When and where do sandflies attack?

[kimanjo]

I'm a bit confused. From what I'm reading, it seems the sandflies are out to getcha at all hours, day and night, land and sea.

I'm reading about divers wearing DEET to the reef...what the heck--are there sandflies on the boats? Are they at the dock? Do they come out in the middle of the day?

Honestly, I thought sandflies hung out in the sand, and during dawn and dusk...

Are we talking about the no see 'ems that fly around in the dark? We have them where I live in Floirida (not on the beach), and they are always biting my legs at dusk when I sit outside by the pool in my screened lanai. But I know therse are not sandflies (or what we called sandfleas in Key West). The no see 'ems are also called blackflies in other, woodsey places.

Are these two different types of bugs?

And do you get bitten sitting around in a bar or at a cafe at night? Wouldn't it be easier to wear a pair of long, baggy cotton/gauze pants and spray the bejesus out of them? (I suppose you'd have to do something to your feet, though....

So from what I can gather from all this written advice, different parts of the body require different chemicals at different times of the day/night in different settings...

Also, how much of this stuff can I carry with me when I fly? Will it get stolen out of my checked luggage (it did when I was in the Amazon)? Should I just ship it in advance via UPS to where I'll be staying?

 

[Doc]

would help, this is not the first time someone has been bitten by the bug to ask!

You're going to ship something to Roatan via UPS? I don't think that will work out all that well. Have yet to see a Brown truck there.

The bug spray "that got stolen out of your checked luggage in South America" was a cause of their TSA's peculiarly aggressive stance aganst inflammable aerosol sprays in your checked luggage. You just can't do it.

Inbound from the US, it should make no difference. Your chemicals should arrive intact.

You are about to receive all sorts of advice in regards to the positive experiences visitors have had using Skin-So-Soft, Cactus Juice and Hart's Flea Collars. Some prefer cloves of garlic and horsehair wristlets.

Until you get immune to their bites, I recommend liberal applications of DEET. Immunity can develop for most after 3 weeks, some folks just arrive with it.

The % of DEET only dictates one thing- how long it will theoretically stay on your body before it gets sweated or rubbed off. Nothing more than that.

Does it hurt the reef? There has never been any actual scientific study presented to uphold that claim. Many green tree huggers (as well as us size 14w Carbon Footprint Types) dutifully shower-off the chemicals before jumping on the boat for diving, but most such showers drain directly into the Ocean, so don't kid yourself.

Some boats that are 100% fiberglass covered and utilize only synthetic lines are Sand Fly Free Zones. Other boats have exposed wood, which again- Sand Flies just love moist wood... and those natural fiber lines (ropes) are a real haven. Some boats are real feeding troughs for the little buggers.

Prime biting time is around Sunrise and between the hours of 4:30>6:30 p.m.

Stay away from moist intertidal wash zones. They thrive in decaying vegetable matter, and this includes everything from dead leaves and sticks, dropped specks of human/dog food, to any wooden building and decks. Again, you are about to hear all sorts of alternate theories on that, but I offer you plain scientific fact.

Why they don't just suck your blood and quietly leave (well, actually- they are pretty sneaky) , instead of creating those time-bombs of itch, I'll never know. How does that work well for nature?

Some folks get 1/2" reddish circles that quickly fade. Others can get lumps the size of walnuts that stay for days if untreated. The effect does not seem to be consistent from visit to visit over the years.

If you do get popped, Benadryl lotion and/or pills work well. Wallmart sells the cheaper "Equate" brand. Otherwise, the insane itching usually appears (at least in my case) on the ankles at 04:30 in the morning. Delightful. These flare-ups can continue long after your return to your own home.

On Roatan, because of the geographical shape of the place; because of the winds and Sun exposure, Sand Fly exposure on the South is radically different than what one might experience anywhere else on the Island that is less breezy, more moist, or more shaded.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

Ditto to what Doc sez.....they don't bother me too much....but I do use Cactus Juice and or Cutters Advanced when I first arrive...they love fresh meat

No-see-um.....sand fly....sand flea....I think they are all the same animal...you can't really see them but you can feel the bite more of an annoyance than pain....probably cousins of what you have in Florida....

Wearing long pants in the evening can help...if you stay on the windward side of the island (south) the breezes keep them at bay for the most part except as Doc pointed out early morning...I usually pack the "stuff" in my dive bag and a small 1 oz bottle in my carryon to use when I get off the plane in Roatan....

have a great trip

 

[mrlipis]

While I used to use deet (hate the feel and smell) I started using cactus juice and have had very positive results. Not only does it feel and smell good it does have some UV protection. I believe everyone is going to react different to different products. I will be going down next week and I am taking a new product I bought from Mexitan. Scataddle or some dumb name like that. It seems to have the same citrus smell as cactus juice but it is 100% natural. We will see how it works.

 

[robint]

yes..... sand fleas......worst in sandy areas, on docks, around woods outdoors. Didn't have any issues in our room or on the boat.
We used Cactus Juice and when we remembered to use it, didn't get any bites. The one time my hubby forgot (he took off his wetsuit and ran to restroom on the dock, just a few minutes with salty skin...) he got more than a dozen bites on his back! But it was very rainy when we were there in Nov so we were told that they were particularly bad.
It wasn't enough to discourage us from going back to Roatan. It was the only negative we found, and once you get used to using the spray it was no big deal.

 

[kimanjo]

yes..... sand fleas......worst in sandy areas, on docks, around woods outdoors. Didn't have any issues in our room or on the boat.

