Skeeters, noseeums and me
 

Our family is revving up for our first trip to STJ. One week from today we will all be face down in the water (snorkeling). Some questions about "bugs": (1) how bad are they at this time of year? (2) what repellants have you had success with (DEET v. non-DEET)? What practical advice can you offer in making this trip less itchy?

Thanks!

I've never had a problem with bugs when I religiously spray with Off! brand liquid bug spray with DEET. I make sure to pay extra attention to lower legs, ankles & feet and I spray some on my hands and then rub my hands over my ears & neck and around my hairline.

I also take with me an Itch Stick/After Bite stick with ammonia in it to alleviate itching for those times I wasn't as thorough with the Off! as I should have been.

I always use Off! and I never really get bit, like EJ I do get one of those bite sticks (after bite) for if I do get any. :)

A couple of suggestions: Take Vitamin B6 and B12 supplements daily before you go. I also find the best repellent is peppermint oil. If you can get some pure peppermint oil, dilute with water and spray on (watch the eyes though), it helps where nothing else does.

i live in maine where the black fly is the state bird. it's Deet or nothing.

I am a bug buffet, and after two days on STJ, I was quite colorful with my fascinating array of bites.

DEET, in as high a concentrate as legal, is the only remedy.

It's Cutter or Deep Woods Off! for me.

I sympathize with you all regarding No SEE UMS. I went crazy in southern Abaco, in the Palmetto and Pine forests along the sandy beaches. I slept on the ground, hunting feral cats which were exterminating a remnant parrot colony. Here's some tips we learned the hard way. There thousands of different species of biting midges and their on every rock in the Caribbean. They breed and mature quickly from egg to adult in less than 6 weeks. The females search for blood around dawn and dusk, so hit the beach later if a hatching is occurring. Yes, you'll have to forget beating the early people for the lounge chairs (Let them suffer). they're small enough to pass through tent mesh or a window screen, so spray the screen with DEET at dusk. Unfortunately, No See Um larva don't swim in water like mosquito larva do, so control can't be done with area spraying. They breed in localized areas, and it's hit and miss. We would hike through the Abaco forests for a hundred feet and get eaten alive by them, then they suddenly disappear the rest of the jaunt. They inject saliva into the skin, which causes blood to pool just under the skin surface. Swelling and itching can last for a week. Hint: Light attracts them, so either close the windows at night and put on the A/C, or spray the screens with DEET. Even if you do that, they will come under the door crack at night if the lights are on. The Bahamians swear that Skin-So-Soft works better than DEET. The females need protein-rich blood so their eggs can develop and they mostly feed and dawn or dusk. We reduced the number of bites substantially by tucking our pants inside our socks, and sprayed our clothes with DEET. Then again, why spray DEET on your skin, which is absorbed. I heard some swear by catnip repellent, which evaporates from your skin and doesn't soak in. But, you have to apply it more frequently because it evaporates (Better than being absorbed into your skin). So, tuck the pant legs into the socks, avoid them at their highest density at dawn or dusk, spray your window screens with DEET, try catnip repellant, spray your clothes as well as your skin, and I don't know what to say about the light at night that attracts them...go to bed early? At any rate, No-See-Ums will be around for quite a while. Robert59

Take a Super B, daily, for 6 weeks minimum prior and during your trip. Also make sure you are protected with a good DEET repellant during the dusk hours and you should be A-OK.

Great suggestions everyone (from another person who attacts bugs like a magnet)! I'm curious about the sugggestion to take Vitamin B. How does that help prevent bites?

The one time I got completely devastated by no-see-ums was at dusk, in the parking area of Francis Bay beach. We hadn't remembered to put on bug spray, I'd just finished putting my daughter into her car seat, while walking around to the driver side, they swarmed me and I was miserable for a good month because I really beat up my skin from scratching and re-scratching and really killing my skin. Uuggh! Be very conscientious about bringing a supply of high DEET spray with you everywhere. You can try the other stuff, but if it doesn't work, you can fall back on ol' reliable. Also, bugs are worst in shady areas and at dawn/dusk and anytime it's dark. Be prepared at all times, and you'll be fine.

Tuxedocat; A similar experience happened to us when walking along a paved highway with sand berm in Nassau. It was about 14 years ago, and we were walking back to the British Colonial Hotel along the road when they swarmed up our legs. Wasn't quite as bad as your experience, but I remember the itching and laying in bed staring at the ceiling all night long, with my leg itching constantly. Robert59

The B vitamins tend to build up an immunity to some insects like mosquitos. It's made a big difference for me.

Thanks, Bosoco! I'll definitely try that on my next trip.

Here's a helpful site to learn about repelling mosquitoes:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN419

Robert59

I've been wondering about bug problems in the hotels with rooms that have open-air walls, like the new Jade Mountain at Anse Chastanet. Anyone have experience with that?
I'm going first week in March.

Vera

Johnson & Johnson has out a good baby critter repellant which works really well (and smells good too). Look in the baby dept at the supermarket/drug store. Also, wearing long sleeves and long pants gives less area for biting, and at this time of year the evenings are defintely cool enough to warrant sleeves, and if you wear natural fabrics like cotton and linen it won't be too hot.

Just got back from another vacation in the Virgin Islands. I get bites everytime. I am allergic to the no-see-um bites and have tried everything not to get bit. Part of the problem is that my bites last for up to 4 months.

I read that they are attracted to some peoples sweat more than others. I got about 45 bites this time and had to go to the doctor and go on predisone.

Well I took Vit. B1, B12, B6 and B Complex. Used Sawyer Broad Spectrum, 100% deet and took Anthismines for the itch.

They bit me during the heat of the day at the Villa and the beach, at night they came right through the screens and they didn't care that I had Deet on. (I did spray Screens)

Some things that did help was taking Anthismines the itch was not bad. Claritin during the day. Also turning the fan on high. Other than that, don't know what else to do. Have tried Off, Skin so Soft, Deep woods.

Need a warm place to go that I can snorkel and not get bit. Any suggestions, please help.