Smell
The best way to avoid being bitten is to avoid going outdoors entirely during the early morning and late evening hours. If you must go outdoors during this time period then we suggest wearing lightly-colored long pants and long-sleeve shirts. Further, for added protection you can have somebody spray DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) insect repellent, just on your lightly-colored clothing.
Mosquitoes find human pray to draw blood from with their sense of smell.[1] Thus, taking a shower immediately before going outside is highly advisable in-order to wash off all body orders, and especially any hint of sweat. Just avoid using strong smelling soaps and lotions. Try it. After showering you can safely walk around outdoors, around noontime, in a bathing suit for a couple of hours, synthesizing vitamin D from sunshine without getting bitten one time by a mosquito.
Recently published research has shown that mosquitoes infected with malaria, and potentially other deadly diseases, were significantly more attracted to strong foot odors than uninfected mosquitoes were.[2] Thus, individuals plagued with strong foot odors need to take this into consideration. Everyone should be sure to change their socks before going outdoors. It just might save your life, one day.
Lastly, you should never ignore the importance of good lawn grooming. Avoid all standing water and swampy areas that would only promote the breeding of mosquitoes. Avoid allowing grass to grow too tall or otherwise keep thick and neglected, tangles of bushes in your yard.
In addition, for special lawn parties you can spray relatively safe lawn insecticides with your garden hose a couple hours before the social event is to start. Obviously, you should prevent both pets and children from playing in any grass that has been sprayed with insecticides.
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References:
- Olfactory regulation of mosquito-host interactions.
Zwiebel L J, Takken W.
Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2004 Jul;34(7):645-52. Review.
PMID: 15242705 - Malaria infected mosquitoes express enhanced attraction to human odor.
Smallegange RC, van Gemert GJ, van de Vegte-Bolmer M ...
PLoS One. 2013 May 15;8(5):e63602. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063602. Print 2013.
PMID: 23691073
