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As an adjunct to the advice on repellents, one of the best pieces of advice
is to walk around your property and ensure there are no sources of free-standing
water in which they are breeding. Typical sources in the garden can be buckets
left outdoors, empty flower pots, bird baths, ponds, uncovered water tanks, blocked
roof guttering and so on.
Without the water, they can't breed and something as simple as emptying an old
used paint tin that has been sitting outside and has filled with rain water acts as
what WHO refers to as a source reduction vector control.
Taking a cold shower before you go out observing can also help.
Avoid dark coloured clothing and wear either white or light coloured long sleeves
and trousers.
If using repellents containing DEET, be mindful that it is an effective solvent
and can damage rubber, some plastics and synthetics. For example, if
you have it on your fingertips it will readily transform the rubber eye-cap
around the eyepiece into gray sticky goop, melt away the keycaps on
a keyboard or leave permanent melted finger indentations on a plastic
camera body.
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