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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jul 20, 2020 15:03:11 GMT
I've just been going over my old notes on DEET safety. Lots of stuff out there, summed up by this: time.com/5347546/is-deet-safe/#:~:text=Day%20calls%20DEET%20the%20gold,DEET%20has%20a%20scary%20reputation. Ultimately, the EU has extremely strict regulation of drugs and chemicals. Where there have been issues with the use of products being allowed, and then been shown to be dangerous, licences have been withdrawn very quickly. But DEET has been in use since the 1950s, and neither the EU, nor any of its member nations individually, nor the US, nor any other western country, has found evidence warranting any sort of ban. I think that tells you everything you need to know. One thing bugs me (no pun intended). As that article says: "To use DEET properly, spray it on your hands first, and then rub it on the parts of your body you wants to protect and that mosquitos like to bite—like ankles, wrists and neck. Day says this mode of application eliminates risk of DEET inhalation, lip numbness or accidental swallowing. (The makers of common DEET products recommend this spray-your-hands-first method when applying DEET to your face or to a child.)"
My issue is that, in most scientific tests, the DEET comes in a cream or lotion, which is rubbed in like sun tan lotion. But it's fairly rare to buy it in that format in the UK, with most applications being in aerosol or pump action dispensers. You can buy creams, but they're far smaller than aerosols, and cost a small fortune. Bah humbug, etc.
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magicsteph
Junior Member
Posts: 38
Visits to Skiathos: More than 10
Accommodation Stayed At: Erm...
Bellina - Aghia Paraskevi (no longer used I don't think)
Elizabeth - AP
Prekas - AP
Ostria - AP
Hotel magic - AP
The apts attached to iguana bar - AP (would not recommend)
Anna Maria - AP (most recent and going back)
Yiannis - Troulos
Somewhere in the back of beyond in Troulos a long time ago.
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Post by magicsteph on Jul 20, 2020 19:05:06 GMT
Oh there are many fake essential oils around that are dangerous. Any you csn buy on amazon for a few quid are definitely fake. But when I qualified I was registered with the federation of holistic therapists. And you get a list of reputable oils to use. I wouldn't use any I didn't trust. I have been using them for massage for over 10 years, never had any problem. And citrus oil is photosensitive so shouldn't be used in the sun. But bug repellent is used at night then washed off. Anyhoo, I won't be using DEET again and the one we had was 30% and only used it for 2 nights, sprayed on legs and arms. We went without for the rest of the holiday and only got 1 bite.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jul 21, 2020 8:13:17 GMT
That’s good news that you’ll be using a reputable supply, as they shouldn’t be dangerous. But it doesn’t help with the fact that there’s no evidence that they work particularly well. If you have a reaction to DEET, use one of the others that has been proven to work. The most up to date, proper, peer reviewed science on essential oils is here. It’s a good read. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3059459/Scroll down to the heading ‘ PMD from lemon eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora) extract’. It’s a good read. The bottom line is that some essential oils have been found to have some affect, but only for a very short duration of time. No one should get hooked up on something being ‘natural’. Wasp stings, snake bites and scorpions are all natural, as are poisoned mushrooms. Lots of things which are man-made chemicals are good for you and perfectly safe. It’s surprising how many of the ‘natural’ essential oils tested in there only work well in high enough concentrations that they damage your skin.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jul 21, 2020 8:52:05 GMT
Good video here, including the candles.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jul 21, 2020 8:58:05 GMT
And, what NOT to use:
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jul 21, 2020 9:11:43 GMT
The bottom line, this is not to be taken lightly. Yes mossies are a pest, but they also carry diseases, some of them deadly. Even in Greece. Try DEET, PMD, or Lemon Eucalyptus (NOT the essential oil). If you have a bad reaction to one (massively rare, but not impossible), try one of the other two. But if you don’t use those three, please be aware that everything else has been tested and found wanting. By trusting in them you’re exposing yourself, and your family to a risk of potentially fatal diseases. www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom/2019/06/17/mosquitoes-threaten-greek-tourist-industry-with-west-nile-virus/amp/
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jul 21, 2020 10:34:23 GMT
Back again (I’m wading through my old notes still).
Great link here, particularly for the stats towards the end, which demonstrate just how massively safe DEET is.
Also a good shout out for lemon eucalyptus.
Many apologies to magicsteph, I missed your note about applying at night.
I used a Jungle Formula plug in. The important thing to note here is that, unlike their sprays, the plug ins DO NOT contain DEET.
They use Prallethrin, which has been tested and found safe.
There’s a very good reason to use plug ins at night - most of us sleep for longer than many repellents last.
If you went to bed at 11:00pm, 30% DEET, PMD and Lemon Eucalyptus would all need reapplying by 5:00-7:00am.
