Read the Instructions

Ok, I’ll be honest, this story isn’t as exciting as the title alludes to. However, by reading the instructional pamphlet that came with my mosquito net, I was able to set my mind at ease about something else: bedbugs.

The mattresses here … well, let’s just say they’re definitely not like my bed in Calgary. I’m sure the sheets in the guesthouse were washed before I came to sleep on them, but not with my favorite, Ultra Tide with Bleach, on extra hot. When I was tidying up my mess, I decided to read the pamphlet before just throwing it out. To be honest, since the title was “Travel choices to Prevent Malaria” (this was the capitalization pattern … a little weird, but I guess it works), it did seem a little more exciting than “How to Use Your Mosquito Net”.

Anyway … to summarize:

“Pyrethroid insecticides, originally obtained from chrysanthemum blooms, are biodegradable and relatively benign to humans. However, they are extremely toxic to the Anophleles mosquito […] And since pyrethroids kill a wide variety of insects other than mosquitoes – including bedbugs and cockroaches – wrapping your pillow or mattress with a treated net in the evening before you sleep can greatly reduce the number of unwanted creatures sharing your bed.”

I have a couple of questions regarding this, and would appreciate it if someone could send me some research. I should be focusing my internet time on more valuable things, but still have questions …

1) “relatively benign to humans” ? – ok, I’ve swam in Lake Ontario more than once, so my future children might already be jeopardized, but I would like to know more about the potential side effects. Don’t worry, I’ll still use my net, just want to be aware of the risks.

2) How are synthetic pyrethroids different from the once natural ones?

3) How big are the Anopheles mosquito? The mosquitoes I’ve seen are small, and I’m convinced they could fit through the screen if they tried. That said, however, I saw them in the day, and the Anopheles are mostly active between dusk and dawn, and also, mosquitoes are pretty lazy, and not like mice or bats who try to fit through small holes intentionally.

And, thinking towards the future, the pamphlet says:

“The nets should be renewed with insecticide after six months. Unfortunately, while Canadian regulations allow the sales of treated nets, they ban distribution of pyrethroid solutions [still really want to know what this does to my human cells!]. The best idea is to find someone who needs a net in the country you’re visiting and hand yours over to them when you head home.”

On second thought, I think I’ll take mine to the EWB house in Toronto and use it to kill the potential bedbugs there when I’m back in December.

(left) Pretending to be a mosquito while setting up the net. Probably not the best thing to be doing if I’m questioning pyrethoids so much.

         (below) My Calgary bed. I’m trying to not miss it too much, but look forward to being reunited in December.

        

(right) My bed in the EWB house. It’s the bunk on the bottom right. There were four sets of bunks in this room. Fun times!