Letters: Readers share their own remedies against mosquitoes in France

To the Editor,

I am terribly reactive to mosquito bites and a popular target so I always have an anti-mosquito watch on me (available online for about €10), which emits a sound that female mosquitos hate.

If in a danger zone or at a certain time of evening, I wear long sleeves and trousers (cotton, linen etc) and spray with a good DEET product as well.

I understand that geraniums (and therefore geranium oil/scent) are a good mosquito deterrent and possibly the reason why, traditionally, these were placed on windowsills in boxes.

As for the itch, my aunt’s remedy was to dab each bite with water as hot as your skin can stand – from a tap but not from a boiling kettle or heated in the microwave as you would risk scalding yourself. 

Use cotton wool and dab and press until you feel the heat go out of the sting. You may have to repeat it a day later but it really does work.

Otherwise, I do take antihistamines all spring and summer, for hay fever.

Arnica also works well on itchy bites.

Christine Scott, by email

 To the Editor,

We buy the cheapest ground coffee we can find, put it in empty tuna tins and place it strategically around the terrace depending on wind direction. 

Light it with a kitchen blowtorch and let it smoulder. 

This works a treat and smells nice (if you like coffee!). 

Make sure you put it on something heatproof as the tins get very hot.

Phil Saunter, by email

To the Editor,

Avon Skin So Soft is pretty effective – it smells good, is not oily and allegedly the SAS in the UK use it. It is not intended or sold as an insect repellent, but it seems to do the trick, at least for a few hours.

Mike Imber, by email

To the Editor,

I discovered recently that White Tiger Balm is a good repellent, as well as Vicks VapoRub. Both contain eucalyptus oil, which is probably why they work

Jo Brown, by email

Thanks for all your feedback on the best way to stay bite-free – or to stop itching if you are unfortunate enough to become a mosquito target. You can read more suggestions from Connexion readers here. 

If you have any tips to add, let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com