...The one time my hubby forgot (he took off his wetsuit and ran to restroom on the dock, just a few minutes with salty skin...) he got more than a dozen bites on his back! But it was very rainy when we were there in Nov so we were told that they were particularly bad.

Good to know the sandfleas/flies/noseeums were not in your room. That's one of my concerns--and about mosquitoes, how did you all sleep if you didn't have A/C? Do most rooms have mosquito nets? I'm bringing my own (we'll be in the jungle for 10 days prior to the Bay Islands) so I'm wondering, do most rooms have a hook on the ceiling to hang your own net?

I DID Search the forums and found a variety of opinions on the bug repellants, so I know the bottom line is trial and error. But nobody seemed to go into detail about the geographics of the bugs...I mean, are they so bad that you can't sit down in a cafe at night without being attacked? Is every bar and restaurant permeated by the smell of DEET after dark?

And the south of the island, are you talking the West End and/or West Bay? Or Oak ridge and Coxen Hole?

About shipping the spray, I've decided to mail it USPS insured to Costa Rica(a bit more reliable than Honduras) and I'll carry a back-up of pump-stuff with me in the luggage. {Why I am so concerned is that in the Andes my daughter was bitten on the foot by blackflies and developed leishmaniasis months later}

 

[parrotheaddiver]

I guess it will depend on where you are staying if they have "a hook" for mosquito netting...where I stay CoCo View they have a/c but also have the option to sleep with open windows but they have screens....I have never seen that many mosquitos there but the resort is a bit off the main island...I am not sure that has anything to do with it...the resort across the channel sprays daily.....



Roatanet.com-Roatan Maps, Mainland, Roatan, Utila, Guanaja, Bay Islands and Country Maps.

south side of Roatan faces SSE and West End faces WNW the island does not sit at a true NSEW.. it sits cockeyed

Doc can 'splain it better...or at least with more words

 

[Doc]

Most places do have screens.

In that you are asking about not having A/C, It would mean that you are not staying at FIBR, CCV, or RHR- the existing accomodations along the "South Side". There are many smaller guest houses along the west End, as well as AI resorts in West Bay and the Northwest/North side. (AKR, IoLR, BIBR, etc). Even many of the guest houses have A/C is it can get a little humid and still on the lee side.

As to what your particular accommodation will have as far as ceiling hooks, you might want to try checking with them or inquiring on the board as to whether specific places have what. A quick fix for hanging a mosquito net (also known as a Mosquito Bar) without pre-installed hooks? Either bring your own hooks (I do when I am in a necessary environment) or bring 100' of 1.5mm Perlon line. You can pretty well string anything from the rafters or window frames with that.

...but the resort is a bit off the main island...I am not sure that has anything to do with it

Your used to standing on a flat sandy 10 acre key that has no standing water. The vegetation is cut back and raked up daily. In that the 5~10 mph breeze is pretty constant ESE, and you're on the first bit of land that wind hits, yep- it has everything to do with it.

 

[diversteve]

Good to know the sandfleas/flies/noseeums were not in your room. That's one of my concerns--and about mosquitoes, how did you all sleep if you didn't have A/C? Do most rooms have mosquito nets? I'm bringing my own (we'll be in the jungle for 10 days prior to the Bay Islands) so I'm wondering, do most rooms have a hook on the ceiling to hang your own net?

I DID Search the forums and found a variety of opinions on the bug repellants, so I know the bottom line is trial and error. But nobody seemed to go into detail about the geographics of the bugs...I mean, are they so bad that you can't sit down in a cafe at night without being attacked? Is every bar and restaurant permeated by the smell of DEET after dark?

And the south of the island, are you talking the West End and/or West Bay? Or Oak ridge and Coxen Hole?

About shipping the spray, I've decided to mail it USPS insured to Costa Rica(a bit more reliable than Honduras) and I'll carry a back-up of pump-stuff with me in the luggage. {Why I am so concerned is that in the Andes my daughter was bitten on the foot by blackflies and developed leishmaniasis months later}

West End/West Bay are on the North side of the island. Coxen Hole, Dizon Cove are to the south. I spent a bug-free morning at Barefoot Cay and walked around Coxen Hole at lunch - I even ate in an area where there had been a dock at one time - bug free, but that was all my experience in that area. I'm typically a bug-attractant for some reason.

We spent a week in the West End. Had a house with big decks 100' from the water. Even had an outdoor dining table. Every night from about 5PM to dusk, the flies were out - you could see them in the fading light. And a few mosquitos. Outdoor ceiling fans helped quite a bit but you wouldn't want to sit out there w/o Deet (I used Deep Woods Off - I think it's about 20$ deet) Leaving the outdoor lights on/off make much difference.

We never had a problem on the boat, but it was fiberglass with no ropes on the back. I never even applied Deet until after our afternoon dives. One night I forgot and later regretted it, there must've been a swarm of something living under the tablecloth. But overall, I came home with under a dozen bites. I also walked around/swam on Half Moon Bay beach one afternoon with no bites. A local told me West Bay can be worse.

Walking back and forth during the day, I don't think I was bitten even once. Some friends stayed in town, they brought nets and hung them. I never asked if they needed to. We never had critters in the house afaik - although maybe the 3-4 Gecko's were doing their job. And I was upstairs so there was a good breeze part of the time. I never left the doors open as the A/C was on all the time. But the house did have the option to completely open one wall of the house in both the bedroom and living room so someone must be doing it. fwiw, we were there in May.

 

[leadweight]

In the winter, mainly morning and evening. In the summer, all fracking day long. Best advice is use deet and do not scratch. In 15 minutes the itch will go away.