Anti Mosquito And Anti Insect Sprays and Strategies

 My packing list for holidays, trips, days out, includes insect repellent. 

Repellent - Lavender

Lavender is also said to repel mosquitos. I used to yo-yo between Singapore and London, before and after Covid. In London I would stock up on lavender cosmetics to take back to Singapore. Marks & Spencer stocked pefumed products in the UK and later in Singapore. But UK products were cheaper in the UK than in Singapore. A British lavender brand is Norfolk Lavender. 

I travel with lavender and lemon scented cosmetics and perfumes. As well as mosquito and insect repellent, anti-insect spray for hotel bedrooms, and sting relief.

Singapore Anti Mosquito Action

Singapore is fighting insects constantly. I remember the first time I saw white mist rising up outside my apartment block, condo. I thought it was a fire. I phoned down to reception to ask if they knew. They told me, "It is fogging, anti moquito. Shut your windows."

This happened every Friday. You would see the workers, with masks over their faces, waving machines left and right over the vegetation around the skyscraper's grounds. You could hear the noise. 

Now they are breeding mosquitos which are part of the fight against malaria and dengue fever.

Insect Inspections

In Singapore there are strict rules. If there is an outbreak of dengue fever, and people in your area are being hospitalised, inspector will coe around, looking for sources of standing water. That could be gutters, saucers under plant pots, even plastic bags lying around on balconies. Pails on balconies or in gardens could be filling up with rain water. Water from the rain in old unused boots. Toilets with lids left up.

Flower vases are banned in cemeteries.

Anti Mosquito Apparel

In Australia I bought traditional cowboy hats with corks suspended. The corks kept hitting my face and were a nuisance.  You have to get hats the right size. 

Mosiguard

For hiking trips, to Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy, Madeira, Romania, Spain, I bought mosquito repellent clothing. It's quite expensive. I bought second hand on ebay.

Useful Websites

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2025/06/stings-and-bites-prevention-and-cure.html

Check the temperature at your destination: charts, clothes, insects, fans, timers

32 degrees centigrade. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 Temperature

Today in Singapore the temperature is just under 32 degrees centigrade which is over 90 degrees fahrenheit. How do we know and remember that?

Charts

You might like to print out a temperature chart and stick it in your diary. 

Check your diary's information pages. Some diaries have a conversion chart which you never noticed or have forgotten.

Many newspapers have temperature charts worldwide on the back pages. In the USA some papers show the temperature in the different states. In winter in the north, traditionally the Canadians fly south to Venezuela, which is on the north coast of south America. We used to fly from the UK via Singapore and Australia to New Zealand in the long summer break in July or August to take our son skiing in New Zealand. The Australians fly in their long summer over Christmas to London in the UK.

Packing For Heat and Cold

What does this temperature mean when you start packing? Firstly, if you are flying to a tropical country or packing for a holiday, have some layered clothes so you can be cool at your hot destination. This includes a protective hat.

(See later post.)

Warm Wrap

However, pack a light, warm wrap so that at night, or in an air conditioned hotel, you can cover up. 

You might also want to cover up against insects. In Singapore we have signs warning about malaria and dengue from mosquitos. (A friend of mine has just come down with dengue.)

It is handy to have a unisex jacket in case your partner complains that their restaurant seat is under the air conditioning whilst you are fine in your seat.

We Wipes And Tissues

You may want to shower or wash frequently, or carry disposable wet wipes. Or tissues so you can wash and dry.

Quick-Dry Washable Clothes

In the fortnight before I pack, I note which clothes dry quickly overnight, or feel cool in hot weather.

Folding Umbrella

You might want to carry a small folding umbrella in your hand luggage. Especially if your handbag or backpack is not waterproof or you want to protect a mobile phone or computer as well as passports and documents.

Printed Documents

I print out my travel documents, the ticket, airline seat, any directions to the lounge, the regulations on the amount of wine and perfumes you can import. 

Flower & Fruit Regulations

Check if you can take flowers, or potted plants, or corsages, if going to or from a wedding or birthday party. 

Insects, Repellents and Perfumes

To avoid attracting insects in tropical or hot months You might prefer insect repellent perfumes. Consider lavender, or lemon (citronella).

