Wear flea collars on your ankles...if it's good for our soldiers it's good for me!

Lizard, I know what they look like and they're disgusting.

First time I "ran" into them was in Sanibel, Florida and I had no idea what was biting me. I never ran for cover so fast in all my life. I believe they are worse then mosquitos.

For anybody with the itch, benedryl helps, but I found an over the counter itch spray. Got it at my local CVS store and I've also used it for poison ivy. You can spray as much and as often as you want.

Also...instead of scratching those bites and possibly getting a scar, slap them instead. That advice comes from my husband who gets poison ivy just from looking at it.

A quick caveat here - Diprolene is a topical cortisosteroid and is designed to be applied in tiny amounts for a short period of time. It is absorbed through the skin and then is a systemic drug. This class of steroids is potentially harmful to the body - Systemic absorption of topical corticosteroids has produced reversible hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression, manifestations of Cushing's syndrome, hyperglycemia, and glucosuria in some patients.
Children may absorb proportionally larger amounts of topical corticosteroids and thus be more susceptible to systemic toxicity. Surface area of application increases systemic problems. This is not a 'smear on the affected parts' ointment.
Talk to your doctor about how to use this medication and follow their instructions exactly.
NEVER cover the area of application and do not use Diprolene if you are on any other steroid meds.
Pregnancy Category C: Corticosteroids are generally teratogenic (cause birth defects) in laboratory animals when administered systemically (and skin application only) at relatively low dosage levels. Not good for Moms to Be.

I have been in Florida for almost a month and every day, I have new bites., those little critters really know how to lay one on me. I have tried Cutter's Advanced Insect Repellent and it works for a little while and then the bites start itching again. I am so miserable. I swear that I have gotten some of these bites in my bed. (which is about 30 years old along with the carpet in the bedroom). Can No-See-Ums multiply when they bite you? Also, could I set off a bomb in the bedroom which might kill the no-see-ums?

Thanks for the reply.

the bomb thing would work for about a day but then they'd be back i suppose if your house was not sealed, i still swear be the sport stick deoderant on the tops of feet and ankles,it's cheaper than the bug sprays and on me about the only place they bite is that area

Yes, I'd like to know about the possibility of bringing them from my vacation in St. Croix to my home in San Francisco? Loved St. Croix, hated the bug bites (even though it was January there). Was so happy to be free from them back at home as my welts healed, but after one week home I've started to notice new itchy welts! Each of the last three days I've risen from bed to find about 10 new bites. Do I have to completely disinfect my bedding and home, or are these bites from over a week ago that are just now surfacing for some reason?

Noseeums, don't travel with you, but bed bugs do! There has been a resurgence of Bed Bugs in New York city and the suburbs, alot of New Yorkers travel and vacation on the islands. This has been in the news recently/

Just when you're think you're sleeping alone! EEK!! That's worse than having a monster under the bed!

Best prevention product for noseeums: BABY OIL

We rented a house on the beach on the island on Eluthera in the Bahamas and the noseeums were a huge problem. It almost ruined our trip.

We tried all kinds of repellants, like Deep Woods Off, and various recommended products, including Skin So Soft. None of them worked. Towards the end of the trip, we met a restaurant owner from Montreal who suggested that we cover ourselves in baby oil. Wow. It worked!!! The noseeums drown in the oil before they can bite you. It's greasy and not the best smelling product, but at least it's not a chemical as some other products.

I live in Florida and last weekend we went to the coast and stayed at a house with a dock. We spent all day outside on the dock drinking gin and tonics and I didn't even notice I was getting eaten alive. Now I am MISERABLE. My arms and legs are covered with bites and they swell up and itch even more when I am sleeping! I itched like hell all night!

Damn those little bugs! And it's been a whole week since I was bit!

I am highly sensitive to the bites & my friend told me a remedy that is easy & truly works. It sounded counterproductive to me but I was desperate. Put hot compresses on, as hot as possible for a short time. It stops the itch right away. Maybe a few hours later repeat if necessary. If you can turn the hot water from the faucet directly on the bite that works even better.
I live in SC, a transplant from NY & never even heard of noseeums (wings with teeth) until I got here. I will try what I read about the baby oil and B complex, but so far nothing has prevented the bites. But,.. Really, really...try the hot water!

Gail, that's about the same remedy that we've used for poison ivy. We get it really bad. Also, after you do that, you can buy an anti-itch spray at most pharmacies and that helped ALOT. Not only did it help the itch, but it really helps dry up your skin for healing.

Noseeums are the worse.

Do you think we'll be safe in a mountain villa? Obviously when we head to the beach we'll have to be prepared.

Just got back from Florida, and just like the last time we were down there, we got tons of bites. We eventually want to move down there anyway. I guess I'll take the no see um bites versus the long winter up north. I'm thinking these little s.o.b.'s like tourist better than people who reside down there. The friends we stay with down there don't get bit, and I don't understand that. Sooo, maybe after we live down there for a couple of years, these little bastards will leave us alone. Anyway, I hope so.
When we came home with the hundreds of bites, the only thing that works fairly well for me was to take a hot shower ,(as hot as you can stand it), and scrub the crap out of the bites. But not to the point that they bleed. Then after towel drying, apply Caladryl Clear, then use a hair dryer and dry those areas right after you apply that stuff. When using the hair dryer, use the hottest setting. This really stops the itching for a good amount of time. Do that as often as it takes to get through the suffering.

I had to laugh the other day, out local news station (in NYC) was doing a piece on bedbugs and their prevalence in local hotels etc...well, they interviewed a woman who said that she had just returned from the Ritz Carlton on St. Thomas and had these mysterious bites on her legs and ankles. The poor Ritz is suffering bad press due to what I am sure was the dreaded noseeums ! hahahaha

I ran into a friend at our local hardware store and she said that bear grease works the best. What is bear grease and where on earth do you get it?

Too bad for the Marriot, I only get bit at the beach at dawn and dusk. I've been using the waterproof Bug and Sun lotion and that works pretty good, but I'm still curious about the bear grease.

Molly

Noseeums
Also known as "sand fleas," noseeums can make a morning or late afternoon at the beach unbearable – especially in the summer and early fall. They are nearly invisible and their bite or sting really isn't a bite or sting – it is the sensation you feel when the acid in their bodily fluid hits the skin.
http://goflorida.about.com/cs/planningyourtrip/a/bugs.htm

The skinny on sand fleas or no-see-ums:

"These sand fleas live in the sand and will attack anything within ten inches of the ground. That is why the beachgoer will find a cluster of bites around his or her ankles if they've been out seashell hunting. That is, only when the weather in warm. In the winter they move with the ocean towards warmer waters.

Their swarms will produce a high pitched wine so if you are on the beach ad hear something similar, beware. Their stings can cause welts and lesions lasting hours on end, along with pain and itching. The sand flea is not a pleasant animal but can be avoided with the use of an everyday insect repellant."

Poohwear:

What "everyday insect repellent "are you talking about?

We've tried everything (except the bear grease) and still nothing works for the Mrs.

They don't seem to bother me.

F.I.

I didn't write that article...see the quotation marks? I googled it. I use Deep Woods OFF...I am diabetic and it is my theory that if your blood sugar is a little high the bugs like you more. But the OFF works for me.