Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dharma bum]

It appears that summer is finally here as I had to spend an hour last night hunting a mosquito that kept biting me in my sleep. Mosquitoes have tortured me for years now, and I've always just tried to put up with the itching and sleep deprivation - but I just can't do it this year...which is why I'm trying to come up with a list of possible preventative measures that I can take and hopefully get some feedback on their effectiveness/practicality.

Here's what I've come up with so far. What do you think about these options? Have any others I haven't heard about?
- Air conditioner: simple solution but a bit expensive and perhaps not totally effective?
- Those burning spiral things: possibly effective but smell bad and might contain poison; it'd also be a pain to burn one every single night.
- The blue/green plug-ins: I've never used these but heard the green ones might be effective - any experience with these?
- A mosquito net: a traditional solution that seems somewhat appealing, but I'm worried about installation (screws in my ceiling?) and aesthetics
- Some kind of mosquito-repelling candle: available? effective?
- Mosquito-repelling skin lotion: practical for daily/nightly use? effective?

[the_beaver]

Tennis racket death by wattage.

[reactionary]

Proper window screens and cover your drains (with the occasional boiling water blast). Preventing them from getting in is better than dealing with them after they are.

I have virtually no mosquito problems so long as I keep the scren on my window shut.

A cheaper alternative to the AC is to have a fan pointed at you while you sleep (no fan death jokes, comedians). They don't like the moving air.

[AsiaESLbound]

Can of spray with a picture of a mosquito on it.

[madoka]

I would NEVER do the mosquito coils. They are meant for outside use only. Here's more:

Burning mosquito coils indoors generates smoke that can control mosquitoes effectively. This practice is currently used in numerous households in Asia, Africa, and South America. However, the smoke may contain pollutants of health concern. We conducted the present study to characterize the emissions from four common brands of mosquito coils from China and two common brands from Malaysia. We used mass balance equations to determine emission rates of fine particles (particulate matter < 2.5 �m in diameter ; PM2.5) , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) , aldehydes, and ketones. Having applied these measured emission rates to predict indoor concentrations under realistic room conditions, we found that pollutant concentrations resulting from burning mosquito coils could substantially exceed health-based air quality standards or guidelines. Under the same combustion conditions, the tested Malaysian mosquito coils generated more measured pollutants than did the tested Chinese mosquito coils. We also identified a large suite of volatile organic compounds, including carcinogens and suspected carcinogens, in the coil smoke. In a set of experiments conducted in a room, we examined the size distribution of particulate matter contained in the coil smoke and found that the particles were ultrafine and fine. The findings from the present study suggest that exposure to the smoke of mosquito coils similar to the tested ones can pose significant acute and chronic health risks. For example, burning one mosquito coil would release the same amount of PM2.5 mass as burning 75-137 cigarettes. The emission of formaldehyde from burning one coil can be as high as that released from burning 51 cigarettes.

[NYC_Gal]

I use my AC, because my apartment windows don't have screens. It's a great apartment, otherwise, but a pain in the arse.

I still get those scragglers that sneak in through drains and such, so have a mosquito net above my bed for sleeptime, even though my AC is on. You don't need to screw anything into your ceiling. Get those heat-glue hooks and hook glue it to the ceiling. It's strong enough to support the net.

[rickpidero]

so they get through the drains? I haven't opened my windows since it got warm yet, and they managed to sneak through still. Thanks for the info.

[bde2]

Definitely gotta be candles/lotion. After setting a nice romantic mood, give them a sensual massage... end of problem.

[Xuanzang]

[Steelrails]

WIPE THEM OUT.

I know the enviro-nazis say that this would devastate the ecosystem. I say pish-posh. Nature has survived plenty of extinctions, it can survive plenty more.

Death to those scum.

[yeti08]

I pour a teapot full of boiling water down my drain every morning, keep the fan on (as a poster above mentioned they don't like the moving air), reinforce my screen, and once and awhile pour bleach down my drain. Nothing can survive bleach.

[brier]

Can of mogi spray

Mogi nettings for sleeping.

Keep screens shut on windows.

Even with this I still find them so how in the house.

I have read somewhere you should check your kitchen fan too. They can come in that way also.

[Draz]

Basically find out how they are getting in and plug it up. I push a towel up under the door when I'm in my room. They come in under the door at night.

[Aelric]

My first few months here became such a problem that I became one big welt. So I went overboard, bought a bed net, the plug ins for indoors, the spirals for hanging out my window and a swatter. Now, I've found all I really need is the net and the A/C. I'm perhaps a bit wasteful, but I run the A/C while at work, turn it off when I get home and by the time any Moji show up again, I'm sleeping in my net. This has the added benefit during monsoon of not having a humid apartment after dealing with the humidity everywhere else.

Took me forever, but check your water heater closet. Lots of times there are vents that have no screen. But a net and cut a bit out to cover that and you'll notice a big reduction.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

>cover your drains (with the occasional boiling water blast).

Yep. I pour down a little bleach (not too much) and put a fine mesh over the drains.