You might also want to pack some kind of insect repellent, suncream, and sting relief. Preferably not a large spray which might be confiscated or explode. A small cream, ideally in main luggage. Rather than in hand luggage where it could get confiscated. 

But what if hand luggage goes missing or is delayed, with your insect repellent inside? 

Hotels And Insect Protection

Heat means insects. We arrived at our hotel in Bali, Indonesia, and insects flew straight into our bedroom. The time was too late at night to unpack because we were tired and it was bedtime. Or you wait for luggage to be delivered by the porter, before you have time to unpack? Ask for insect repellent (which might be a burning coil) and protective nets.

In a home or hotel room it may be cheaper to open two doors or windows to create a draft, or to use a ceiling fan or floor fan rather than running the air conditioning.

If the fan makes a noise, you can use the fan before and after your zoom call. You can improvise a paper fan from a concertinered piece of paper. You can stiffen it with a lolly stick.

Crumbs and Wrappers

In the UK in winter and in cold countries you could leave the wrapper from a chocolate bar on the table, an unwashed cup, an empty drinks can, or crumbs on the work surface or under the dining table. In Singapore you would come back an hour later in your hotel bedroom or your home as an ex-pat and find a line of ants. 

I disturbed a cockroach having a drink or bath in my wet swim shoes.

Hot weather is great for sunbathing, having set your phone alarm to limit the time. Hot weather is great for swimming outdoors, (having set your phone alarm or counted the number of widths and timed them).  

In Singapore it rains in the afternoon in April and May. So you need to swim in the morning. I swim before breakfast so as not to swim on a full stomach. 

Once you know the temperature, day and night, indoors and outdoors you can prepare and pack well.

Useful Websites

http://www.weather.gov.sg/weather-currentobservations-temperature/

https://www.calculateme.com/temperature/celsius-to-fahrenheit

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.

Food, drink, containers, clothes and insect repellents to pack for trips and holidays

Food
Fresh fruit
Grapes are bite-size pieces, easy to handle, easy to divide.

Grapes, washed before the journey. Notice the milks. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


Drink

At home I tend to refresh with tap-water. The sparkling, flavoured water is a treat for a trip or holiday.

Containers

 A soup container from Waitrose on the left. On the right is a yogurt pot with a lid and handy handle from Tesco. Use them as food containers, or litter bins in the car.

Clothes

Craghoppers jackets with pockets. Photo by Angela Lansbury. I am on the right. The lady on the left is from Craghoppers at a show.

You can buy clothes which are impervious to insects.

But for those parts of you still exposed, insect repellent.


Insect repellents. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

What about an emergency toilet? How about a watering can?

Useful websites:
All the big UK supermarkets sell large lidded yogurt pots and soups in lidded containers but these are the ones I used:

Waitrose
waitrose.com

Tesco
tesco.com

Boots
boots.com
bootsphotoshop.com (Personalised mugs from your photos and other gifts.)

Craghoppers including Insect protection clothing Nosilife
https://www.craghoppers.com/nosilife/?utm_source=GOOGLE&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Product%20Brands&utm_term=craghoppers%20nosilife
Sale now on (July 2018)

Autan from
amazon
ebay

Price comparison website
https://uk.redbrain.shop/search?q=autan%20insect%20repellent&utm_source=google&utm_medium=CSS&utm_campaign=all

See my earlier post on what to pack for a trip.
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/07/food-to-pack-for-journey.html

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

What use are limes, lime leaves and kaffir lime leaves?

Limes. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
A friend in Singapore gave me little limes with leaves from her trees. Why leave on the leaves?

Answer
I thought the leaves were merely for decoration or so I could identify a lime tree. Then a member of my family said limes leaves are used in curry.

He said, "So few leaves won't add much. However, the lime leaves most frequently used are kaffir leaves. You use the leaves rather than the lime."

Lime Drink
I like to use limes with cold water or warm water to make a refreshing cool drink, a limeade (like lemonade but with limes) or a warm tea. It has more flavour than lemon and makes a change.

