Squeaking mosquitoes are not only irritating but many parts of India are affected by malaria and dengue fever, so extra care should be taken to avoid getting bitten. I have written a whole article on the topic of taking anti malarials, which you can read here or see below for more tips on avoiding mosquito bites altogether…
Avoid wearing dark clothes
Mosquitoes for some reason are more attracted to people wearing darker colours, so consider this, particularly when choosing your evening dress.
Wear long-sleeved tops and keep your legs covered
Mosquitoes usually go for your ankles and lower-legs, neck and arm areas, so try to keep these body parts covered if possible. I always suggest that travellers purchase a traditional kurta pyjama, which is light and confortable and can be worn in bed to protect your skin at night.
Invest in a good insect repellent that contains DEET
I have yet to see any DEET based insect repellents available in India, so it’s always best to take some good quality insect repellent along with you from home. I find jungle formula to be the most effective repellent when traveling in India. If you don’t like the strong smell of DEET based repellents or you have sensitive skin then you can always get yourself one of the insect repellent wristbands instead, which are also a great option for kids.
Biting mosquitoes are most active during sunset
Invest in a travel mosquito net
There’s nothing more annoying than being kept awake all night by a squeaking mosquito that keeps buzzing in your ear! Many good guesthouses will offer pre-installed mosquito nets hanging over beds, but there are still too many places in India, which don’t offer a mosquito net. By far the safest solution is to purchase one of these travel mosquito nets before you go. They are lightweight and fold down nicely, taking up very little space in your bag.
GET YOURSELF A MOSQUITO ZAPPER!!!
I will never forget first learning about this gadget from a hilarious demonstration performed by a hotel manager in New Delhi. What looks like a toy tennis racket is in actual fact an electrocuting fly squatter! It’s very lightweight, meaning it won’t be too much of a burden to carry around in your luggage and will prove to be an absolute lifesaver if you ever discover those irritating squeaky mosquitoes in your hotel room. There are plenty of cheap copies of this item available nowadays, but The Executioner is the original and by far the best quality fly zapper available. It comes with a one-year warranty and is robust enough that you can actually bend the racket head away from the handle, giving you much more flexibility for murdering insects!
USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AS A NATURAL MOSQUITO REPELLENT
My uncle lives in Malaysia (in a place notorious for mosquitoes) and when everyone else gets bitten, the mosquitoes always seem to steer wide of him! So, we started to explore the possible reasons why this might be and began to look at the things he consumed in his diet, to see if we could pin down an explanation. One thing we noticed was that my uncle (who suffers from gout) drinks a daily tonic of apple cider vinegar. Having done some research, it also turns out that apple cider vinegar is a known remedy for repelling mosquitoes, which has been used by the army for many years! So, there you have it…drinking a daily tonic of apple cider vinegar will help to keep those annoying insects at bay. The best apple cider vinegar on the market (and the one my uncle takes) is made by an American company called Bragg. It also turns out that apple cider vinegar has a whole long list of other health benefits too, so why not consider taking a small bottle along to India as a natural alternative insect repellent.