The incognito Blog
With the increasing number of insect repellent patches on the market people frequently ask the question, “do they work”? My short retort is a resounding, NO!” Here you will get the facts as to why not.
These thiamine patches must be applied 2 hours before exposure –this is not always practical when you don’t know mosquitoes are going to be at large. They also have to be ripped off the skin like a band aid.
Some people swear by Patches usually containing Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) sometimes with other B vitamins along with other ingredients such as aloe vera in the case of Don’t Bug Me – you do get a hint of these products effectiveness by what is written on their label:
“The other ingredient, Aloe, serves as an anti-inflammatory agent, minimizing the reaction in the event you do experience a bite.”
These people who swear by Thiamine either in patch or tablet form are certainly not getting bitten, but this is because of other factors; one of these could be that they are so certain that they will not get a bite, they do not -the placebo effect. Some scientists believe that most of the people not getting bitten when they apply B1 patches or eat them, are already naturally repellent.
Arriving at our hotel in Ay, in France, I asked the ubiquitous question, “do you have mosquitoes here?” To which the receptionist replied, “no, there es no water for them to breed.” However in my experience this sort of reply usually means diddly sqat or not a lot –in India nearly all hotel staff will tell you there’s not a mosquito problem- its bad for business. So, l was unsurprised to find a specimen bloodsucker in our room the next day, which was promptly caught under a glass & left on the table as we were going out. Unfortunately the maid released the critter and I got a bite during the night. Its not worth sleeping under a net if there’s only one or two mosquitoes unless there is disease present like in India and Africa OR you suffer from a bad reaction –many people have died from secondary infections from insect bites.
C L O A K E D C = Camouflage – always use when insects are around to cloak yourself from being detected! L = Long-sleeved clothing – wear light-coloured long sleeved shirts and trousers. Then spray on top with camouflage. O = Odour – Wash thoroughly, to minimise your body odour. A = Avoid … Continue reading "Top Tips on Avoiding Bites"
I thought you would be interested that the founder of incognito, Howard Carter, is being interviewed on UK radio stations tomorrow morning to help people avoid getting bitten and talk about a new scientific report. Here’s a short taste, a summary of the report is here. According to the long range forecast the temperature will … Continue reading "Radio Gaga"