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| Thread ID: 53691 | 2005-01-24 21:32:00 | OT: Sandfly Relief | Winston001 (3612) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 317633 | 2005-01-24 21:32:00 | For those of us who suffer disproportionately from sandfly (midges, blackfly) and mosquito bites, there is relief on the horizon. See this link. thescotsman.scotsman.com I heard one of the researchers on National Radio a few days ago. He explained that rather than some people being more susceptible to bites, it is a case of other people being unattractive to the insects. These lucky people exude pheremones, ketones, and aldehydes which sandflies and mossies don't like. So they pick me instead. A bit like Lotto, but in reverse. There are about a dozen compounds which the insects don't like so the researchers now have to find which ones are the most offensive to the sensitivities of these creatures. It may be that it is a combination of 2, 3, or even 4 compounds rather than a single molecule, so it is going to take a lot of testing. But the news is good. Finally, one day, we will see an effective deterrant which can be sprayed on or even swallowed. Roll on these brave scientists. One of my worst memories is being eaten alive dossed down on a building site in Belgium. I was so crook I had to go to a clinic next day for help. |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 317634 | 2005-01-24 22:24:00 | A thick layer of tallow works well Winnie :D | Murray P (44) | ||
| 317635 | 2005-01-25 00:17:00 | The Southland sandfly must be of a higher species. It can feed off lawyers? |
godfather (25) | ||
| 317636 | 2005-01-25 00:31:00 | What an absolutely timely post. Here I am scratching madly at my ankles after a dining frenzy by those vicious West Coast sandflies a couple of days ago. Normally I would slap on a layer of Soov but thanks to an unnamed family member's carelessness I am currently without a tube of this most essential item of the first aid kit. The Boss is obviously one of those who taste dreadful to the pests as he is most unfairly completely immune to the suffering the rest of the family endure. :confused: Geez, I'm going to have to take that 2km-each-way hike to the pharmacy for some more Soov before I totally lose it... :@@: |
FoxyMX (5) | ||
| 317637 | 2005-01-25 00:39:00 | Seems like a revival of the old remedy used during the building of the Manapori Power Station is in order. One teaspoon of kerosene a day for two weeks gives one immunity from even South Westland sandflies and mosquitoes. Maybe though, the remedy is worse than the cure. |
d.murray (276) | ||
| 317638 | 2005-01-25 00:40:00 | The Boss is obviously one of those who taste dreadful to the pests as he is most unfairly completely immune to the suffering the rest of the family endure . :confused: Ah, this explains things . I merely thought I was a really tasty person . I now discover that I am totally ordinary, and that my wife and three adult children taste foul . I get eaten by any insects that are going - when we "lived" in Auckland and it was flea season, the others just needed to send me into the house first and I would pick up the fleas first and leave the rest of the family untouched . In sandfly country, I am surrounded by a cloud of the nasties whilst everyone else seems immune and they look at me bemused, wondering what is wrong with me flapping my arms like that . . . Life is deeply unfair . . . :( |
John H (8) | ||
| 317639 | 2005-01-25 00:53:00 | The Southland sandfly must be of a higher species. It can feed off lawyers? Mercifully, only in Fiordland where they are the size of seagulls and only if you've forgotten your shotgun to keep to keep them at bay. :D |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 317640 | 2005-01-25 02:20:00 | Mercifully, only in Fiordland where they are the size of seagulls and only if you've forgotten your shotgun to keep to keep them at bay. :D If the lawyers are the size of seagulls, how big are the sandflies? |
Graham L (2) | ||
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