Mosquito Bites

[Ozarker]

I heard something interesting on a talk show tonight and then went on the net to research it a little. A woman called in and said her doctor recommended taking vitamin B1 to repel mosquito's.

What I found on the internet was some who said that the research showed no benefit but some who said the research showed that it worked. Those who said it worked said to take 50mg of B1 three times a day and it would take 3 weeks before it started repelling.

I decided to post it and let you make up your own mind. B1 won't hurt you, it is needed, you kill it in your body when you drink coffee so a supplement might be a good thing and if it also repels mosquitos.....great.

This has been a public service announcement from deep in the Ozark hills. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[ScottAR]

I've heard that as well, though I've never taken it long enough to work. Garlic pills work better IMO, but deet is still needed in high annoyance...er mosquito population areas.

 

[njrqs]

Yup

Those of us

DOWN HERE

Also have heard that.

Cheers

 

[beenthere]

Years ago, (probably 20 - 25) Vitamin B1 was the rage, and my hunting partner took it for weeks thinking it would work. It didn't. He was still bitten by mosquitoes. But I don't think it harmed him, although he's dead now. Ended up with poor circulation of blood, but I don't make any connection to the B1 intake. I also have heard that garlic works better.

 

[cowboydoc]

garlic, vinegar, dmso, b1, etc. etc. Kind of like horse sprays for horses. None of them work but the one that works for you.

 

[drpepper]

Ozarker, 20 years ago, our doctor recommed the same thing. Our daughter would get covered up with mosquito bites. We gave her B1. After a while, she start to emit an odor. When she was sweating it was worse. Not unbearable. Did it work? I believe it did. Much less mosquito bites. But durn did she smell!

 

[Ozarker]

That's interesting. The information I have seen on the internet confirms that it is supposed to change your body odor but it says that humans will not be able to smell the change. Just the mosquito's are supposed to smell it. Do you suppose she was having a bad reaction of some type? Was she on any type of medication that the combination may have caused the odor?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I read, somewhere, that mosquitos are attracted to people that have recently eaten bananas. I can't attest to it, though.

kj

 

[wasabi]

The local mountain folk around us swear that eating garlic makes a big difference. Can't confirm or deny efficacy as an effective repellant, as I would eat it anyway cause I just like it! Parenthetically, and perhaps only coincidentally, I'm not often bothered by misquitoes. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif