Hey friends,
I was out late yesterday n my deck trying to get my first humming bird EVER and was eaten alive by small nat bugs. Not sure if they were no see-ms as they seemed a tad bigger. After the bite you get a small red dot then the next day you are covered in welts that itch like mad and stay for weeks. Please help me find the correct armor from these horrors. I need something strong but without a smell that will scare away all my beautiful photo ops. needless to say I look like I have the measles and I never got that dang hummer. Boo! Thanks
Sounds like chiggers to me Cheryl, especially the part about welts. When I lived in FL I carried Off "family care" (has an orange top) in a pump spray bottle and applied that right before I walked away from the Jeep. They also have a moist towelette with the same ingredients and I always carry those in my backpack to reapply if needed.
The only thing that ever got through that for me was the mossies on the north section of the Osprey Trail on Honeymoon Island, I think they have a race of super mosquitoes there and if you missed spraying even one tiny spot with the insect repellent, they will find it and bite you.
Posted by Alan Olander on April 1, 2010 at 9:09 AM
I assume they were flying insects when you describe them as "nat bugs". Chiggers don't fly. They sound like black flies, but I don't know if you have them in your area.
Posted by Kent Staubus on April 1, 2010 at 9:38 AM
If it's biting flies that's bugging you, the only thing that works is to wear mosquito netting over all bare skin.
Walmart sells a spray you put on clothing only that keeps flies off, called Repel. The sprays containing DEET don't work for flies. You pretty much have to cover all bare skin.
Given your location, I suspect you were a victim of either no see ums or sand gnats, a biting midge. They breed in salt marshes, decaying vegetation, leaves, etc. When the weather turns warm they hatch in droves and take over the world. It is the females that bite, taking a blood meal to nourish her eggs. Unlike a mosquito which pierces the skin, the sand gnat places two anchors into the skin and uses razor sharp teeth to shred the skin and make a hole for a blood pool where she spits an anti-coagulant to prevent the blood from clotting.
Chiggers are the wingless larval phase of some kind of mite (I forget the species). You have to be in contact with them in order to get a very painful infestation.
Cutter Skinsations works well and doesn't stink. It's safe for small children. Avon makes one that is effective and includes SPF 30 sun screen.
sounds like gnats or black flies.
happened to me often... for me they are MUCH worse then mosquitos.
New zealands south island (esp. the west coast) is full of them and I've learned a trick from the kiwis: put some (better lots) baby oil on your skin. their wings get stuck on it and they don't seem to like it. it won't hold them off but it prevents them for landing on you. try it out - it worked for me and its much healthier then the DEET stuff or similars...
ah and wear long and wide sleeves and pants, preferrably white, or at least bright colors. dark cloth attracts them as they can hide on all dark stuff.
best
georg
You have lots of responses regarding possible products to use. Just consider this when using them, DEET and the plastic bits on all of your equipment don't get along together. Do not spray these products around your gear and wash your hands after rubbing it in on your skin and before you handle your equipment.
No-see-ums are the bane of us here in south west Florida. We have a very effective mosquito control program. I carry a spritzer bottle of insect repellent for the no-see-ums in my photo vest. I think the technical term for no-see-ums is biting midges. I've tried every thing, but the only thing that works is DEET. The insect repellent I use is Deep Woods Off. It contains 25% DEET. The DEET is what does the trick. I used to use 100% DEET, but it's not available anymore. The 25% percent stuff seems to work, but sometimes it takes a second application.
I spray it on hair and scalp, socks, and all exposed skin except the palms of my hands. I always wear long sleeve shirts and long pants. As they say, "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun" and idiot photographers were tee shirts and shorts in no-see-um country. I see photographers wearing bee suits, but the DEET does the trick for me. Be careful not to let it touch anything plastic. I've got a flash unit with my fingerprints permanently impressed in it from handling it with DEET on my hands.
