We had a huge problem with mosquitoes in Lyon. A friend of the landlady told us about a device that looked very much like one of those plug-in deodorizers. I poo-pooed it but figured I had nothing to lose by trying it (since it was provided by the landlady) and was astonished to find that it works very effectively. I don't know how it works, but it actually kills the mosquitoes that are inside and prevents more from coming in. I'm sure you can get them at BHV. Of course, none of that explains why the French feel that screens deprive them of fresh air.

Ugh. We are starting to get les bêtes des orages. Nasty little buggers!

1) Why would we have screens when there are mosquitoes for hardly more than 2 months (summer time)?

2) How do you close your shutters if you have screens on your windows?

3) There are a lot of very efficient anti-bugs products (like the one you plug-in) that you can buy at hardware stores or the supermarket ...

@Isabelle - are you also worried about the deadly courant d'air??

1) Because it's nice NOT to get mosquito bites or those nasty fat flies that buzz around your room and land on your food... EW! (more than 2 months of the year mind you...)

2) There are screens that have an opening where the handle of a shutter would be. Or most people have those electronic shutters these days, or just curtains? Not sure what the obsession is with shutters anyways, our old appt didn't come with any.

3) Why use a chemical product when you could use a screen that doesn't vaporize something icky (if it's not good for bugs it probably isn't very good for humans either..) into the air.

I can't wait to have screens on all the windows and a screen door.

I remember the first time I learned there were scorpions in the south of France. I nearly had a heart attack. Scorpions freak me out!

@Karina:
Doon't worry for me, I'm not at all worried about deadly courants d'air!
I live right outside Paris, and when it's hot like it's been for the past days, I open my windows in mornings and evenings when it's cooler to let some fresh air in. Then, when it's becoming warmer, I shut the shutters to prevent the heat from coming inside. And, no, it's not dark inside my apartment!!

The plug-in product I use to prevent mosquitoes from getting in is made of natural essences from plants.

There are so many cultural reasons why we don't have screens in France: like some people hang their drying clothes outside of their windows, or when you make your bed, you shake off your sheets outside the window, or some people have plants in pots on the windowsill etc. etc.
France having so many different types and sizes of windows according to the age of the building you live in, I wonder how much it would cost to get some customed screens anyway...

When I was a kid, screens and stuff were rare over here as well.

But on to better things. The ending of the VAT on meals in restaurants. Go out an celebrate!

OH! speaking of the ending of the VAT tax on meals - i just read an article yesterday where one of the restauranteurs was saying some of his fellow restauranteurs had just hiked up the prices of their menus to compensate for the coming reduction!

SCANDAL!