Wasps
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With ever increasing hordes of wasps around this Summer (30,000 stings alone in July!) I thought I’d share my experience of dealing with these problematic creatures.
Recently I’ve read a lot about how some people like to place a jar of water and sugar in a corner of their garden to distract a wasps from joining a meal outdoors. This actually just attracts many more than were originally present in the first place! So, a better solution is to use citronella incense, either in cone, coil or stick form (sticks usually burn longer and are therefore better value), as the smoke keeps away all insects. Burning ordinary incense does not deter all wasps or mosquitoes, it has to be citronella to be completely effective.
In years gone by, these sticks were sometimes quite hard to get a hold of as they were nearly always seasonally sold out. At incognito we sell them in a pack of 10 for a very reasonable £4 – not bad given that each lasts about an hour and will ensure a wasp/insect free outdoor meal!
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Because of warmer temperatures and over use of pesticides, insecticides and even war, insect populations are growing at an unprecedented rate. Recent research suggests an extra 20 million insects for each and every one of us. This equates to 220 million insects for every human being alive today!
It is no wonder then that more people are contracting malaria than 30 years ago. Today there is a 42% chance of malaria returning to the UK. This figure is predicted to rise to over 80% in the not too distant future, making it a statistical certainty that malaria will return to Britain in most of out lifetimes!
Malaria is mainly a disease of poverty therefore most deaths are from the poorest parts of the world. In fact up to 5,000 people a day die from it. However, no one is immune to it and more people are contracting this disease in the West than 30 years ago.
Unfortunately, the malarial drugs are not working effectively anymore. The most effective drug we have at the moment against Plasmodium falciparum is Artemisinin, derived like many wonder drugs, from a natural source – Artemisia annua or the Sweet Wormwood Bush in this case. This is best administered as Artemisinin Combination Thereapy (ACT) so that the parasite does not get resistant to it – in theory.
However, on the Thai-Cambodian border and elsewhere in SE Asia resistance has already started and so this last line of defence has been compromised. There is nothing more in the pipeline so the only hope to eek out this drug is to use it responsibly in a sustainable way by only taking ACT if it is absolutely necessary. It is so much better to avoid getting bitten in the first place and it is possible by washing and using insect repellents (Preferably natural ones!) properly. Although from past experience this is unlikely to happen.
There are many other insect-borne diseases that are on the increase and it is only by stabalising the global temperature that we will be able to get a handle on these deadly diseases. So, we all need to know how to protect ourselves from getting bitten sooner rather than later.
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Alive and well having survived malaria followed by dengue fever!
I first went to India at the end of 1997 I was a bit nervous of catching malaria or other diseases, so I went along to Trailfinders Travel clinic in Kensington High Street and the doctor recommended I take a malaria prophylactic as well as all the usual shots like typhoid and so she prescribed paludrine and avloclor which I had to start taking the week before I left. Although I had a few stomach pains they were not too bad compared to many of the stories I’d heard and read about anti-malarials.
So off I went to India feeling pretty safe and secure. This soon changed after getting Delhi belly in Mumbai. So after a week in Goa for Christmas I travelled by train to Cochin, Kerela, for New Year – a low risk malarial area at a low risk time of year. I was using a Deet-based repellent that had been recommended to me by Boots in the UK. Needless to say, I still got bitten; mosquitoes have built up resistance to many pesticides such as Deet and it no longer affords 100% protection, if it ever did. Also, over dinner on New Year’s Day, sitting outside with my partner in the humid tropical evening, she motioned me to look down, my shirt was in shreds and I was looking like the incredible Hulk –only without his physique- the Deet had dissolved most of my top! Read the rest of the article: How it all began………
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The best-selling incognito spray has now been reformulated to create one of the strongest anti-insect sprays on the planet! Indeed, this new formulation is as effective as the most deadly toxic insecticide, yet completely natural.
