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No Mosquitoes for Me, Thank You!

by Traute Klein, biogardener

Pests and diseases attack the weak and not the strong. Insect pests sting and bite people and animals with certain nutritional deficiencies. So let's correct those deficiencies. Here is how a Manitoban learned this secret.

Mosquito Pests

I did not know what a real mosquito is until my family came to Canada. The cute little swirling insects which I had seen in Germany certainly never bit anyone. It seems that insects grow into huge monsters on this continent to keep pace with the vastness of the landscape. No one ever pays attention to the German midget insects. I did not even know that they sting people. All I remember is the high-pitched buzzing sound of a swarm as it circled my head, and that happened only twice in 17 years.

During my first summer on this continent, I was a mother's helper at Grand Beach, a resort on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg. Within a few days of arriving there, I was unable to see the skin on my ankles, because it was covered with dozens and maybe even hundreds of stings upon stings. I scratched till I bled to relieve the itching.

Mosquito Repellents

No one used repellents in those days. My employer was a dermatologist who did not allow his children to be exposed to any poisons, and I was treated like family. People then believed that the poisons were more harmful than the stings.

I agree with them. I do not even go near people who use chemical repellents, because the fumes make breathing difficult for me.

Relief at last

After 20 years of itching, one summer night I became aware that I was no longer bothered by the pests. Here is what happened.

We were camping at a popular retreat in Minnesota, and I was not getting any sleep on account of the noise from the other campers. I left the comfort of the tent and took my Toyota Corolla to a secluded spot in the bush, put the passenger seat down, stretched out, and slept like a baby.

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by the buzzing noise of hundreds of mosquitoes. When I turned on the light, I watched them settling against the roof of the car. With the help of a terry-towel I became a mass murderer that night. The light green roof was covered with red splotches, my blood.

Oddly enough, I felt no itching and developed no welts.

In the following days, I noticed that everyone in the camp was getting stung except me. In the car the mosquitoes had no way of escaping. They attacked me, because I happened to be the only victim within reach. I also learned that auto manufacturers save pennies per vehicle by keeping the vents of cars unscreened.

Natural Remedy

Something had happened to me, but I did not find out what until four years later. A pharmacist in Frankfurt showed me the newest German remedy for mosquito bites, little pills which were supposed to keep the pests away from you. What were the ingredients? Almost 100% riboflavin, i.e. vitamin B2.

Then I remembered that the winter before my miraculous protection from mosquitoes I had started to take a daily teaspoon of Torula yeast flakes as a food supplement, and nutritional yeast contains high amounts of B vitamins, including B2. It is, in fact, the riboflavin which gives the yeast its orange color.

The Principle of the Matter

From many years of observation, I have come to the conclusion that pests and diseases attack the weak and not the strong. Not only mosquitoes but also fleas, bed bugs, ticks, and intestinal worms only bother people with B vitamin deficiencies.

B Vitamins

A Winnipeg pharmacist/herbalist, Alan Baily, tells people that it is thiamine, i.e. vitamin B1, which keeps mosquitoes away. I have not tested the effectiveness of his advice, because I have no reason to take B1. A Thiamine deficiency is usually caused by smoking, and I have never smoked nor do I allow myself to be exposed to second-hand smoke. I suspect that smokers may need to take both vitamin B1 and B2 to be protected from mosquitoes. I much prefer to take nutritional yeast and love the taste. For many North Americans, however, that would not be a good idea, because yeast is one of the most common allergens on this continent partly on account of overindulgence in bread.

A vitamin B2 deficiency is easily recognized by examining the skin above the upper lip. Do you see vertical wrinkles? If you do, then you need vitamin B2. It is available in 100 mg tablets, and they are easily recognized by their bright orange color which stains the urine. B vitamin tablets in North America no longer come in a yeast base. Too bad for me. No one in our family is allergic to yeast, because we eat very little bread. We do not like the taste of wheat. We prefer German whole rye sour dough bread.

If you are not sure whether yeast is safe for you, take the easy but reliable food allergy test on this "Allergy Lifeline" page.

Preview

I am planning to write two more articles on protection from pests:
1. No Mosquitoes for My Pet, Thank You! will explain how to use nutritional yeast protects cats and dogs from fleas and ticks.

2. No Mosquitoes for My Garden, Thank You! will explain which herbs repel flying insects. My garden overflows with those herbs.