How can you get rid of ants, cockroaches, lizards, mosquitos and spiders?

In the UK at home we have had ants, silverfish and spiders. On holiday in Greece at a hotel I encountered little lizards running up the bedroom wall. In America I saw cockroaches for the first time. In Singapore we get ants, and cockroaches, and lizards - and mosquitos!

Ants
We have bought three brands of ant traps in Singapore. The ant traps you buy in Singapore are designed so that the ants eat the poison and take it back to the nest and poison the queen ant. The instructions tell you not to kill any ants you see but let them go back to the nest. It will take up to a week for the last ant to disappear.

Cockroaches
One system I have heard of is to spray them with hair spray.

In Singapore we just spray them with anti insect spray. It is horrible to inhale. You have to shut the door and get out of the room. We keep the spray on the work surface near the sink so it can be found and grabbed in a hurry.

Lizards


Mosquitos
When I first went to Singapore I was bitten a lot and I read that mosquitos and other insects are attracted to flowery perfumes, so I stopped wearing perfume. Instead I stocked up with lavender and citrus products, lavender hand creams and bath gels and lemon soaps.

Everywhere in Singapore you see signs on banners, posters and leaflets about the Mossie Wipeout. This is prevention rahter than cure. You are asked not to put saucers under plant pots nor to have any kinds of bowl in a public place which could catch rain water where mossies can breed. The main concern is not malaria but dengue fever.

Mosquito Fogging
Buildings have regular mosquito fogging in Singapore. But you still get mosquitos and biting insects.

Fogging in India.

Spiders
So many systems are available. You can try the simplest which is to put a see-though drinking glass on top. Slide a piece of thick paper underneath. Carry the spider outside, or to the nearest window. You have to be sure that the paper is not thin and flexible or it bends and the spider wriggles out.

Another method is to vaccuum clean, if it is on the ceiling or some corner where you cannot reach it and capture it.

I once had a spider-catcher with a pyrmid of transparent  plastic on the end of a stick and a flat sliding piece which could be moved by hand or would fall if you rotated the end of the stick.

It worked very well. But you got up rather close to the insect. I preferred the vacuum cleaner which allowed me to stay at a distance.

Mosquito proof clothing
It is also advisable to wear long sleeves and long trousers and socks. the fabric should be insect proof.  Check the weave. I think woven horizontally and vertically is usually tighter than knit which is loops. (Or is it the other way around?)

Craghoppers make protective clothing.

You

Useful Websites
https://www.99.co/blog/singapore/7-effective-ways-to-get-rid-of-lizards/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito_control

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

How To Protect Yourself Against Mosquitos

Mosquito. Photo from Wikipedia article on dengue fever.

Mosquitos bite and spread malaria and dengue.

Where?




In Singapore, Indonesia, and now even threatening cold UK.
Signs show you outbreaks.

Whether its the weather, global warming, it's a problem and there are several solutions.

Prevention is better than cure.

Mosquito Nets
Provided at some hotels in Bali. Make sure you close the bedroom door and windows. Pull the mosquito nets aroound your four-poster bed so the nets overlap, no gaps. Nets are not there to add romance but to protect you from bites.

You can also buy your own mosquito net to take with you. Invest in mosquito proof clothing with long sleeves and long legs.

Clothes
Wear long  sleeve and long leg clothes, or carry wraps to cover yourself at dusk or when you hear an ominous sound.

Note which of your clothes are knitted and which are woven. Carry a large wrap. Certain plants are known to repel mosquitos and can be bought for your balcony or garden.

Shut windows before you turn on the lights.

Camping shops sell suitable clothing. You can also buy sleeping bags which zip up and have drawstrings or velcro to cover you.

Aussie hats with corks attached to brims were designed to keep off mosquitos. You can also buy baseball style hats with added neck protection at the back or all around. If you need to improvise, add a scarf over the hat or under it.

Mosquito Areas
Keep away from water and long grass. Don't sit outside at the restaurant but enjoy the virew from a window seat behind glass. go inside at dusk. The dengue mosquitos are daytime. The malaria mosquitos are night time, dusk and dawn. Avoid grassy open areas around car parks and motorbke parking.

Perfumes
Pefumes designed to attract humans also attract insects.

Repellents
Instead opt for lavender or lemon.

You can buy anti-mosquito creams and sprays. Carry them with you on walks so you can apply them to yourself and the family. Some wear off after a few hours so you may need to apply them later in the day. You might also need to re-appy after swimming.

Fogging
Fogging (spraying), take place in Singapore around the vegetation at the base of skyscraper residentital blocks, hotels and so on. You should see the announcements about fogging on notice boards. Shut doors and windows as the white mist makes you cough.

Mosquito coils. If the coil is under the desk in your bedroom in Thailand or Indonesia but nobody has bothered to light it, at dusk or when you arrive, ring rception and ask them to light it.

Insect repellent. Carry with you or buy insect repellent. Also sting relief.

Nets
If you are the nervous type or moving into a news home, buy your own nosquito net and a hook to attach it to the ceiling above your bed. Also ask the landlord or landlady if you can have crened windows and patio doors. Unlike the USA, in Asia not all home and buildings have them.

Mesh
A hire car may be provided with mesh over the side windows. If not, consider whether to install it in your new or hired car. Mesh does get in the way of taking photos.

To Stop Insects Breeding
1 Empty or upturn vases, and pot underplates daily or regularly or bring them indoors.
2 Gutters should be cleared and insert anti-mosquito products.
3 Consider calling rentokit to fumigate the place. This is done a couple of times, an inital visit and follow up visit. Can be costly. Might be done by landlord rather than tenant if there is a demonstrable problem.

Useful Websites
https://www.nea.gov.sg/dengue-zika/dengue
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengue_fever

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

What Fogging To Kill Mosquitos Looks Like And Sounds Like

Anti-mosquito Fogging In Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
You hear a loud droning sound. What is it? Fogging. If you are in a block of flats, the sound echoes around. The white mist rises up.

Out in the street, the man moves along with a trail of white billowing behind him. The local people don't stop to look. For them it's a regular occurrence.

What can the citizen do to help? Remove stagnant water. Remove items which could collect stagnant water such as trays under plant pots on balconies which collect rainwater.

Citronella plants are popular in Singapore to repel insects.

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

More information from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito#Control

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Why read local papers? Dengue Fever and Mosquitos.

Why read local papers - to find out about fun activities but also about safeguarding your health. I just heard from a relative in Singapore that the health inspectors called this morning to check any vases, saucers or items on the balcony or in the house with standing water.

I had read in the local paper that there were 500 cases of dengue fever which is carried by mosquitos which breed. One case had recently happened in the next block to where my relative was renting a flat.

You usually hear the droning of the the machines spraying mosquito killing vapour over the ground floor level once a week. You may see mist rising.

The first time it happened when I was in a block in Singapore I thought it was a fire. I phoned the concierge and they told me it was 'fogging'.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.