travel tips ► MOSQUITOES

St. Petersburg and many other Russian cities are infested with mosquitoes during the summer. They don't bother you much during the day and never when you are in the sun but in the shade and at night, watch out! It is especially a problem when you lay down to go to sleep. 1 minute after you turn the lights off you start to hear buzzing sounds in your ears and very soon, you become very itchy. The best way to fight these nasty little Russian beasts is to wear mosquito repellent in the evenings, especially if you are in the country, and to use a funny little piece of equipment called a fumigator at night in your bedroom. The fumigator is a small plastic contraption that is plugged into an electrical outlet in the room where you want to get rid of the mosquitoes. Close the windows in the room, put a small tablet into the fumigator, turn off the lights and wait for about 2 hours. There should be no mosquitoes left! They are all dead! Poisoned by your fumigator! Hurrah! Supposedly, the poison released by the fumigator is safe for humans so you shouldn't have much to worry about. Even after the bugs are dead, keep the fumigator plugged in all night, although you may want to open your window a bit because it can get quite hot and stuffy in the summer. 1 tablet per day should do. There are also fumigators that work with a type of liquid that is good for an entire month. Fumigators are often sold in department stores and on the streets. They cost only about 80 roubles and are well worth the investment.