How to get rid of mosquitoes without harming them

The first precept forbids us from harming any living creature. The place I live is infested with mosquitoes. There are many cases of malaria and dengue each year. It would be really helpful if you suggest ideas to avoid mosquito bites without harming them in any way.

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Wearing insect repellants with DEET will not kill the mosquitos or other insects, but will repel them.
If used, be sure the repellant contains 25 - 30% DEET; keep away from children; wash hands thoroughly after applying and using; and wash off areas of skin and clothes after coming indoors.

Also repels ticks, which are not insects.

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Sideways relevant, but this reminds me of the thread last year about handling ants skillfully, linking now because ot might be of some interest to people in the coming summer time:

Not much of a common ground between them except for metta practice, of course. :slight_smile:

And again from the suttas, perhaps AN 4.67 could be an inspiration, with the Buddha offering a protection verse to ward off snakes and all other sorts of dangerous beings. :slight_smile:

Then it’s certain, monks, that that monk didn’t suffuse the four royal snake lineages with a mind of good will. For if he had suffused the four royal snake lineages with a mind of good will, he would not have died after having been bitten by a snake.

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Mosquitoes are attracted to still water for breeding. As much as possible dont let water sit around.
DEET spray, treated long sleeved clothing, mosquito nets, slowing your breathing and heart rate.

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I noticed that if you do not have the intention to kill them, they are less likely to bite you.

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That’s wonderful, if true.
A number of forest monks have spoken about how they were bitten by swarms of mosquitos.

So no intention to harm backed up by DEET is probably most effective. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I confess that i am not a very reliable source because mosquitos are less common where i live than monks who live in the forest. However, i noticed that i am less likely to be bitten than others in a place infested with mosquitos. I even noticed that i am less likely to encounter evil people after having faith in the Buddha.

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There’s also a bit of a science to it, since mosquitos are mainly attracted and excited with CO2 omissions from the body.

So less agitated, more comfortable people are the bottom of their priorities. My personal experience does confirm — however, they still do bite me occasionally, albeit quite a lot less so than some easy-to-annoy acquaintances. :slight_smile:

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I use Bushman insect spray whenever I go on a bushwalk, their product was made famous initially because it was all natural, no DEET added, but I just had a look at their recent offerings, and they have varying levels of DEET in some products e.g. 80%, 20% etc. But I use the original formula, DEET free.

It works well, it’s Aussie made, but I’m sure they can ship anywhere.

I noticed there is something to this for sure, but in my experience, this does not apply to mozzies (for me at least) :grin:

So basically…….’get into samadhi’, high bar Venerable :rofl: :anjal:

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Me neither. I have noticed this with wasps and bees. If I shoo them away with metta, I can be pretty insistent and not get stung. But mozzies and ants are out for blood!

I have heard that some people who let the mozzies eat their fill say they don’t get an allergic reaction to those bites. Only when they interrupt them :mosquito::waving_hand: do they claim to get a red bump. This is my first time hearing someone claim mettā as a protection from getting bit in the first place!

Personally, I alternate between DEET, Picaridin, and burning coils :cyclone: to repel them. I figure the harmful effects of any one chemical will be diluted if I rotate between them :see_no_evil_monkey:

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Bhante, I don’t know if you have paper wasps over in Thailand, we have them in abundance here in OZ.

All I can say is that, I’ve been stung twice by them in the past, and it literally feels like you’re going to DIE :rofl:

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Yeah, we have some Polistinae here, but I’ve yet to be stung by one.

Once, as a layman in Thailand, I was meditating very still and a big, black wasp (either a potter or a spider wasp) crawled into my shirt. I quickly tried to take my shirt off, but that must have startled the poor guy something fierce cause he immediately stung me in the shoulder. I didn’t feel like I was dying but perhaps like I was shot? I informed the fellow he was mighty stupid because it would be even harder for me to take my shirt off without hurting him with a paralyzed arm. After struggling a bit more he kinda calmed down a bit and I eventually got my shirt off and he flew away. My arm was throbbing for two days. :grimacing: Thankfully as a monk I haven’t had this problem: the shoulder cloth is very breezy! :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

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Lovely to read about all your different experimentations with Buddhist approaches to mozzies! Where I live they mainly bother me at night when I’m trying to sleep. So I say out loud: mozzies, I know you must eat but please wait till I’m asleep and you can have your fill. This generally works except when I say it in an annoyed way, then they ignore me completely.

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Apropos of maybe nothing, the internet loves this one from the Dalai Lama: ā€œIf you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.ā€

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I lived in Thailand until recently. Mosquitoes are inevitable part of life there. Some solutions regarding the environment around us are to ensure there are no spots where water is sitting still happily for the mozzies to lay eggs and no bushes nearby where they can play hide and seek with you. Solutions for our own bodies are mosquito nets.

Our house has mosquito screens all over. I had whips at the doors to gently brush them away when I opened the door to enter or leave the house.

Some people put mosquitoes screen around their patios, alfresco, etc, as well.

If we wished to enjoy outdoors, we would have mosquito repellent coils nearby as well as spraying ourselves with (lemongrass) mosquito repellent spray.

If we wanted to sit in one spot for a long time (to enjoy the fresh bush air, for instance), we use mosquito nets (tents, or monks’ Klod) to protect ourselves.

In short, protection and prevention as much as we could.

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You can use repel to get rid of them. Any lotion type of mosquitoes repels usually are effective enough. Or, you can use mosquito net if you’re afraid being poisoned or get allergic reaction form repel.