# How much do you hate mosquitoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310 "2011-07-17T02:16:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/41 "2011-07-18T18:18:23Z")
I hate them so much I’ve been taking garlic supplements to try to make myself less appetizing to the little bastards. Seems to help. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/42 "2011-07-18T18:28:04Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Since only the females need blood (or so I’ve heard), surely you have some love for the males? But we can’t make the females extinct without also making the males extinct in fairly short order. That’s a sacrifice I, for one, am willing to make. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/43 "2011-07-18T18:39:19Z")
Yellow fever was a big killer, back when Houston was new. My grandmother got dengue fever as a young woman in Corpus Christi. For my generation, running in the clouds following the DDT trucks was part of summer. In really hot weather, I avoid the swampy rural areas; bug spray works OK for brief trips outside in my neighborhood near downtown. For me, the bites itch a bit at first but go away pretty quickly. I think I responded worse as a kid. But I remember a time when I was broke in the summer. No AC, so the windows stayed open. And the screens were imperfect. Sleeping in front of a fan didn’t really keep me cool–or discourage the pesky little bastards. Still, fire ants leave long-lasting pustules. And my occasional encounters with [asps](http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg256.html) were quite memorable. (Tarantulas & scorpions live in Texas–but not here.) ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/44 "2011-07-18T18:44:07Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > I know that nobody likes them, but what is your level of hatred for the little bloodsuckers? > . I don’t care about them. If there’s any other source of food, they’ll go for it. I’m apparently unpalatable for mosquitoes and can’t even remember the last time any of them bite me. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/45 "2011-07-18T18:56:11Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > I hate them so much I’ve been taking garlic supplements to try to make myself less appetizing to the little bastards. Seems to help. You may be subject to confirmation bias. [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2177/does-garlic-repel-mosquitoes) thinks garlic is only good for vampires, although his article refers to spraying garlic on your body, not ingesting it: > [@](#): > > Mosquitoes have almost no olfactory powers whatsoever–they have, in fact, a very selective and narrow olfactory “spectrum”. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/46 "2011-07-18T19:00:21Z")
I burned one out of the sky last evening with a propane torch. It was not a cost-effective method of mosquito control, but it was oh-so satisfying to hear the “bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz- psst!” noise as that bugger discorporated in midflight. And the family agreed that watching me chase a mosquito around with the torch in my hand was very entertaining, too. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/47 "2011-07-18T19:02:14Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > That buzzing sound? Its the sound of job security. **mozchron** is in league with the devil. Burn him (or her!) ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/48 "2011-07-18T19:10:23Z")
More than Casey Anthony. But not quite as much as Charles Manson. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/49 "2011-07-18T19:16:04Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > **mozchron** is in league with the devil. Burn him (or her!) I think we should get **Qadgop** to do the honors. He has experience with the torch, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/50 "2011-07-18T19:19:49Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > To make matters worse, up here in Maine, we now have _TWO_ types of mosquitoes to deal with, the normal small mosquitoes, and the much larger Asian Tiger mosquito, easily twice as large as the normal skeeters, an established swarm of them could easily carry off infants and toddlers… Oh, tiger mosquitoes! They’re worth a whole seperate rant. They never showed up where I live until about six or seven years ago, now they’re everywhere. They come out in the daytime, their bites hurt, and they’ve got _stripes_. Evil things. Well, eviler things. ---
**Author:** ![Kalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@Kalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalypso)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/51 "2011-07-18T19:26:33Z")
I really dislike mosquitoes, but I don’t mind them if I have spray. Fleas, on the other hand, I really really HATE fleas. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/52 "2011-07-18T23:24:50Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > I hate them so much I’ve been taking garlic supplements to try to make myself less appetizing to the little bastards. Seems to help. I’ve been taking vitamin B-complex for the same reason. I’ve heard they change the way you smell to the skeeters. Now when I go outside I might get one bite instead of 15. The only issue with the B-complex is kinda TMI. It makes your urine bright yellow and very strong smelling. When I get bit, the bites swell up to approximately golf-ball size and start oozing from the middle. Really disgusting. There are no words for my hatred of mosquitoes. ---
