No see ums - bit to hell in the USVI

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fookisan

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Was bit to hell on a recent trip to USVI and BVI. Caught one bug on me and it looked like a small nat, but never saw the rest of the crew. Was told they are called "no see ums." What is the best bug protection to use beforehand? Does deet work? Also, what works to relive the itch if bitten. Do the bugs operate at night or anytime?

Thanks,

Dan
 
No see ums, common also in South Florida are most active at dawn and dusk. Using bug repellent works. One you get them, I use Benedryl lotion to stop the itch.
Good luck!
 
I was just in the BVI, currently in San Juan airport waiting on the way home. I got bit alot too. Then I found that if I wore Bath and Body Works lotion the bugs left me alone. The DEET worked ok, but the lotion worked best. Guess the bugs don't want to smell good.
 
The bites are like chigger bites and they itch to no end and the best feeling in he world is in a hot shower and scratch the hell out of them till the water turns red thats when you know you have to stop scratching. To relieive the itch take a hot epsium salt bath or i go diving and let the slat water just do its magic on the bites. Off works ok and any deet product will work but keep spraying your self every hour and a half to two hours not four to six liek the can states. never tried the b&bw smelly stuff
 
goodknight411:
I was just in the BVI, currently in San Juan airport waiting on the way home. I got bit alot too. Then I found that if I wore Bath and Body Works lotion the bugs left me alone. The DEET worked ok, but the lotion worked best. Guess the bugs don't want to smell good.



Any special fragrance work best?

Dan
 
The Midnight-blooming Jasmine was the one I used that worked the best and Coconut Lime Verbena worked OK. I used the one in the tube, not the bottle, also. I think the difference is that it has shea butter, but I can't recall the name off the top of my head.
 
I spent a week at the ill-fated (and now defunct) Bayman Bay Club, Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras. The resort hadn't yet succumbed to the horror-story conditions that were written about later in Undercurrent and was actually quite lovely. However, I was eaten alive by the dread no see ums. There was hardly a moment that I wasn't scratching (resisting was *not* an option). I'd heard about their existance in advance and came well armed with deet, "Skin-So-Soft" (the fabled Avon product) and something called Cactus Juice. None of the three seemed to have much affect, though the Cactus Juice seemed the best of the lot.

As Scuba Jenny said, we do have them here in South Florida as well and they can ruin an 'al fresco' evening. As seems to be the case with mosquitos, I think each person's body chemistry determines their attractiveness to the little beasts.

By the way, goodnight411, we share a birth date (happy belated!)

Best Regards,
 
fookisan:
Was bit to hell on a recent trip to USVI and BVI. Caught one bug on me and it looked like a small nat, but never saw the rest of the crew. Was told they are called "no see ums." What is the best bug protection to use beforehand? Does deet work? Also, what works to relive the itch if bitten. Do the bugs operate at night or anytime?

Thanks,

Dan

The higher the concentration of deet in the product, the better it will work. The best place to find these products is usually the camping section of places like Walmart, Sports Authority, et. al. The pump bottles of whichever deet concoction you pick usually work out to be not only the best value, but also are good for not wasting the product.

If you do get bit, antihistamines and hydrocortizone cream will help. Also, contrary to folk lore, a COOL shower helps take down the itch & swelling.

Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional, don't play one on TV and rarely stay at a Holiday Inn Express. :wink:
 
Avon skin so soft is also an alternative. They have the lotion and they now actually have a bug spray. My hubby gets eaten alive and this works for him. It also works for those small little ant things that always seem to hang out at beach bars and crawl over your feet. (They sell it on the side of the road in Alaska to keep away mosquitos the size of small children and no seeums) Also, I always bring along dryer sheets. Supposedly you can carry one with you or rub it on your legs/arms and the buggys don't like it. It has worked for us. I usually also take one of those small things of deet along as well. I figure if plan A doesn't work go on to plan B. Better to be prepared than to let the pesky things 'bug' you on vacation.
 
In a pinch, Gin (as in Gin and Tonic) works fairly well at keeping them away, but has to be reapplied fairly often. Nice to know if you are getting eaten alive while sitting at a bar, which is fairly common down here.
 

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