Mosquitos and Insect Bite Prevention

As you prep to visit Samoa, 3 interesting things to know about mosquitos and why they bite you and not your friends:

1. Mosquitos prefer to bite some people more than others. They are attracted to certain body chemistries, for example the carbon dioxide that you breathe out, and also the lactic acid that you produce.
2. A full moon can increase mosquito activity 500%. More bites occur during the full moon- whether you are out and about, or just sleeping unprotected.
3. Mosquitos are attracted to darker colors. Pack lighter colors.

Your efforts to prevent mosquito bites can range from doing nothing at all to going full out crazy-mode. Complete this self assessment:

1. Mosquitos never seem to bother me at home, but am traveling to a new area that I have never been to before.
2. When I get a mosquito bite, i get a small red spot that isnt very itchy.
3. When I get a mosquito bite, the bit wound gets red and inflamed, but the swelling goes down in a few hours.
4. When I get a mosquito bite, the bite would gets red and inflamed and the swelling doesn't reduce for at least a day. Then the bite festers, and I scratch and the bites turn into open wounds.

Here is a suggested plan of action, depending upon whether you are 1, 2, 3, or 4.

1. Deet spray. Remember that higher percentages of Deet do not protect more than lower percentages- they just protect for longer periods of time. Check the popular brands for contents of 98.11%, which should last for 10 hours. There are several products with this intensity- Coleman100, Repel100, MaxiDeet, and many others.
Secondary considerations for DEET spray:

• If you're taking it in carry on luggage, it needs to be less than 3 ounces, and many companies sell specialty 3-oz packaging. A 3-oz bottle should last 2 weeks
• Reapply after swimming, after sweating excessively, after getting rained on or waterballooned, or any time liquids wash the solution off your skin.
• In the tropics, apply sunscreen first, and then bug spray.
• Spray outdoors, sweep over your skin from 8" away, and then spray your hands to apply to your face.
• Other considerations that might cause you to prefer one brand of deet spray to another: smell, oiliness of the spray, whether it makes you feel icky, whether it makes you feel sweaty.
• See Option #3 below for spraying your clothing.

2. Deet Spray (#1 above), plus the antihistamine loratidine (generic for Claritin). 
Take one every morning to prevent the swelling and irritation caused by the irritants in mosquito saliva. You'll get pinpoint red spots, but no swelling bite wounds.

3. Options #1 and 2 above, plus clothing spray.

• Buy a bottle of  Permethrin spray (Sawyer brand is one option) and very carefully spray your hiking or walking clothing. Do this before you leave on your trip, and then pack your clothing in giant ziploc bags or just plastic store bags.  Spray walking pants, shorts, shirts, socks, sunhat or ballcap. You can also spray openings: pant cuffs and shirt cuffs. Permethrin is safe for all fabrics but read the bottle nonetheless. The spray lasts for up to 6 washings. Do this before you leave on your trip. Dont mess with this stuff after leaving on vacay.
• Mosquitos can bite through a layer of clothing, so you can wear loose cotton tshirts or other underclothes as an additional barrier.
• You can also spray your clothes with a DEET spray, and it is ok on cotton, wool or nylon. But don't spray on most swimsuits, acetate, rayon, spandex, other synthetics (aside from nylon), furniture, plastics, watch crystals, leather and painted or varnished surfaces, including automobiles.

All of these tips apply to other bugs such as ticks, chiggers, and most of the other insects you will encounter in Samoa, except for fruit flies.