The problems of biting insects occur worldwide. You don't have to be a nervous nellie to have good reason to want to repel some insects whilst attracting or leaving in peace others. In Singapore public health reminders are in the street.
Wasps and Bees
You may have read about bees being endangered in England. When I was a child I could not distinguish between wasps and bees and thought they were all nasty things which flew at you frighteningly and stung you if they touched you or you hit them. Later I learned that bees make lovely honey, which has health giving properties, as well as pollinating flowers so honey bees should be protected.
Midges and Mosquitos
But if you go out into a park or garden holding a charity event - or were lucky enough to be invited somewhere such as the queen's garden party, how do you protect yourself. And if you are holding a summer picnic for a club or group of friends or family what do you do?
In the USA, Australia and Scotland when beach parties and mountain top gatherings and outdoors summer events are popular, you might be attached by midges or flies at night.
Singapore Clothes
In Singapore many homes have balconies. At first, in the 1990s, I was keen to sit in the sun at sundown enjoying the view. By 2016 I found myself walking along streets surrounded by large government warning about mosquitos carrying dengue fever.
Singapore has a regular system of spraying around the bases of buildings, especially on water areas, and inspecting, for gutters and drainpipes, bamboo poles for hanging washing, saucers or empty vases on balconies or cemeteries (where flower vases are banned).
Now the newspapers are warning about z i k a , carried by mosquitos (which seems to have caused some deaths but leaves the mother unharmed in many cases) but causing small heads and other physical or mental defects in babies.
Parts to Protect
Whatever part of your body is exposed needs protection. For example, if you wear long trousers but wear flip flops or sandals, just crossing the road into a grass edged area or over a drain can expose you.
You wonder whether to wear your strappy cocktail dress. The dinner party host assures you the event is indoors.
But it's such a lovely evening they decide to serve drinks on the patio. Then they pull out the garden table and eat there. Sitting in a garden outdoors drinking wine or eating food, all well. Then at dusk insects arrive and gather around the crumbs on the ground under the table. Remember Achilles heel?
You walk out to the garage to show somebody something, then a man gets bitten on his bald head.
Camping Clothes
Many outdoor, sports, shops sell clothes designed to protect you from insects. A shop at the base of a hill popular for hikes sold protective socks. I wear long sleeves.
It is useful to carry with you insect repellent. (Failing all else, I take a slice of lemon from a cocktail and spread it over my skin, washing off the lemon slice any sugary liquid such as a syrup.)
I realised that if I wash my hands and wrists throroughly after going to the toilet, as all the signs in Singapore instruct, I am removing the insect repellent. It might also come off in swimming pools and sea water. Annoyingly wasps seem to gather around the outdoor showers side swimming pools.
A Japanese friend of mine caught dengue in Singapore from playing golf. She blamed herself for wearing short sleeves and shorts when wading into long grass, hunting for a lost golf ball.
I typed into Safari and Gooogle 'insect repellent clothing'. Up comes my favourite firm, Craghoppers. A brand they stock is NosiLife. Other suggestions which popped up were Turtle, and of course Amazon.
Bug guards, a wide bracelet for your wrist (or ankles if you are slim). This product comes from Q w e r t y oops - spell checker keeps changing this name but look and you will find it.
Repellents
In Singaporean and Asian countries you protect yourself by wearing an insect repellent containing Deet, and many hotel bedroom and outdoor restaurants in places such as Bali will automatically supply or supply on request a device which plugs into the electric socket and burns an insect repellent 'smoke'.
In Singapore I used to be able to buy an Australian roll on repellent which combined sunscreen and next repellent. Space saving and time saving. You could not do one and forget the other. Lighter to carry. Cheaper to buy. Slip it in your pocket. Then shops in Singapore stopped stocking it.
Incense and Coils
Indians who lived near me in England were Hindu and opposed to killing insects. Instead of spraying insects they burned incense which they claimed kept insects away. I wasn't sure whether the landlord would or should approve, but after the tenants left the new tenants (also from an Asian or African country) seemed quite happy and when I visited them I could not detect any smell.
Wasp Traps
If you want to put out a wasp trap how do you do it without attracting bees.I did a search on google and up comes the answer. The people who are concerned and reliably information are government health and environment agencies in the USA and England.
Bee Keepers
Bee keepers are concerned because wasps rob bee hives of honey. You make the expected wasp trap using not money but something such as those wine dregs or leftover beer which you would otherwise throw away. Halve on old plastic bottle (whilst we still have such a thing - I expect they will become biodegradable soon) with a horizontal cut and make a lid of anything, even stiff paper, with a hole the size of a pencil.
Official Advice
Don't take my word for it. I am a mere citizen and journalist conveying information which is available to me today. Check in your own country for up to date knowledge. Conditions change and new knowledge and products become available all the time.
Go to your governments official website for advice on how to make an insect repellent, where to put it and what to fill it with. Or go to a bee keepers association and buy from them a device designed to attract wasps but protect the precious honey bees.