In my childhood a popular drink was a branded lime juice cordial. Nowadays, I like to make fresh drinks.

Mix with lemon and lemongrass for more zest. Speaking of which, add the zest.

You can also add lime to cocktails, including gin and tonic and margaritas, to add a sour flavour.

Lime Food
You can make a jelly. Or a pickle
Americans like key lime pie, from the Florida keys, but found all over the USA.

Health Benefits
Limes, like lemons and grapefruit, contain vitamin C. Limes were used by the British navy to prevent scurvy, with the result that British sialors were nicknamed limeys.

Leftover Limes
Too many limes? To time to use them? You can freeze them, defrost them, if you like microwave them.

Leftover Lime Peel
I would also save the peel to help remove grease from dishes. It might also help as an insect repellent.

Giving and Taking Fruit Gifts
I would never take a piece of fruit or a leaf or any part of a friend's or neighbour's tree without asking. (Unless it's hanging over my property, in which case I believe that legally it is mine.) I would much rather ask if it's okay, or talk about it hoping they will eventually pull off a bit to show me and offer me some to take away. Let them have the joy and credit for giving; also instead of feeling guilty, I can feel blessed by the generosity of my friend.

More Information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_(fruit)

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

Pulau Ubin Island and the Tale of Three Bank Robbers

A Pulau is an isdand.
Problem
How to get there, what to wear, see, do, timing, problems?

Answer
It's a tiny boat carrying about ten people and costs about $44 each way.

Expect a delay until the boat is full, and while paying.

Stories
I went years ago with an American Women's Group. It was like sharing a taxi. The boat took ten people. With about 15 of us we had to get the two leaders in two boats and decide who went first and who went last and where we would meet up at the other side.

The Army's Island
My favourite story is one I read in the Singapore newspapers years ago. If I remember rightly (and I can no longer find the newspaper report) three robbers stole from a bank in Johor on the coast of Malaysia near Singapore. As is often said, "Why let the truth get int he way of a good story?" Here's my version of the story. Treasure Island.

With their bag of looted cash, they stole a boat and rowed off to a nearby deserted island, hoping to lay low for a few days.

What they didn't know was that the deserted island was being used as a place for a training exercise for new recruits to the Singapore Army. The cadets, I presume mostly Chinese by race, were told to hide in the forest around the beach, preparing for pirates or an invasion. They duly hid. Along comes a fishing boat contained three Malays and lands. So the cadets rush out waving their machine guns, surround the three visitors, capture and secure what the army cadets assumes is fake money reprinting a terrorist or pirates stash. Imagine the surprise of the commander, when the three terrified prisoners arrive, with the jubilant cadets. Imagine the surprise of the cadets on being congratulated for making a genuine arrest. Imagine the robbers nursing their bad luck. Imagine the joy of the Malaysian bank getting back their money, thanks to the Singaporean army.

Moral of the story
Do not rob a bank.
Check you will be welcome at the island you are visiting.
Do not land from your boat on unknown islands around Singapore.

Tips
Take sunhat, suncream, walking shoes, insect repellent, bite relief, camera and batteries or smart phone and charger block, water bottle, chocolate bar or sustenance, small coins for payment of ferry charge and buying a drink or postcard or hiring a bicycle.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. If you enjoyed this post, please like, follow and share.

Medical kits for days out, weekends, travel to hotels and second homes

What do you take on a day trip or holiday or business trip? The first thing you think of is 'Don't forget your toothbrush'. And the toothpaste.

Toothbrush and Toothpaste
It's handy to keep a small or folding or head-covered toothbrush with a small toothpaste in your pocket or a zip up bag. Plus a comb in a case (so you don't pierce your fingertips).

Tweezers
I like the tweezers cum nail file bought from Tanna's chemist in London. They also stock a magnifying mirror for the bathroom at only £1.

Sometimes it's cheaper to buy the cheapest manicure kit than to buy all the items, or even one of the items.

Swiss Army Knife
A Swiss army knife has a built tweezers, scissors and nail file. When buying, invest in a model of knife which has the gadgets you need. If you lose the tweezers, you can buy spares from some shops. Phone first, to be sure the spares are in stock. You could buy a spare teeny tweezers to carry when your knife has to be checked in on an airline.

