Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes. We all know of them, many of us will have experienced them first hand [img:d2703631c6]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/Fool/much.gif[/img:d2703631c6]. Just how prolific are they in NZ ? North Island specifically? You hardly notice them? Are they mildly annoying or are they downright pesky? I?m wondering what level of protection we?d need for December [img:d2703631c6]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/Fool/nunu.gif[/img:d2703631c6] , as I?m very popular in the insect world. I have what it takes and they sure make the most of it. Do NZ mozzies come ready equipped with knife and fork or have they eaten before they left home? Here you need a bee-keepers suit night-time and early morning and they?d still find their way in. They reckon the more you get bitten, you build up some sort of natural protection against them. I wish someone would tell them that [img:d2703631c6]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/Fool/str.gif[/img:d2703631c6] ! If the weather is good when we?re in NZ, I really don?t want to cover up head to toe if I can help it, as I do enough of that here in the name of Islam.

[img:d2703631c6]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/Fool/pauk.gif[/img:d2703631c6]

We had a bit of a mossie issue in Tauranga, but haven't had that problem in Hamilton. Can't say much more than that really!

I don't remember much of a problem in the two Novembers I was in NZ. Sand flies on the other hand plague at least a few beaches. Welted me up like skeeters haven't since I was small.

You have mosquitoes in Oman? Where the heck do they find standing water in which to breed? Don't tell me there's a link with their name... mosque-ito? :icon_eek: icon_exclaim.gif

That?s encouraging. If you haven?t noticed a particular problem, there either isn?t one or you?re immune. Sand flies are something I have yet to encounter. They could well be here but I can?t say I?ve noticed and, with my track record, I?m sure I would have. Do they also only come out evenings and early mornings, like the mozzies or are they an all-day occurrence? We only experience the mozzie problem in the winter, as summer time is too hot for most of the beasties and they obligingly disappear. By ?winter? I include the tail end of autumn and early part of spring. Unfortunately, winter time is the only time it?s possible to be outside comfortably for any length of time in the evening but, then, we have the biters to contend with. As we live near the sea, there are a few areas where standing water has collected through seepage from the sea. Most of the mozzies seem to hide out in the bushes and trees and we have trucks going around early in the morning, spraying out smoke from burning diesel oil. It creates a dreadful choking smell and is quite ineffective on our road as it has very wide pavements and the smoke doesn?t often reach our bushes. We first encountered this practice in Damascus where they were more thorough and the whole area was enclosed in this stinking fog [img:a5cd631bbd]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/Fool/bur2.gif[/img:a5cd631bbd]. If we were out somewhere, it was a race to try to outrun the smoke. Sadly, it seemed to kill off more humans than it did mosquitoes [img:a5cd631bbd]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/Fool/gost.gif[/img:a5cd631bbd]. They are very resilient and I find they don?t respond at all to a squirt of bug spray. It takes 4 or 5 goes and a lot of chasing around to get them to finally turn up their toes [img:a5cd631bbd]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/waffen/violent-smiley-030.gif[/img:a5cd631bbd]. Opening the outer doors or windows after sundown and before sunrise is not on, as there are flocks of them queued up, waiting to get in. It will be wonderful to be able to go out in the evening in NZ without having to worry too much. Hope they don?t cadge a lift with me on the plane. I?ll have to try to lose them in Bangkok on the way down.

[quote:a5cd631bbd] Don't tell me there's a link with their name... mosque-ito? [/quote:a5cd631bbd]
:021: :icon_wink:

[rahul]

Yes Mother Bear... I can understand your pain... :056:
I've lived in Delhi and there used to be armies of these little beasts just waiting to get in to the house through the tiniest of openings :icon_evil: :icon_evil:
Even while driving u cud never think of lowering the windows.. forget about riding a bike without a full mask helmet !! :icon_mad:

One more reason why I am happy to reach NZ...
But then as if destiny wouldn't allow me to forget my glorious past...
In the first week after I arrived in NZ, I got bitten all over by none other than fleas !!! Initially I went on telling everyone that i'd got mossies in my new home... later on my kiwi friend told me those were flea bites and got a few flea bombs for me. After the "bombings" n 3-4 days of cleaning.. I managed to get my home flea-free.. Anyway before readers of this post start getting worried, afaik its quite rare to come across even fleas in NZ..
but i know even a nuclear bomb cant get rid of these bloddy mossies from this planet.. useless bast*&$#..
:013:

[Zemanova]

Sand flies are a real pain. They are often found at rivers and lakes and have a nasty bite. At first it seems nothing at all, but from bitter experience, each day the bite mark gets bigger and itches even more.

We now always use a preventative spray when going near a river or lake.

Haven't experienced mossies yet. We live in the country and in the garage of the house we bought we have found a number of window fly screens. Now as the house is surrounded by cow pasture, we are beginning to suspect that flies could be a problem in the summer.

[nattydread]

i hope this doesn't prompt a return to that thread about farting cows again..

[MotherBear]

Well, it did give good mileage and kept the forum buzzing for a while. We could do with another such item to keep us boyant while we're all waiting for the off.

Don't like the sound of those sand flies, Zemanova. Thought they were found mainly in the South Island. Will have to look into some cream or spray to distract them from my nether regions. Fly screens are good as you can have your windows open without worrying. Not that it'll stop the blighters from coming in through an open door. Luckily we don't have too many flies here. It's just that the ones we do have are extremely affectionate and believe in spending quality time with us. I really miss not having mozzie nets on the windows in this house (apart from the bathrooms) as it means we daren't have the windows open in the evenings during the pleasant cooler part of the year.

[selchie]

Well, if you do get bitten by the sandflies, go to the chemists (egad, the Kiwis are starting to call them pharmacies!) and get some 1% hydrocortisone cream. It's a godsend against the itching. Thank goodness the sandflies aren't everywhere.