Tent and mosquito net

Absent a Vietnamese acquaintance, this may just be one of those ride around town and look deals.  Nha Trang is not that big.  If you can access a printer you could download and print a picture or simply put one on a smartphone. 

By the way, unless you are one of those who(m?) mosquitoes for miles around seek and find, why do you think there is a problem?  Nha Trang should be a malaria free area.  I hate sleeping under a net but I am blessed to be someone who can sleep with mosquitoes and not get bitten.  Only the noise can be bothersome.

A tent for camping?

If not, perhaps you could make a mozzie bag  (If that suits you)

Dead easy to make - Get a piece of very thin cotton material 2 and a half times your height by about 1M wide (Wider if you're fat), then get it made up into a long thin bag like a sleeping bag liner.
Simple, cheap, easy and totally insect proof if you squirt a bit of deet on the open end.
I get eaten alive by the things but never had a bite when using mine, even in the worst of flea bitten backpacker hotels.

Just an option

Thanks, Fred and THIGV.

I am the biggest draw to mosquitoes in the entire universe, always have been. (And ticks and scorpions and spiders, etc.)

I discovered the electric tennis racket mosquito zappers here and was thrilled. But I'm killing about 100 mosquitoes every hour around the clock just inside my apartment. I'm not taking on the whole world's quota. This is with windows and doors locked shut and door jambs stuffed and blocked.

The previous tenants had no problem and my neighbours have none either. This is my second apartment and although it's much worse here, it was essentially the same drill at the old one. It's me. I'm just sweet, I guess.

I have no plants or standing water anywhere. They're not in the bathrooms so I don't think they're coming up the drains.

Outside I get bitten far, far less than I do indoors. I go outside for relief. Go figure.

I did find a net today that worked extremely well for a few hours until an invisible mozzie got inside somehow and bit me on the eye. Tents are apparently not sold in NT or maybe not in all of Vietnam. I was told that the Vietnamese do not go camping.

I did online entomological research and the professorial types say that bug bombs and bug lights of any kind do not work with mozzies. In fact, the only thing they could recommend is citronella candles and I'm loathe to fall asleep with candles burning.

Any suggestions??? All gratefully received.

(I'm wondering if brand new buildings have fewer bugs than the older ones with all their fresh air security doors and balconies.)

Jane

Check out this thread from almost two years ago:  https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=555209 and discussion of infrared light zappers

I can't figure why, but It looks like this really simple solution is one that Vietnamese simply don't pick up on .  If anything, I would think they would be pumping them out for export from one of the new industrial parks.  The best home blood pressure testers are made in VN.  This item is a lot simpler.  It should be great for both domestic and foreign markets.

I really think that if you could get your hands on one, your problems would be over.  You could maybe have someone bring one from the US but watch out on the voltage.  See inside the above link.  If you could find someone traveling to Australia, they could perhaps bring back a 220V one.

I wish! Thank you for trying to help.

I've been emailing with the top entomologists in the US and they all say the electric light zappers don't work because mosquitoes are not attracted to light.

Apparently the FDA shuts down these sellers, and they pop up again on amazon under a different name.

The same with the next generation versions with CO2 (propane tanks in your bedroom?) and octenol. They've all been run through the professorial clinical trial research gamut and come up empty.

Here's a sample of advice from the professors:

Many consumer products claim to attract, repel or kill mosquitoes. Most of these devices do not appreciably reduce mosquito abundance or incidence of bites, or else are unproven. Electrocuting devices or "Bug zappers", using ultraviolet light as an attractant, are generally ineffective in reducing outdoor populations of mosquitoes or their biting activity. Studies indicate that mosquitoes make up only a tiny percentage of the insects captures in such traps. The majority are moths, beetles, and other harmless night flying insects.

Other types of mosquito traps use carbon dioxide, warmth, light, and various chemicals (e.g. octenol) as attractants and claim to capture tremendous numbers of mosquitoes. Such devices often cost hundreds of dollars and some sell for over $1,000. Performance claims to the contrary, such devices seldom have been shown to actually reduce populations of biting mosquitoes on a property, or the incidence of bites. In some situations they could even attract more mosquitoes into the area one is hoping to protect.