Officially launched at BBC Gardeners world LIVE last week at the NEC, the show stock sold out within the first 2 days so extra supplies were rushed from the factory to meet demand. Dragons’ Den filmed the customer throng for 5 hours.Fully tested by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) as giving 100% protection against Anopheles Gambia (African) mosquitoes and officially approved by Trading Standards as “clinically proven to protect against malaria” (The first time this claim has been allowed on any product!) this new ground-breaking formulation still contains organic Javanese Citronella, but in a much lower concentration.
The natural insect repellent used in the research was Eucalyptus maculata citriodora and this is exactly what is in every bottle of incognito, under the trade name Citrepel 75, along with some rare essential oils; all blended together in a secret unique process.
Citrepel 75 has recently been tested by the LSHTM as having 100% efficacy against all mosquitoes and protects against ALL insects.
The anti-malaria claim has been approved by Trading Standards after the publication of a report in the British Medical Journal* This study was funded by a Gates Malaria Partnership grant under the auspices of the WHO in partnership with the LSHTM.
According to incognito’s Founder, Howard Carter, who incidentally contracted malaria whilst taking anti-malarial drugs and simultaneously using a deet-based product, “it has taken me nearly 10 years to perfect a natural product which protects against all 3000 mosquito species. My greatest wish is for this to be made widely available throughout the world.”
incognito does not cause any neurological damage, as can be the case with other topical toxin insect repellents such as Deet. Unlike these toxic chemical repellents, incognito has a lovely fresh fragrance.
Due to Climate Change insect populations are growing at unprecedented levels. Which is already being evidenced in the UK and Ireland this summer, in the form of increasing numbers of insects –exacerbated by the wet weather.
incognito 100 ml spray is effective against all insects – not just mosquitoes and ticks.incognito spray and other products are available at Harrods, Holland & Barrett, John Bell & Croyden, Planet Organic, Whole Foods, Trailfinders Travel Clinics, health shops along with most chemists or direct from their website www.lessmosquito.com
This new website has even more tips on Avoiding Insect Bites.
*BMJ reference: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmj.39356.574641.55
incognito is always spelt with a small “i”, even at the beginning of a sentence. There is a perfume called Incognito with a large “I”, which can actually attract insects to you!
incognito has been fully tested by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on anopheles gambia (hungry African mosquitoes) and placed in the “Maximum protection category.”
Images can be downloaded by scrolling down to Product Images here: http://www.lessmosquito.com/media/
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The best-selling incognito spray has now been reformulated to create one of the strongest anti-insect sprays on the planet! Indeed, this new formulation is as effective as the most deadly toxic insecticide,yet completely natural.
Officially being launched at BBC Gardeners world LIVE at the NEC Birmingham on the 16th June 2010 and filmed by Dragons’ Den, it will also be available online from this date.
Fully tested by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine(LSHTM) as giving maximum protection against Anopheles Gambia (African) mosquitoes and officially approved by Trading Standards as “clinically proven to protect against malaria” (The first time this claim has been allowed on any product!) this new ground-breaking formulation still contains organic Javanese Citronella, but in a much lower concentration.The natural insect repellent used in the research was Eucalyptus maculata citriodora and this is exactly what is in every bottle of incognito, under the trade name Citrepel 75, along with some rare essential oils; all blended together in a secret unique process.
The anti-malaria claim has been approved by Trading Standards after the publication of a report in the British Medical Journal about a “Plant based insect repellent [Eucalyptus maculata citriodora] and insecticide treated bed nets to protect against malaria.” This study was funded by a Gates Malaria Partnership grant under the auspices of the WHO and carried out partly by the LSHTM.
According to incognito’s Founder, Howard Carter, who incidentally contracted malaria whilst taking anti-malarial drugs and simultaneously using a deet-based product, “it has taken me over 10 years to perfect a natural product which protects against all 3000 mosquito species. My greatest wish is for this to be made widely available throughout the world.”
