THE MOSQUITO SEASON

Cute, ain't he? Well think again, he is a vile little monster who needs to be eradicated. 

Possessing a northern European complexion and thin skin, I am a mosquito's idea or a free all-you-can-eat buffet (never mind the quality, see the size of the portions) and thanks to the frequent downpours we have had in Barcelona this summer the little blighters have been breeding like billy-o.

The really annoying thing about the mosquito menace is that you only generally only become aware of their presence after they have gorged on your bodily fluids and, when full and fat, they have to work harder to achieve lift off.

When you hear that distinctive high pitched buzz, it is too late. You are already dinner and in couple of hours you will start to feel the sharp incessent itch somewhere new.

My initial strategy was to take some bites in the hope that I would develop some sort of natural immunity; but guess what, that didn't work. Not at all.

I am as punctured as a well used pin cushion, and am reduced to spending my evenings anointing my impressive and extensive collection of itchy bumps with ammonia (which actually works surprisingly well).

So it was off to the arsenal (actually Carrefour) to stock up on the weapons of war: a plug-in ultrasonic device and citronella aroma dispensers, coupled with a ring of citronella candles on the terrace to discourage them from entering the apartment and, for the really persistent critters, a fan, with added citronella dispensing capability, to buffet them around when they cross the threshold.

So far, so good and the frequency of new bites has decreased dramatically.

Laying the defences for next year I am growing great pots of mint, lemon balm, and I have just acquired a lemon tree. Let's see if the organic approach works.

 
Any other ideas for mosquito deterrents are welcome.