In my experiences, the mosquitos in Oct. are mean. In June, maybe they are just getting started.
In the pharmacy,(also some co-ops), in Italy you can buy a 'plug-in' unit that continually sprays out a citronella type product. We also took candles and the 'coils' you can buy at your market/drugstore.
This all helps, I would also take with you a spray on product for your daughter.
In our experience Rob always says...'I feel like the approach at an airport with Wendy the landing field'! Oh so true. They leave HIM alone and bombard me.
Anyway preperation is the key. Good luck and great travels to you and your family.
Ciao Wendy
Posts: 2992 | Location: Monterey Peninsula, California, USA | Registered: 07 September 2003
In Pisa I killed my first "offensive" mosquito a week ago.
Pisa and Florence are pretty bad from very early in Spring to pretty late in autumn.
They are normal mosquitos, though. Nothing dangerous.
If you go to "river cities" make sure to buy "Autan" or "Off". They are sprays or creams.
If you are renting a house, buy one of those things you plug in and put a tablet which keeps the mosquitos away. In my 10 years in Pisa I have learned that those are the only thing which really works!!!
We have a page in the "instructions" section about keeping cool without air conditioning and dealing with mosquitos that you may find useful.
We bring over some spray we feel comfortable using on the kids, some anti-itch cream for the inevitable bites, and scrupulously never open the windows at night when the lights are on. It's really not a big deal IMO, just a minor dose of reality.
Hi, We have been in Tuscany in June many times in all sorts of weather conditions and have never had a problem with mosquitoes. We use repellent but I don't even remember seeing any mosquitoes. There are child safe repellents available over here so I am sure you will be able to find something suitable before you go. Thinking back we have never been bothered by mosquitoes in any part of Italy, including the Lakes, Come etc, Trasimeno, Bolsena in either June, July, September,and October. Mosquitoes have let their presence be known to us in Corsica for example but the acommodations have always provided a burner and mesh on the windows. Wendy
Posts: 2747 | Location: Lightwater Surrey U K | Registered: 30 March 2003
Some people are mosquito magnets and others they just don't find "attractive"....my in-laws swore there were no mosquitos in Italy because they NEVER get bit. My son and I were out at dusk for five minutes and had several large welts each, while my husband was also ignored. Be prepared with repellant spray or cream when outside and don't open the screens so you can sleep in peace, and you should be fine.
I second the recommendation for those plug in bug killers if you don't have screens. Being a "natural" kind of person, I decided to forgo the plug-ins. Mosquitos weren't too bad but I got a very nasty sting from a Tuscan hornet who had crawled into bed with me. The stings are much, much worse than a honey bee or American yellow jacket, but of course the poor thing was being crushed by a sleeping giant! I haven't seen the hornets sting without provocation.
Posts: 419 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: 07 March 2003
We used those plug-in mosquitto repellent thingies. One night, Sammi (my youngest) got out of bed and went into the family room and fell asleep on the couch there. When we found her in the morning she was covered in mosquito bites.
Funny though - I found the mosquitos voracious but the bites I received in Italy never itch nearly as much as the ones I receive here. Hmmm...maybe the wine deadened (sp) the itch
Last summer was very hot in Italy and this probably caused that there where much more insects in general. Regarding mosquitos depends also of what part of Tuscany you will be, it is difficult to say speaking for all the Region. Regards Marco Bernasconi Villa San Crispolto www.sancrispolto.it marco@sancrispolto.it
Go to the local farmacia and ask for "qualcosa contra le zanzare."
I've had success with these sort of flea collar things you wear on your wrists. I can't remember the name of the product, but they come in bright colors like red, yellow, and green, and look like almost exactly like flea collars. But they work.
The mosquitos in Florence are amazing. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that the Arno is such a slow moving river. They were pretty bad in Rome as well, since the Tiber isn't exactly a raging torrent either.
Posts: 291 | Location: Takoma Park, Maryland, USA | Registered: 09 October 2003
quote:Originally posted by MikeLastort: Mosquitos love me.
Me too. So far, aside from mesh on he windows (great, but you can't wear them), the best thing I have found to fight them off is a mixture of several natural essences like citronella and geranio. And it doesn't even smell bad. By the way, thre reason in Italy you can see many geranium plants, usually on the windowsills, is to fight the mosquitoes off. In case you can't find anything better, though, a few leaves of basil massaged on the skin will help too. For the hitches, look for a tea tree cream or lotion. I usually have a stick I buy at Body Shop in my bag...
I agree with Alice. I don't go anywhere without my little bottle of tea tree oil.
Deborah Horn In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I want to do a past life regression and stay there. ----------------------------------- www.petsburg.com My blog: Old Shoes - New Trip
Posts: 4996 | Location: St. Louis, MO | Registered: 04 September 2001
quote:Originally posted by MikeLastort: You live in Italy. Have you seen the flea collar things I'm talking about in the pharmacy?
ARF! ARF!
Honstly, I have seen it advertised, but never tried it: I would need to wear one on each wrist, one on each calf and one (extra-sized) on the waist ^___^
Although I am not loved by zanzare (my kids are), I use one of those nets that hangs from the ceiling over the bed and it worked fairly well for me. In two months, I got bit zero times and kids had one bad night. And, I second the person about leaving the windows open. It takes approximately 2 minutes for your room to fill, and I mean fill, with zanzare once you turn the light on. I actually always closed mine well before dusk, just to avoid the risk.