Advertisements for portable electronic devices that use high-frequency ultrasonic sound routinely appear in magazines and claim to keep mosquitoes and other pests at bay. Some supposedly repel mosquitoes by mimicking the wing beat frequency of a hungry dragonfly. Scientific studies have repeatedly shown these devices to be of negligible benefit in deterring mosquitoes and reducing bites. Companies that market such devices with unsubstantiated claims have been told to cease and desist by consumer protection agencies but others continue to appear hoping that consumers will buy them. Save your money, these devices seldom, if ever, provide any measure of relief.

Fine but here is what I picked up on from your quote:

New and improved wrote:

Electrocuting devices or "Bug zappers", using ultraviolet light as an attractant, are generally ineffective in reducing outdoor populations of mosquitoes or their biting activity.

(Bold mine)

Yes, many of these products make claims to clear whole acres of mosquitoes but we are talking about indoors.  You need to clear a relatively small enclosed space and have a reasonable, even if maybe not absolute, means to block reentry.  It has to be more effective than the tennis racquet which certainly doesn't work too well after you fall asleep.   

Thank you. Very good point! I noticed that as well and wondered about that. But in his reply email to me he didn't indicate that it would work any better indoors because of the disinterest in light. The only thing he added was to use fans. Done.

Here's the link to the amazon page of dissatisfied customers for that infrared light. Skip over the rants about the poor quality control and inability to return it or fix it, etc., and the other critical reviews basically say it didn't work for mosquitoes.

https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/ … geNumber=1

But at this point I'd try anything including witchcraft, voodoo, feng sui and sacrificing the firstborn. There has to be at least a partial solution and I will keep trying until I at least improve the situation. If I find one of these infrared lights in the Thap Ba hardware store strip, I'll buy it and give it a go and let you know how it worked.

I'd just like to know how they're getting in here in the first place. You'd think that once you killed a thousand bugs, their troops would have been decimated somewhat. Nope! They're sort of like the endless warrior mutants in "Lord of the Rings."

And I liked your point about using the tennis rackets while one is sleeping. I haven't slept a wink since moving in a week ago. But I am renewing my old tennis skills and maybe I'll have to look for a doubles match.

Aha! Just looked at an old Da Nang thread and eodmatt had this suggestion:

You can also buy plug in (to the wall electrical sockets) small devices that take a paper /card insert treated with mosquito repellent which last for around 8 hours. You can buy them from big C or other supermarkets. They aren't expensive and I use them at home and also when travelling.
The mosquito repellant devices are called JUMBO. The supermarkets that sell them are called Bic C; METRO; Co Op (locals pronounce it "Coop") etc.

New and improved wrote:

You can also buy plug in (to the wall electrical sockets) small devices that take a paper /card insert treated with mosquito repellent which last for around 8 hours.

I am not one to be too concerned about trying to live organically, but breathing chemically tainted air all night does not appeal to me.      Still, good luck with them.

BTW you might want to cover the review of some of the other ones on Amazon.  The problems may be just this model.  It sounds from the review that the killing amperage on the grid was insufficient.

THIGV, do you or your family members speak passable Vietnamese? Want to come shopping with me tomorrow at Thap Ba or Big C or wherever? No way can I either understand or communicate about amperage. (And yes, you are absolutely correct about that.) I would just buy the first machine I saw and proceed to blow up the building.

Actually, to my amazement, the fans seem to be working. Last time I checked I had about 12 mozzies somehow inside the net. Since I turned on the fans I haven't been bitten. Could be coincidence...

The fan doesn't kill the mosquitoes but simply keeps them from landing.  I guess you could see it as the Buddhist solution.      At my in-laws down in the delta they use a combination of nets and fans.

New and improved wrote:

THIGV, do you or your family members speak passable Vietnamese? Want to come shopping with me tomorrow at Thap Ba or Big C or wherever? No way can I either understand or communicate about amperage. (And yes, you are absolutely correct about that.) I would just buy the first machine I saw and proceed to blow up the building.