More information from
http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadNews.cfm?id=112
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, teacher, English tutor.
Wasps and Bees
You may have read about bees being endangered in England. When I was a child I could not distinguish between wasps and bees and thought they were all nasty things which flew at you frighteningly and stung you if they touched you or you hit them. Later I learned that bees make lovely honey, which has health giving properties, as well as pollinating flowers so honey bees should be protected.
Midges and Mosquitos
But if you go out into a park or garden holding a charity event - or were lucky enough to be invited somewhere such as the queen's garden party, how do you protect yourself. And if you are holding a summer picnic for a club or group of friends or family what do you do?
In the USA, Australia and Scotland when beach parties and mountain top gatherings and outdoors summer events are popular, you might be attached by midges or flies at night.
Singapore Clothes
In Singapore many homes have balconies. At first, in the 1990s, I was keen to sit in the sun at sundown enjoying the view. By 2016 I found myself walking along streets surrounded by large government warning about mosquitos carrying dengue fever.
Singapore has a regular system of spraying around the bases of buildings, especially on water areas, and inspecting, for gutters and drainpipes, bamboo poles for hanging washing, saucers or empty vases on balconies or cemeteries (where flower vases are banned).
Now the newspapers are warning about z i k a , carried by mosquitos (which seems to have caused some deaths but leaves the mother unharmed in many cases) but causing small heads and other physical or mental defects in babies.
Parts to Protect
Whatever part of your body is exposed needs protection. For example, if you wear long trousers but wear flip flops or sandals, just crossing the road into a grass edged area or over a drain can expose you.
You wonder whether to wear your strappy cocktail dress. The dinner party host assures you the event is indoors.
But it's such a lovely evening they decide to serve drinks on the patio. Then they pull out the garden table and eat there. Sitting in a garden outdoors drinking wine or eating food, all well. Then at dusk insects arrive and gather around the crumbs on the ground under the table. Remember Achilles heel?
You walk out to the garage to show somebody something, then a man gets bitten on his bald head.
Camping Clothes
Many outdoor, sports, shops sell clothes designed to protect you from insects. A shop at the base of a hill popular for hikes sold protective socks. I wear long sleeves.
It is useful to carry with you insect repellent. (Failing all else, I take a slice of lemon from a cocktail and spread it over my skin, washing off the lemon slice any sugary liquid such as a syrup.)
I realised that if I wash my hands and wrists throroughly after going to the toilet, as all the signs in Singapore instruct, I am removing the insect repellent. It might also come off in swimming pools and sea water. Annoyingly wasps seem to gather around the outdoor showers side swimming pools.
A Japanese friend of mine caught dengue in Singapore from playing golf. She blamed herself for wearing short sleeves and shorts when wading into long grass, hunting for a lost golf ball.
I typed into Safari and Gooogle 'insect repellent clothing'. Up comes my favourite firm, Craghoppers. A brand they stock is NosiLife. Other suggestions which popped up were Turtle, and of course Amazon.
Bug guards, a wide bracelet for your wrist (or ankles if you are slim). This product comes from Q w e r t y oops - spell checker keeps changing this name but look and you will find it.
Repellents
In Singaporean and Asian countries you protect yourself by wearing an insect repellent containing Deet, and many hotel bedroom and outdoor restaurants in places such as Bali will automatically supply or supply on request a device which plugs into the electric socket and burns an insect repellent 'smoke'.
In Singapore I used to be able to buy an Australian roll on repellent which combined sunscreen and next repellent. Space saving and time saving. You could not do one and forget the other. Lighter to carry. Cheaper to buy. Slip it in your pocket. Then shops in Singapore stopped stocking it.
Incense and Coils
Indians who lived near me in England were Hindu and opposed to killing insects. Instead of spraying insects they burned incense which they claimed kept insects away. I wasn't sure whether the landlord would or should approve, but after the tenants left the new tenants (also from an Asian or African country) seemed quite happy and when I visited them I could not detect any smell.
Wasp Traps
If you want to put out a wasp trap how do you do it without attracting bees.I did a search on google and up comes the answer. The people who are concerned and reliably information are government health and environment agencies in the USA and England.
Bee Keepers
Bee keepers are concerned because wasps rob bee hives of honey. You make the expected wasp trap using not money but something such as those wine dregs or leftover beer which you would otherwise throw away. Halve on old plastic bottle (whilst we still have such a thing - I expect they will become biodegradable soon) with a horizontal cut and make a lid of anything, even stiff paper, with a hole the size of a pencil.
Official Advice
Don't take my word for it. I am a mere citizen and journalist conveying information which is available to me today. Check in your own country for up to date knowledge. Conditions change and new knowledge and products become available all the time.
Go to your governments official website for advice on how to make an insect repellent, where to put it and what to fill it with. Or go to a bee keepers association and buy from them a device designed to attract wasps but protect the precious honey bees.
More information from
http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadNews.cfm?id=112
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, teacher, English tutor.
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