Last week brought the first mosquito bite of the season. Last week also brought the beginning of the yearly vitamin B1 supplements. I don’t know if this has been proven in the lab but an extended stay in the Florida Everglades in the early 80s was proof enough for me.

I had heard of the 100mg/day of B1 for mosquitos from an ex’s mother several years prior to the Everglades trip. While working on their farm she explained how taking B1 helped keep the mosquitos at bay. I wished I had known this the previous year while staying on the DelMarVa peninsula in a tent. It wasn’t uncommon to have 100 bites at any one time. I really don’t like the chemical repellant sprays so the vitamin regimen sounded like something worth trying at the time.

About a year later I found myself back in the swamp, this time in the Everglades. I was there with three others, one took the B1 and the other two didn’t. Needless to say the two that opted out of the B1 were miserable. Neither of us taking the B1 seemed to experience any more than a couple of bites and those didn’t bring about the itching that was normally experienced.

B1 is now a vital part of my summer. Its hard to enjoy the garden when busily fighting off the hordes of mosquitos that would drain me dry if allowed. I don’t know of any problems with taking the supplement but like anything else anyone wanting to give this a try should talk with their doctor and make sure they are safe doing so. Enjoy the summer..