Turkey has been growing in popularity in recent years. Be it the ancient ruins, the beautiful sandy beaches or great food, tourists come to Turkey in mass amounts. Bathing suits, sunscreen and hats are all put into the suitcase before departure, but many wonder whether they also have to pack an insect repellent. Will you find mosquitoes in Turkey?
Are there mosquitoes in Turkey?
It may seem like the really high temperatures that Turkey has sometimes should deter mosquitoes. Sadly, the world doesn’t work this way and you have swarms of them practically everywhere. Of course, how big these swarms will be depends on the time and place. It is worth knowing that mosquitoes like warm and standing water, such as puddles formed after rain or after intensive watering. Meaning exactly the conditions commonly found in green areas adjacent to hotel buildings. In summer, it’s unlikely to rain on the Turkish coast, so the hotel staff has to water the plants daily. In the shade, where the sun does not help with the excess water, small puddles can form in which mosquitoes take up residence.
When do mosquitoes feed?
The insects are most active when the temperature drops, which is why we are unlikely to see them during the day. So you can sunbathe on the beach or relax in the shade of trees. Mosquitoes appear in the evening, and can annoy us until morning. The situation is similar in Rhodes and in Crete with mosquitoes.
How do I protect myself from mosquitoes?
Some hotels spray the area with chemicals at night to get rid of the insects. However, the chemical kills all insects, including bees and butterflies. Therefore, some hotel owners have dropped spraying as a solution. The best solution is to close the windows already in the evening and turn on the air conditioning. Mosquitoes, like other insects, fly towards the light, so when we enter a room, we should first close the windows and then turn on the light. Mosquitoes also do not like air movement, hence why they are not found in places where air conditioning is running.
If you can’t tolerate air-conditioning, there are also several ways to deal with mosquitoes. Electrofumigators are available in shops. The device is inserted into a contact, then the electricity generated heats up the insect repellent liquid. The resulting vapour effectively repels the insects. You can also get discs soaked in liquid which burn like incense with much the same effect.
If you go outside in the evening, you can think of some repellents. There are 3 options available: Deet-based, picaridin-based and IR3535. Read the leaflet carefully before use, as not every product is suitable for children or people with sensitive skin.
If you feel uncomfortable using non-natural preparations like that, you can also use essential oils. Effective oils include lavender, tea tree, lemon, eucalyptus, clove, lemongrass or peppermint.
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