easily bitten!!

Hi there

Can anyone tell me if I am likely to get eaten alive by beasties in Hawaii in August. If so any hints or recomendations on what to do to discourage them???? I am one of those (sweet) people who just seem to attract anything that bites.

easily bitten!!

Depends on where you will be. Some places have lots of mosquitos and some none. If you are in a place where there are biting bugs get some bug repellant, the more DEET the better. They also make (can%26#39;t remember the brand) sunblock with DEET in it, like a two for one.

easily bitten!!

Thanks BrightonBill

We will be in Oahu, Maui and Kauai. I think Deet must be something we can only buy when we arrive, as I have never heard of it in the UK. I will def get some though. Even if I only get a tiny bit, it swells into something HUGE!!!!

You can find it at any ABC store for the most resonable price. Pretty much if you are on the dry side of an island you are ok but there are exceptions since most hotels and resorts have ponds which the little nasties seem to like to breed in.

DEET actually isn%26#39;t the name of the product, it%26#39;s the shortened name for the chemical that repels the bugs (it%26#39;s short for some huge long scientific name). Two of the main brands that have DEET are OFF! and Deep Woods. Don%26#39;t know if you can get Deep Woods in Hawaii (or Scotland for that matter), but I%26#39;m sure they have OFF! You can get it w/varying concentrations of DEET all the way from about 4% for the kids brand up to as high as 28% (or maybe even higher - I%26#39;m not sure). We actually find that the kids brand works fine on us adults too.

Also, we have been to Oahu in July a couple of times (none of the other islands) and never been troubled by any skeeters or similar. Of course, it is much more built up though, so it could be more of a problem on the quieter islands.

Thank you both for all your comments - much appreciated. I will be armed with tons of the stuff!!!!

sunshine, you may want to carry some antihistamines in case you get bitten - Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is readily available in stores here and should work well on itching. If you%26#39;re not used to it, try it when you%26#39;re planning a day on the beach. It often has a sedative effect but acts as an upper in some people.

Maybe a little easier for you to get, Avon%26#39;s skin-so-soft (green range only) is good in the fight against bites. The army apparently even use it when they go abroad.

Brilliant ideas - thank you!

So......I will use Avons skin so soft all the time, skoosh myself with Deet regularly and also take the antihistimess as well.

Anything is worth a try as we went to the Grand Canyon/Yosemite last year and I got totally eaten alive. I still had the huge lumps 2-3 weeks after getting home.

DEET containing products are the only ones proven in studies to really prevent mosquito bites. Cutters makes wipes that contain the maximal allowed amount of DEET in them. I%26#39;m carrying a few of those while traveling around the Big Island so I can whip them out and use them as needed.

I use Avons skin so soft too...it works better at taking the rust off a bumper than Pepsi ever did. I know people swear by this stuff for mosquitos but ';no see um%26#39;s'; seem to think it is like candy...it actually attracts not repels them IMHO.

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