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Post by dennisn on Jul 21, 2020 21:48:10 GMT
Not that anybody wants to worry you, Steph.
I’ve checked my amnesia and can tell you that only one mosquito bites you - the female. Or perhaps it’s the male. Furthermore, only one mosquito makes a buzzing noise as it flies round your head above your bed at night - the female. Or perhaps it’s the male.
In fact, the best method for dealing with them is to run faster than they fly, or at night pull the sheet right over your head. BECAUSE they locate you by smell (or something else which floats off from you).
PLAN B - kill them before they can bite you or buzz you. Kill both males and females to make sure you get the right ones.
Trust me, I’m a Yorkshireman.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jul 21, 2020 22:23:09 GMT
It’s the female that bites.
Don’t you just know it.
🤣
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andrewtommy
Junior Member
Posts: 40
Visits to Skiathos: More than 10
Accommodation Stayed At: Bryzantium..Troulos bus stop 20
Green Meadow
Thanos
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Post by andrewtommy on Jul 23, 2020 8:46:07 GMT
Been here since the 19th July and so far so good no bites. I use jungle spray and wipes, I have after surn with repellent init and to top it all off I also use Avon skin so soft. I will let you all know the bite situation latter on.
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magicsteph
Junior Member
Posts: 38
Visits to Skiathos: More than 10
Accommodation Stayed At: Erm...
Bellina - Aghia Paraskevi (no longer used I don't think)
Elizabeth - AP
Prekas - AP
Ostria - AP
Hotel magic - AP
The apts attached to iguana bar - AP (would not recommend)
Anna Maria - AP (most recent and going back)
Yiannis - Troulos
Somewhere in the back of beyond in Troulos a long time ago.
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Post by magicsteph on Jul 23, 2020 11:12:46 GMT
Not that anybody wants to worry you, Steph. I’ve checked my amnesia and can tell you that only one mosquito bites you - the female. Or perhaps it’s the male. Furthermore, only one mosquito makes a buzzing noise as it flies round your head above your bed at night - the female. Or perhaps it’s the male. In fact, the best method for dealing with them is to run faster than they fly, or at night pull the sheet right over your head. BECAUSE they locate you by smell (or something else which floats off from you). PLAN B - kill them before they can bite you or buzz you. Kill both males and females to make sure you get the right ones. Trust me, I’m a Yorkshireman. We always have the plug ins in at night. It's not pleasant being woken up at 2am with that high pitch mozzy noise in your ear and it's pitch black so you cant see it to splat it. The sheet over the head works great for this 😂
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jul 23, 2020 13:14:12 GMT
A little story, I think I told last year.
When I went to the Palace last September it was the first time I’d gone fully tooled-up to fight these beasts.
Night 1 I plugged in the plug-in and flicked the switch to on. I checked the little light had come on. Bonza!
Woke up in the morning, 3 bites on my left hand. The only bit of flesh not under a sheet, other than my head (they never go for my head - too ugly at a guess).
What had happened is this. In the rooms at the Palace there’s always a big mirror. There’s a light over the top, and a switch to turn it on and off. Next to the mirror is a plug socket, where I placed the plug in.
Anyway, when I went to bed I turned the light over the mirror off. But when you do this, you also cut off the leccy to the socket.
Massive design fault. And it meant that, when I turned off the light, I turned off the plug in, too.
I put it in another socket the next day, and had no more bites.
By the way, whilst the plugs which release repellants are great, the ones which emit a high pinched noise are useless.
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Post by cariad23 on Jul 23, 2020 13:28:04 GMT
i have one of those racquet thingys, where you hold a button and take a swipe at mozzie , if you get it theres a crack and flash , great fun. i wave it round even if i cant see any its amazing how many tiny ones you zap when you cant even see them.
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Post by dennisn on Jul 24, 2020 6:43:55 GMT
Well, last time I checked, Cariad was Welsh for Sweetheart, not Welsh for Killer whose enjoyment of dealing in death is only enhanced when she can do it to baby victims.
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magicsteph
Junior Member
Posts: 38
Visits to Skiathos: More than 10
Accommodation Stayed At: Erm...
Bellina - Aghia Paraskevi (no longer used I don't think)
Elizabeth - AP
Prekas - AP
Ostria - AP
Hotel magic - AP
The apts attached to iguana bar - AP (would not recommend)
Anna Maria - AP (most recent and going back)
Yiannis - Troulos
Somewhere in the back of beyond in Troulos a long time ago.
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Post by magicsteph on Jul 26, 2020 17:14:08 GMT
There is 1 thing worse than the mozzy sound in the dark while your in bed. That's the clickety clack of cockroaches running across the floor, we had this years ago in tenerife. Would have loved one of those whack n splat thingies back then.
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