Even in the US it is unlikely that the product info would include the killing grid amperage.  It will be a little tough for me to meet you tomorrow as I am living in Hawaii and may not return to VN until mid-2018   

I could be a silly sausage here, but have you tried the creams?
Lots available and I find they work well.

We're all silly sausages, Fred. I will certainly look for that tomorrow. Thank you very much. Vinh Hai market maybe?

And THIGV, which island are you on?

Research is my thing so a little online sleuthing came up with the information that you were right, THIGV. The little pellet gadgets have been banned in the EU for over a decade because of nerve toxins. Next!

The online homemade brew with yeast and whatnot did not work in field trials. Next!

Random ideas I came across were:
- a little vegetable oil down the drains to make a film on any standing water
- spray Windex
- since there are no screens here, at least in rentals, buy another bed net and cut it up to tape over all the windows (they say caulk but I can see where a landlord might disagree)
- use a third bed net to form an entry pod over the front door
- buy weather stripping, door guards, and similar to put over every door and window crack
- use lemon on your skin instead of DEET
- put out saucers of dish detergent and bottles of beer
- put stoppers over every drain including kitchen
- put camphor in water on a saucer
- rub dryer sheets (scentless) on clothes and bed net

This will keep me busy. And a bunch more tennis rackets so there's one handy at every elbow. I just killed a dozen inside my bed net which is tucked in 360.

I can't imagine anyone going to all that trouble.  Just buy 3 fans and turn them all on high.

I find a good general rule in life is KISS.

Keep It Simple, Silly

A load of messing around could work but there's a better than average chance a simple solution will work just as well.

If only the solution was that doable! But I have to run from the front door to the bed to get under the net. (Where I just killed 20+ mosquitoes anyway.) I can't cook or eat or sit in the living room to watch TV if I want.

It's a nonstop nightmare that only stops if I go outside. It's like the world lived backwards. Most people come inside to get away from bugs.

It's a large apartment. I would need about 50 fans to cover every inch of bugginess.

- since there are no screens here, at least in rentals, buy another bed net and cut it up to tape over all the windows (they say caulk but I can see where a landlord might disagree)

I think that should be enough.
Try those door and window nets (Cửa lưới chống muỗi).

VIET THONG
287, Đường Thống Nhất, Tp. Nha Trang
Hotline: 0913.462.410 (Mr. Yên)

As for the tent buy it online from lazda.vn.
Use copy-paste to G-translate product description.

- 4 Color Curtain Anti Mosquito Magnetic Tulle ....
- chống muỗi Magic Mesh

Perhaps the easy non-toxic answer is just to buy some Avon Skin-so-Soft. They now make it in both the original body cream and a spray. Mosquitos will never touch you even if you started raising them for a hobby.

Vagabondone, do you know where they sell Avon Skin So Soft in Nha Trang? Thanks!

Senwi, thanks a ton for sending me these links. Since I can't read Vietnamese (yet), I don't necessarily get how these different forms work. Do any of these have addresses in Nha Trang so I could go visit their store?
Jane

No I do not. I buy it on Amazon and ship it here.

Sorry, couldn't find any seller in Nha Trang.
I checked some video reviews about that "Magic Mesh". Not quite satisfactory!

I suggest, why not do it yourself ....   
Just buy a nylon/cotton mosquito net  and a double sided adhesive tape. 
Measure and cut them in right-size pieces and make a screen on your window/door frame.

Watch this DIY video.   

- Double sided tape.
- Insect Fly Bug Mosquito Door Window Net Netting Mesh Screen Sticky Velcro Tape

You can easily find them in most supermarkets.

Btw, Lazda is like local Amazon. I often buy from them online.
I prefer their cash-on-delivery payment option.

Yeah, don't let those mozzies win this battle!! 
Good luck!

Thank you! The problem is that I'm very attractive to mosquitoes and very allergic to their bites. My friends who lived here before had no mosquitoes at all.

Update: I was wrong, utterly wrong. It's not mosquitoes biting me in my apartment. It's what Americans call "no-see-ums" because you can't see them.

They're everywhere in Nha Trang, I've discovered by trial and error. But different sites have it worse than others and my apartment is the worst of the worst.