We've been experimenting with "bug dope" for almost 40 years Cheryl, and have seen the good, the bad, and the really ugly. While we have very few mosquitoes on Kodiak, we make up for it in biting flies and no-see-ums.
Avoid aerosols at all costs around plastic camera gear and lens coatings. The problem with 100% DEET is that you sweat it off in no time at all, and have to keep applying it. We've had the best luck with waterproof repellents in the 25-30% concentration range. Our pick of the litter is Ultrathon, a 3M product. One application is good for up to 8 hours, even when you are active and sweating.
Another vote for Deep Woods Off....You can't even drive on a refuge here in the summer without it....the bugs fly right along your car waiting for you to stop!
Posted by Marcy Ugstad on April 1, 2010 at 9:48 PM
I take either "Cutter" or "Deep Woods Off" when I'm working in Alaska. Helps with keeping those "747" sized mosquito's from carrying me off! LOL!
Discussion
11 repliesI was out late yesterday n my deck trying to get my first humming bird EVER and was eaten alive by small nat bugs. Not sure if they were no see-ms as they seemed a tad bigger. After the bite you get a small red dot then the next day you are covered in welts that itch like mad and stay for weeks. Please help me find the correct armor from these horrors. I need something strong but without a smell that will scare away all my beautiful photo ops. needless to say I look like I have the measles and I never got that dang hummer. Boo!
The only thing that ever got through that for me was the mossies on the north section of the Osprey Trail on Honeymoon Island, I think they have a race of super mosquitoes there and if you missed spraying even one tiny spot with the insect repellent, they will find it and bite you.
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Outdoor-Research-Bug-Bucket-Hat/ODR0085M.html
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Ex-Officio-Insect-Shield-Halo-Check-Shirt-Long-Sleeve-Womens/EXO0240M.html
Walmart sells a spray you put on clothing only that keeps flies off, called Repel. The sprays containing DEET don't work for flies. You pretty much have to cover all bare skin.
Kent in SD
Chiggers are the wingless larval phase of some kind of mite (I forget the species). You have to be in contact with them in order to get a very painful infestation.
Cutter Skinsations works well and doesn't stink. It's safe for small children. Avon makes one that is effective and includes SPF 30 sun screen.
happened to me often... for me they are MUCH worse then mosquitos.
New zealands south island (esp. the west coast) is full of them and I've learned a trick from the kiwis: put some (better lots) baby oil on your skin. their wings get stuck on it and they don't seem to like it. it won't hold them off but it prevents them for landing on you. try it out - it worked for me and its much healthier then the DEET stuff or similars...
ah and wear long and wide sleeves and pants, preferrably white, or at least bright colors. dark cloth attracts them as they can hide on all dark stuff.
best
georg
No-see-ums are the bane of us here in south west Florida. We have a very effective mosquito control program. I carry a spritzer bottle of insect repellent for the no-see-ums in my photo vest. I think the technical term for no-see-ums is biting midges. I've tried every thing, but the only thing that works is DEET. The insect repellent I use is Deep Woods Off. It contains 25% DEET. The DEET is what does the trick. I used to use 100% DEET, but it's not available anymore. The 25% percent stuff seems to work, but sometimes it takes a second application.
I spray it on hair and scalp, socks, and all exposed skin except the palms of my hands. I always wear long sleeve shirts and long pants. As they say, "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun" and idiot photographers were tee shirts and shorts in no-see-um country. I see photographers wearing bee suits, but the DEET does the trick for me. Be careful not to let it touch anything plastic. I've got a flash unit with my fingerprints permanently impressed in it from handling it with DEET on my hands.
Avoid aerosols at all costs around plastic camera gear and lens coatings. The problem with 100% DEET is that you sweat it off in no time at all, and have to keep applying it. We've had the best luck with waterproof repellents in the 25-30% concentration range. Our pick of the litter is Ultrathon, a 3M product. One application is good for up to 8 hours, even when you are active and sweating.