**Author:** ![BrknButterfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@BrknButterfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrknButterfly)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/53 "2011-07-19T00:27:03Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > To make matters worse, up here in Maine, we now have _TWO_ types of mosquitoes to deal with, the normal small mosquitoes, and the much larger Asian Tiger mosquito, easily twice as large as the normal skeeters, an established swarm of them could easily carry off infants and toddlers… > > Come to think of it, I hate _all_ blood-feeding insects, and would happily _EXCTINCT_ the lot of them… > > Here in Maine, we have; > Mosquitoes; regular and Asian Tiger > Black Flies > Deerflies > Horseflies/greenheads > Mooseflies (take a horsefly and double it’s size) > Ticks; deer, wood, and dog > Stable flies (a housefly evolved to feed on blood, extremely painful bite and hard to kill as it has the reaction speed of a housefly) I’m up here in Maine as well. Usually we have a bonfire while outside. I will sit as close to the fire as humanly possible so that I don’t burn, yet it is too hot for the mosquitoes to get close to me. If there is no fire near by, I am wearing jeans. Long sleeve shirt. A long sleeve sweater hoodie, with the hoodie over my head. Typically that will last about 5 minutes before running into the house to get away from them. It’s pretty bad up here. ---
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/54 "2011-07-19T00:41:15Z")
I don’t know if I’m happy or annoyed I don’t feel the bites. It always ends up I wake up scratching an area. I inspect and see the welt. I think when the fuck did I beaten. Not a pleasant surprise. ---
**Author:** ![tealsee20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tealsee20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tealsee20)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/55 "2011-07-19T10:08:31Z")
I hate them so much that if one buzzes by my ear when I’m asleep, I jerk awake right away. Then I spend an indeterminate amount of time with the light on, holding an open book, looking for the little bloodsucker. I can’t sleep till I’ve squashed it. These clickers, for reducing the swelling of mosquito bites, are absolutely essential in itchy season. > **[Care Plus ® Click Away - Bite Relief : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Care-Plus-Click-Away-Relief/dp/B001V7RAJ0)** > > Product Description The Care Plus Click Away is a the perfect relief device when you suffer from insect bites. Just click 5 times on the insect bite and the swelling AND the itching goes away. The click release a safe electronic pulse that... ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/56 "2011-07-19T11:34:14Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > You may or may not want to hear this, but I have the same reaction and at 27, it’s just as bad as it ever was. Mosquito bites are a special kind of torture for me, my ex just doesn’t understand why I have to flee inside within 5 minutes of going out the back in the height of mosquito season. Ditto, and I am 41. I find that the older I get the longer the bites last. My record so far is nearly 6 weeks. After about 2 weeks they shrink to a small red bump and though they itch it really hurts to scratch. I take extreme measures to avoid getting bitten. 100% DEET and I are BFFs. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/57 "2011-07-19T13:23:10Z")
**mozchron** , can you hurry up and find something that will make people like me less attractive to mosquitoes? Something I can take in a pill would be preferable to a spray, since sprays tend to stink and wash off too easily, and can’t be put in carry-on luggage (which is why I didn’t take any with me to Scotland). ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/58 "2011-07-19T14:41:30Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > **mozchron** , can you hurry up and find something that will make people like me less attractive to mosquitoes? Something I can take in a pill would be preferable to a spray, since sprays tend to stink and wash off too easily, and can’t be put in carry-on luggage (which is why I didn’t take any with me to Scotland). Heh. Sorry, my field of expertise is mosquito genetics. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/59 "2011-07-19T15:43:27Z")
I’ve had dengue fever. Nasty stuff. So am not on good terms with the little buggers. But you get used to them after a while. Pity the poor guy I knew here once who was a filariasis worker. Lymphatic filariasis is also known as elephantiasis, because it blows up some of your body parts to where you resemble Popeye. His job was to sit out in the middle of nowhere at night somewhere along the Burmese border with his socks rolled down and try to capture the little buggers live when they alighted on his ankle. Seems they could only tell if the mosquito was carrying the filariasis parasite or worm or whatever it is by taking a lab sample of the fluid that oozes out the moment the mosquito’s head is ripped off. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310/60 "2011-07-19T16:05:58Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’ve had dengue fever. Nasty stuff. So am not on good terms with the little buggers. But you get used to them after a while. > > Pity the poor guy I knew here once who was a filariasis worker. Lymphatic filariasis is also known as elephantiasis, because it blows up some of your body parts to where you resemble Popeye. His job was to sit out in the middle of nowhere at night somewhere along the Burmese border with his socks rolled down and try to capture the little buggers live when they alighted on his ankle. Seems they could only tell if the mosquito was carrying the filariasis parasite or worm or whatever it is by taking a lab sample of the fluid that oozes out the moment the mosquito’s head is ripped off. Yep. Human landing catches. Been there, done that. That’s supposed to be a 2 person job - one person to be the bait, and the other to catch the landing mosquitoes before they bite (so person 1 doesn’t catch any pathogens). And yes, filarial worms are relatively large, at least compared to other mosquito-borne pathogens. You can see them using a regular microscope. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-hate-mosquitoes/589310.md?page=4)