Unlike toxic chemical repellents, incognito has a lovely fresh fragrance. Due to Climate Change and consequent rising temperatures insect populations are growing at unprecedented levels. Which is already being evidenced in the UK and Ireland this Summer, in the form of increasing numbers of insects –exacerbated by the wet weather.incognito 100 ml spray is effective against all insects – not just mosquitoes and ticks. incognito spray and other products are available at Harrods, Holland & Barrett, John Bell & Croyden, Planet Organic, Whole Foods, Trailfinders Travel Clinics, health shops and most chemists or direct from their website www.lessmosquito.com
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The best treatment currently available for the treatment of malaria is Artemisinin-based combination therapy or (ACT). Up until last year ACT had been working very well and it was predicted that malaria would be eradicated in Thailand and Cambodia in the next decade. However, since last year, resistance to ACT has become increasingly common along the Thai Cambodia border. This is a matter of great concern as there is no other anti-malaria treatment in the pipeline and so, if full Artemisinin resistance occurs, then malaria will spread unhindered. Artemisinin is derived from the plant Artemisia annua and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat malaria.Artemisinin is derived from the plant Artemisia annua and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat malaria. Read the rest of the article: MALARIA DRUGS LESS EFFECTIVE
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Are you one of those people that always gets bitten by a mosquito or maybe you are one of the lucky 20% who rarely receive a bite? This article will explain why; drawing on the latest scientific research in an easy to digest format.With over 200 million insects for each and everyone of us, this is worth knowing….
Firstly, lets look at how a female (they are the only ones to bite – the males feed off nectar) mosquito locates a blood meal in the first place.
All humans emit kairomones common ones include CO2 and lactic acid, around 48 have been identified so far. It is thought that different species of mosquito prefer different kairomones, in the same way as some people prefer spicy and others don’t. All of us have our own kairomone ‘signature” which is probably unique in the same way as a fingerprint. Read the rest of the article: Why do some people get bitten by mosquitoes and not others?
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With the increasing number of insect repellent patches on the market people frequently ask the question, “do they work”? My short retort is a resounding, NO!” Here you will get the facts as to why not.
These thiamine patches must be applied 2 hours before exposure –this is not always practical when you don’t know mosquitoes are going to be at large. They also have to be ripped off the skin like a band aid.
Some people swear by Patches usually containing Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) sometimes with other B vitamins along with other ingredients such as aloe vera in the case of Don’t Bug Me – you do get a hint of these products effectiveness by what is written on their label:
“The other ingredient, Aloe, serves as an anti-inflammatory agent, minimizing the reaction in the event you do experience a bite.”
These people who swear by Thiamine either in patch or tablet form are certainly not getting bitten, but this is because of other factors; one of these could be that they are so certain that they will not get a bite, they do not -the placebo effect. Some scientists believe that most of the people not getting bitten when they apply B1 patches or eat them, are already naturally repellent.
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Arriving at our hotel in Ay, in France, I asked the ubiquitous question, “do you have mosquitoes here?” To which the receptionist replied, “no, there es no water for them to breed.” However in my experience this sort of reply usually means diddly sqat or not a lot –in India nearly all hotel staff will tell you there’s not a mosquito problem- its bad for business. So, l was unsurprised to find a specimen bloodsucker in our room the next day, which was promptly caught under a glass & left on the table as we were going out. Unfortunately the maid released the critter and I got a bite during the night. Its not worth sleeping under a net if there’s only one or two mosquitoes unless there is disease present like in India and Africa OR you suffer from a bad reaction –many people have died from secondary infections from insect bites.
Howard Carters’ talk to 10:10 this month
How it all began………
New formulation incognito spray officially launched
New formulation incognito spray officially approved as the only anti-insect repellent which is clinically proven to protect against malaria
MALARIA DRUGS LESS EFFECTIVE
Why do some people get bitten by mosquitoes and not others?
IT’S NOT A PATCH ON…
Obama v Mosquito
Pesticides and Pest
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