Sticking Plasters
I used to carry an Elastoplast UK (brand name for sticking plaster) in the zip up compartment of a tote bag. Plasters are useful for minor cuts as well as to protect blisters from rubbing shoes.

Pill Names
If you are on regular medication, it helps to paste the end of the cardboard tube inside your diary so that if you ever run out, you can show it to a pharmacist who cannot understand your verbal English.

(Also look for a lightweight corner of a leaflet in multiple languages.) At least you can put it through google translate.

Spare Pills
If I am travelling on a ten day trip I always carry enough pills for an extra 2-5 days. Then if the flight is delayed or I extend the stay I still have enough pills without wasting time on a shopping trip to get more.

Hair Dye Box End: Colour Name and Colour Chart
If you dye your hair and are away for a month after the last time you dyed your hair, you cannot take liquids on many planes, but the end paper of the box can be shown to a drug store to show that you are looking for hair dye, and what colour.

Insect Repellent and Sunscreen

Checklist
1 Toothbrush and paste
2 Comb and comb case (and/or small folding brush, ideally with mirror)
3 Tweezers, toothpick and nail file (Swiss Army knife)
4 Small magnifying mirror or YSL lipstick with mirror finish case
5 Sticking plaster / or bandage and zinc ointment for healing
6 Small shampoo (also serves as hand wash and clothes wash) or wet wipe
7 Moisturiser (for face, hands, feet).
8 Insect repellent and sun cream
9 'Stingose' or similar sting relief and / or antiseptic cream
10 Zip up waterproof wash bag

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

Dengue Fever: what you can and should do to prevent it

A poster is placed in the glassed display noticeboards in the lobbies of areas affected by dengue fever. Advice given verbally or by signs includes:

If you have vases or saucers under plants empty them regularly. Turn plant pots and buckets upside down to prevent them catching pools of water. Vases of flowers are forbidden in Singapore cemeteries.

Replace toilet seats horizontally when leaving your flat empty for several days, weeks, months.

Inspectors are likely to check your balconies, water pipes and gutters (even in new houses), outside areas, and bathrooms and kitchens.

Remove plastic bags from balconies and outside areas. Plastic bags left flat or crumpled on the floor or ground can act as bowls for rainwater, even the crumpled surfaces can attract shallow pools of water in which mosquitos can breed.

Cover your arms with long sleeves, and your legs with long trousers. Do not walk into long grass around a golf course looking for lost balls when your skin is uncovered. Wear long socks, trousers, hats. (My Japanese friend Yumi caught dengue fever from looking for a ball in long grass.)

Long swimsuits which protect your arms and legs from the sun can also keep off insects.

Remember to re-apply insect repellent after swimming.

Carry insect repellent to re-apply after washing your arms and face in rest rooms. The same applies if you are swimming or going to saunas in a gym and having showers or washes when out for the day or evening. The same applies or overnight when travelling by plane, or car or train.

If you run out of insect repellent, and cannot buy any, natural remedies include lavender soup, lemon or grapefruit.

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

Safety for travellers

I am surprised that a first aid kit is not mandatory for new cars and to be carried in the car boot and better still a duplicate in the glove box. Trapped in a car after another car hit mine so it rocketed off the barrier, I might have needed first aid.

An article in today's newspaper shows an expanding sponge with an impregnating clotting material which can be injected into a large wound to seal it for four hours, and the compacted sponge can be removed.

Several commentators say that a tampon is similar, and that anti-clotting materials can be bought in chemists (USA drug stores) or online.

I saw the mention of a brand name and did a search online. I found two brands KwikClot and WoundSeal.

First Aid Kits

When I went to buy first aid kits for my kitchen and car, I was disappointed to find that they did not contain
1 Burn relief cream .
2 Elastoplast (UK brand name - elastic and waterproof plaster).
3 Sting relief.
4 Insect repellent - to that if you are stung once you can protect yourself and stop the same insect again or others in a swarm.


The cost of protecting yourself can save a lot of time and money over minor injuries and stop them progressing into more painful and costly major ones.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker
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