I do know that I need to buy no-see-um level mosquito netting, which has much smaller holes than regular mosquito nets.

Does anyone else have experience with these bugs and have some suggestions or advice?

Thank you.
Jane

https://www.amazon.com/Lixada-Mosquito- … +repellant
I can't imagine sleeping in thus getup but more seriously, it seems you can buy this ultra-fine raw material on Amazon. I had mixed results with ordering on Amazon for Vietnam.  Some products get through, some don't.  I never used them but you might try Lazada.  Best to enlist a local friend to help with the search.

I get an order from Amazon at least once a month and have never encountered one problem with them. Have no clue about your little critters though.

Diazo wrote:

I get an order from Amazon at least once a month and have never encountered one problem with them.

I should have been more specific.  When you get to the Checkout page, Amazon may tell you that they won't ship certain items.  My guess it has to do with duties.  Everything that I did order came through just fine.  Maybe the no-see-ums fine netting will ship.

I too should have been more specific..... I buy and have everything transshipped with my shipper from the US. Never bothered with the international restrictions.

This is so easy.
Squirt little little buggers to death when you leave the house every morning. One good mass poisoning session usually means you don't see a mozzie for days.
Then sleep in the cover I described.

Despite all of your excellent advice, I triaged my life and decided to move. Checked out a dozen apartments waving my magic tennis racket mosquito zapper and chose a really ugly, too expensive one in a neighbourhood I hate -- but it had only one biting bug. I now have my priorities straight.

I made my own mosquito repellent with essential oils, mixing a few drops of citronella, lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender with witch hazel. Before we go outside, day or night, I spray it on every part of our bodies that's not covered by clothing. I also carry a tiny bottle with us at all time just in case we need to reapply (have yet to use it once.)

I mixed the same blend but without witch hazel in body lotion to use at home after each shower.

Even though I'm a bull's-eye to every insect that ever lives, we're only bitten a couple of times since moving here. We put Neosporin on those and they're healed the next day.

Hi guys, I'm back and buggier than ever.

The no see ums are everywhere and bite me viciously and nonstop. The second worst thing is that everyone else gets to wear shorts and camisoles because they don't get bitten and I have to cover up in the heat like a nun including mosquito net hat over my face. Little children stick out their tongues at me like I'm the bogeyman. Don't blame them really.

I've tried everything possible to kill, repel, or avoid them and nothing has made a dent. I realise I have to leave Vietnam very soon if I can't find a solution. I love it here and don't want to leave.

But I haven't slept more than ten minutes at a time since August. That includes nets, sprays, tents, poisons, body washes, repellents, etc. In fact, I ended up in the ER over New Year's with severe burns from using local repellents on my face and neck. I'm living on steroids. It's not healthy.

What might work is one of three things:
1. a house instead of an apartment, so they wouldn't always be in wait in the hallways, not near water
2. moving to a cooler place like Da Lat, but there don't seem to be apartments or houses for rent there
3. an insider's knowledge of a particular place, apartment or house, anywhere, that for whatever reason is protected from bug access

I would offer a gazillion trillion dollar bounty - at least a lovely dinner for you and your family - if anyone has an insider's connection to one of those three solutions.

Does anyone have a solution?  Thanks, as always.

Jane

Have you tried Soffell?  In bad areas (Phu Quoc and Mekong Delta), I put Soffell on as I would a body lotion in the morning, after shower, in the evening, and at night even when sleeping inside a mosquito tent.   It has been working very well for all my relatives for many decades.  I've been using it since last year and it has worked very well for me too. 

Soffell has only 13% Deet, but it's enough to repel mosquitoes, and the plant oils in the ingredients moisturise the skin so it's very pleasant.  The price at pharmacies is about 55% or 60% of what supermarkets charge.

Thanks, Ciambella, for the thoughtful suggestion, but it was Soffell that put me in the hospital emergency room this past weekend. And/or the lemongrass oil repellent. Severe burns over my neck, ears and face. Nothing some steroids and a lot of red swollen peeling won't fix. I have to put the repellent on so frequently that my skin can't take it. I know, I know, what next, a plague of locusts?