Some folks will hate me saying this (they think I exaggerate how nice our life is in Brittany) - but is this really a problem?
Yes we get the odd wasp, hornet, etc - but I think I’ve finally persuaded my kids to just ignore them, and they go away.
I was in Nantes all day yesterday - the historic capital of Brittany and still very Breton, though outside of the current political region - we had lunch outside, and I sat for a long time in the afternoon outside a bar (waiting for my son). Yes there was the odd insect - but really no problem at all.
And hasn’t it been quite remarkable over this ridiculously hot summer that there were actually less insects about? - fewer flies especially, I think. Worrying really, I guess.
3 Likes
Not here in the SW, more Asian Hornets than the previous 6 years, more flies this year than ever before and of course the delightful Mozzies. Making for an unpleasant experience sitting outside during the day and early evening and into the night, everyone looking like they are break dancing and applauding when they catch something. Maybe less of a problem nearer the sea, someone will know.
I worked in Hot countries around the world and expect to be bothered by them.
The coffee burning, is it instant or coffee dregs?
1 Like
We have several pots of mint on our terrace to discourage mozzies.
Seems to work.
2 Likes
Just normal ground coffee works fine. We use Carrefour’s own brand stuff because it’s very cheap (approx €1) and we don’t drink coffee.
2 Likes
You must have chosen a very special place to live,and even one insect can be an issue if you have the misfortune to be allergic to them
Are we talking instant coffee granules or ground coffee beans ?. It sounds intriguing whichever. For mozzies, I’ve been told that a fan blowing across you works as they can’t fly properly in even a small breeze. A friend in Spain has a covered outdoor space with a ceiling mounted fan, and I’ve never been bitten when sitting there.
Edit: I see the instant/ground question has already been answered.
1 Like
Often it is less of a problem on the coast because of frequent sea breezes keeping them away.
Yes it does. On very hot days we had one of the floor standing fans that rotate at the end of the table and that worked for us.
Oh that’s interesting. I’ll give that a try next year 
Good grief, Sue! So that’s fans, citronella coils under the table, candles on top, full biohazard clothing, sacrificial insect traps and water poisoned with copper.
I’m surprised you don’t go the whole hog and paint a pentacle around your outdoor dining area!
3 Likes
You obviously don’t have a problem, either with insects or/and reacting when you do get bitten, if you did you would be more sympathetic
It’s alright @Lizzie1 , that is @_Brian being sympathetic. 
Have you found a pentacle works Brian? If so, I’ll try it.
In all seriousness, this year has been exceptional in terms of the sheer number of mosquitoes. We’re not normally quite so obsessed by it all. OH usually relies on the fact that they prefer me to him but even he was being bitten this year.
We have a lovely veranda with a lovely view and we want to use it as much as possible. Mind you there were times this summer we retreated indoors because of the heat as much as anything - but then still had fans and citronella coils in the kitchen. They hide below the worktop and go for the ankles.
I have a mosquito around my desk as I type this - already been bitten twice this morning.
I’ve tried a fly swat but that just bats it out the way. I watched a friend successfully use one of those battery powered racquets to gather up a couple in her kitchen. I’ve got one of those in our gite - must bring it up to the house. 
It’s a biocide. During my time at the yottie end of the marine business, antifouling paints containing copper - ie all the ones that worked well - were banned. The a/f paint containing copper at molecular level leaches away over a season to reveal fresh a/f. Barnacles, limpets and weed would not take up residence on such a surface.
Vast great megaships were permitted to use it, by the tonne. I s’pose the thinking was that small craft spend most of the time in shallow waters where most marine life live, esp the ones like mussels and oysters, gambas and squids.
I can’t remember now what the ingredient was that replaced copper but whatever it was, they made it work and it was satifactorily non-toxic.
So maybe waterbutts painted with marine antifouling would be A Good Thing.
Not 'arf! The best anti mozzie trick is A/C. Get the room cold enough and they don’t fly. On location in Brazil, the A/C for each room was controlled from the front desk, to prevent people leaving it on all day while they were out.
Coming back from a 10 hour day’s shoot in 40C+ Brazilian summer, we would call out our room number and ‘aire acondicionado, y dos caiparinhas obrigado!’ as we staggered in.
This kept the mozzies pinned to the wall - the ones I hadn’t flattened before turning in - until the nightly power dump in the small hours. A/C off, warmed up, they took off on their blood-sucking raids, going particularly for ankles.
It was ideal mozzie country - salt water creeks and inlets, fresh water pools and streams.
Me and my boss got what we called ‘big foot’. The medics on the shoot - one Dr, two nurses for 30 small children slurping Fanta on the beach, plus 30 mums - diagnosed mozzie bite poisoning. It was so bad we could not get our boots on.
2 Likes
Very effective - especially when combined with stabbing them through the heart with a wooden dagger or shooting with a silver bullet 
(in case anyone should misinterpret 
)
3 Likes
I do actually, with a rather severe allergy to specific species…
1 Like
In that case I apologise
2 Likes
Re insects indoors…
put mesh at all the windows… keep doors shut when not in use.
We did have mesh “whatevers” in the doorways too, but they just got in the way, so we trained ourselves to open/close instead…
sitting/eating outside:
cover standing water
eat on the far side, away from the birdtable (another lesson learned)
don’t have sweet/insect-attracting food outdoors any longer than necessary…
don’t flap at bees, frelons, wasps… whatever
place a wasp/frelon/fly trap on the far side… to lure the horrors in that direction and well away from the table
(trap=glass thingy with small hole entrance and some sweet “lure” inside)
1 Like
Lidl sells those insect zappers usually in one or sometimes 2 different weeks a year - 1 battery type and 1 or 2 electric shapes.