By the way, I think they are as normal/prevalent as in some parts of the U.S. Luckily, I am in CA where zanzare are rare.
OK now that some one brought up bugs, I want to know if anyone can explain the reason most places don't have some type of screens on the windows? I always bring some light weight screen netting and tape it across the windows so we can open them. But I have yet to understand why places don't have screens.
Posts: 170 | Location: San Francisco | Registered: 20 July 2002
I would like to know the name of the wrist and ankle "flea collars" - as I am very susceptible to mosquitos and we are going lots of places this summer where they will be a problem.
Can anyone remember what they are called so we can try and get some in Italy?
I spent the last two Junes in Florence and yes, they are a concern if you're a mosquito magnet. I woke up often with probably 30 bites all over my body, including my face. It is the one thing I always say that I dislike about Italy - the mosquitoes... they are vicious! And they never got "used to me" as some people suggested... even after being there for two months, I was still viciously attacked if I did not sleep completely covered. However, they may easily spare you (my friends had hardly a single bite on them!)
It was only during the night while I slept that they attacked, and those plug-in devices didn't seem to work much. (Plus, they emit chemicals which are probably not too healthy to breathe in). I went to the farmacia and got some "natural" insect repellant which I applied liberally, also spraying my bed linens. However, the only thing that really prevented the bites was covering myself with a sheet or scarf. If possible, perhaps you can get a mosquito net for your child's bed.
Again, everyone is different, and most people I know who've travelled to Tuscany have not had any problems. I hope this is the case for you & your child! Good luck!
Posts: 11 | Location: Torrance, CA USA | Registered: 17 November 2003
I just went and pulled the 'plug-in' that we bought in Italy. It is a 'Sella' product. The cover of the box reads "50 Notti, Cirtonella Ambiente Elettro, Vaporizzatore elettrico di essenza di citronella 22ml." You can buy refill bottles of the citronella liquid.
The other thing that I found to be a life saver for after you get the bites, which are inevidable even with all the other precautions, is a gel you can get at the pharamcy called 'Fenistil' gel, 30g . I have tried many different products and at the moment this is my favorite,(purchased in Italy), the active ingredient is- dimetindene malaeto 100mg, made by Uso Derma or maybe it is by Titolare A.I.C. Novartis Consumer Health A.p.a.
Hope this helps you, it does help me.
Wendy and Rob
Posts: 2992 | Location: Monterey Peninsula, California, USA | Registered: 07 September 2003
One more suggestion to ward off the evel BUG! At the farmacia you can buy a homeopathic 'helper'. An herbè-LEDUM PALUSTRE, this one by-BOIRON. a prodotto Omeopatico. You take five of these teensie tablets once a day and once in the blood stream supposedly those rotten , nasty creatures blood sucking I hate them because they love me so much won't bother you AS MUCH.
A little tale from this past Oct.: Part of our trip was spent in Rome, the city where our heart is, we stay at the Excelsior up on the Veneto,(this coming fall will probably be the last time we will stay there. We really must start staying in apartments! That is my opinion, Rob wants to cont. at the hotel, we'll see...)anyway, the room we love the most and usually get is on the back side of the hotel and the furthest away from the American Embassy. We have a loggia, only a couple of rooms actually have these large patios. Well, we left the doors open, of course, and of course the blood suckers came in. Well, one of them really got me, even all covered up and with the 'plug-in'. The next morning we went around the room killing anything that moved. I got the ones up on the ceiling, Rob got one big fat one , but against the gold silk wall covering. . Oops, , now there is a rather good size blood spot on the wall. I guess that is my DNA up there.It really had feasted on me. We felt bad about the silk, but what a victory to kill that viscious creature.
Well, that is my tale. Wendy and Rob
Posts: 2992 | Location: Monterey Peninsula, California, USA | Registered: 07 September 2003
Honstly, I have seen it advertised, but never tried it: I would need to wear one on each wrist, one on each calf and one (extra-sized) on the waist ^___^
I wore one on each wrist. The two together really worked well.
Posts: 291 | Location: Takoma Park, Maryland, USA | Registered: 09 October 2003
I agree with the comments that mosquitos just like the taste of some folks better than others. I think they really dig Italian blood. I got eaten alive at the Lakes in May and June but my husband didn't get one bite. Had I been prepared I would have brought some "Avon Skin-So-Soft" oil spray. This was "discovered" by American soldiers in Vietnam and does not contain any insect repellent but works great.
quote:Originally posted by familyof4: I would like to know the name of the wrist and ankle "flea collars" - as I am very susceptible to mosquitos and we are going lots of places this summer where they will be a problem.
Can anyone remember what they are called so we can try and get some in Italy?
You should be able to find them in just about any farmacia. They're pretty common. I can't remember the brand name myself.
Posts: 291 | Location: Takoma Park, Maryland, USA | Registered: 09 October 2003
Topic Closed
) is better than any other mosquito repellent.
creatures 
blood sucking I hate them because they love me so much won't bother you AS MUCH.
, but against the gold silk wall covering. 
. Oops, 
, now there is a rather good size blood spot on the wall. I guess that is my DNA up there.It really had feasted on me. We felt bad about the silk, but what a victory to kill that viscious creature.