You could be sitting there reading or watching TV for hours with no problems, but as soon as you go to your room, get into bed and try to fall asleep, you hear it. The high-pitched buzzing start out sounding faint, but gradually gets closer until it’s right in your ear. You swat it away and turn on your lamp, but it’s too late. You’ve been bitten by a smooth mosquito. Here’s how you find the bastard.

Mosquitoes love to feed on some of us more than others. I figure I’m one of the more appetizing humans; I get a lot of bites if I’m not wearing bug spray, and when I was pregnant I got tons. It turns out there are a few reasons why.

Mosquitoes love sugar – so much so that can delay their search for our blood. Now, their sweet tooth may have revealed an important genetic weapon against the spread of mosquito-borne disease.

A Massachusetts woman recently died of eastern equine encephalitis, and health authorities in the area are on the alert. But EEE is an extremely rare disease, and the main thing you need to know is that it’s always a good idea to protect yourself from mosquito bites.

If you want the best protection from mosquitoes, you’ll need to apply repellent over pretty much all your exposed skin. That includes your face.

For decades we’ve been able to buy devices that play noises that are supposed to repel mosquitoes, and for just as many decades they have been completely useless. Now, instead of buying a device, you can now download an app. Guess what? It still won’t work.

There are those of us roaming this Earth with the knowledge that no matter how closely we sit to the citronella candle, no matter what clothing we wear or what time of day we wander outdoors for a bit during the summer, we will get bit by mosquitos through the layer of bug spray we swear we just applied.

When I’m out enjoying nature, it seems a little weird to spray synthetic chemicals all over my body. So I always take a look at the “natural” insect repellents when I’m buying bug spray.

Some are legit, with EPA-registered ingredients that effectively repel bugs while being safe for skin. Others are made of nice-smelling herbs and wishful thinking.

My dad likes to tell a story of a beach holiday my family went on when I was about five years old. We lived in North Carolina and had gotten up super early to drive to the coast, which was about four hours away. As the story goes, my exhausted father looked over at me at some point and thought, "Wow, she's started to get really hairy legs for a five-year-old." When he took a closer look; however, he realised that rather than hair, my legs were actually covered from top to bottom with mosquitoes.

In this week's roundup of health news, we'll look at whether you need to do anything differently about your choice of bread, the place your baby sleeps, and your attitude toward mosquitoes on your holiday.

First one, then another. Bite! Slap! Bite! Before you know it, mosquitoes are descending from the skies to disrupt your backyard summer soiree. How can such a tiny, fragile insect cause so much pain, suffering and annoyance?

[image url="http://edge.alluremedia.com.au/m/l/2016/12/spray.jpg" description="
The best (and worst) ways to beat mosquito bites
December 28, 2016 8.02am AEDT
Insect repellents can keep biting mosquitoes at bay but they’ve got to be used correctly. Dr Cameron Webb (NSW Health Pathology/University of Sydney)), Author provided" align="center" size="xlarge" licence="Supplied" nocrop="true"]

First one, then another. Bite! Slap! Bite! Before you know it, mosquitoes are descending from the skies to disrupt your backyard summer soiree. How can such a tiny, fragile insect cause so much pain, suffering and annoyance?

Mosquitoes aren't just annoying, they can be dangerous. Even so, before you go buying pricey clothing with built-in insect repellent, you might want to consider cheaper, and possibly more effective, options.

Nobody likes mosquitoes, but the mosquitoes sure do love us. Spraying your skin with DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus keeps them at bay, but stores are full of wristbands, candles, clothing, and other products that claim to repel bugs without those nasty "chemicals." Some of them might help, but none are reliable.