Ok, St. John is paradise. The only true nuisance are the mosquitos. They are not only a nuisance, they can actually infect you with bad diseases like Dengue and Chikungunya Fever. Both viruses are transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, which have black and white stripes markings. The National Park Service has actually just issued a warning about Chikungunya outbreak in the Caribbean.  In Makonde (African language), chikungunya means “that which  bends”, referring to stooped appearance of patients in severe pain.

Signs and symptoms of Chikungunya

  • Symptoms usually begin 3-7 days (range: 1-12 days) after being bitten by an infected mosquito
  •  Up to 25% of people infected with CHIKV do not have any symptoms
  • The most common symptoms are high fever (≥102°F) and severe joint pain
  •  Joint pain is usually symmetric and occurs often in hands and feet

The best protection against that is to avoid getting bitten. Use bug spray when you are out but in your villa mosquitos are annoying, too and sometimes you will get bitten right after leaving the shower or pool for example.

There is a very simple, non-chemical solution to get rid of mosquitos in your villa and on your terrace. First, eliminate all sources of standing water like buckets, dripping faucets, as this is where they bread. Then build a trap as described in the video below. It’s really easy, simple and cheap. Bear with the guy, the outcome is worth it….

mosquito trap

Mosquito Trap – you will need

  • plastic water bottle
  • black tape (black is supposed to attract mosquitos, should work better than the brown in the video)
  • 1 g yeast
  • 50 g brown sugar

Got bitten already?

Here is my remedy, which I invented when stuck on Jost van Dyke with lots of bites and no anti-itch cream. Burn a lighter for a few seconds until it is slightly above 100°F/38°C and press it on the bite (ideally right after you got bit). The poison that causes the itch is a protein