Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - At this time of year, there is an abundance of conversation and concern regarding mosquitoes from people living in and around Puerto Vallarta.

Some of us are just too delicious for our own good. We have a friend who has tried everything under the sun (and from the pharmacy counter) but the only solution for her is to sit in front of a blasting fan, and the moskies still seem to find her. She realizes that keeping mosquitoes at bay is very important, as their bite can be more than slightly irritating and potentially detrimental to one's health. Dengue is not something we want to contract, whether on vacation or as a full or part-time resident, no matter how lovely the local hospitals seem.

Some find that routine Vitamin B injections work to repel insects, while others claim that garlic applied to the skin is an assured repellent. Neither have any factual or scientific basis, nor does the practice of eating bananas to keep the little biting buggers away. There is actually an argument about whether banana consumption is a deterrent or an attraction! You're resigned to doing your own research on fruits and herbs, even though it's not comforting to know one is providing constant blood transfusions to creatures that promise to buzz in one's ear all night like a mini chainsaw.

Locals are known in the summer months to lather their bodies in an olive oil, garlic, lemon and coconut oil mixture, which is thought to suffocate, or simply drown, the insects.

We recommend Baygon plug-ins and raidolitos, the spiraling incense, both available in supermarkets and drugstores. They are proven repellents and though they contain a certain amount of chemicals, they are the most effective. After decades of experimenting with a variety of natural products, we have capitulated to using the more costly, yet effective, solutions.

It's highly recommended that visitors spray ankles when venturing to the beach for sunset vistas. It's a particularly opportunistic time for feasting in the blood sucking realm. There are many brands and varieties, with and without DEET, and once again, we are inclined to use the strongest repellant offered and recommend whatever the locals buy over the counter, Autan in the lotion application being our favorite.

We're luckier here in Puerto Vallarta than neighbors further up the coast. In San Blas, for example, the jejéne is quite famous. Also referred to as a no-see-um, they do exist in Puerto Vallarta but not in the abundance as northern regions. There is a prevailing legend regarding the torture of captured prisoners. In an effort to obtain a confession, suspects were stripped naked and staked on the beach at sunset. It wasn't long before the begging for mercy began and desired confession was achieved.