bugs

[Trekker]

IK'm at the Swan right now - spent yesterday at MK and Epcot. No problem with bugs, but the rain kinda stinks!

 

[magicmouse2]

My DH got bitten so badly I took him to the first aid centre. All they could do was give me some lanacaine to cool the itching. I also got bit and still have the bite marks. I got bit on the butt when I was in the pool at POR. My insect repellant did not contain DEET nad did not repel these horrible biting insects.

 

[married2grumpy]

I forgot to mention I also got bit on the butt at Universal. I don't know what bit me but something got up my shorts and got me good. My rear was itchy for the rest of the day. Quite an embarrassing place to scratch in public!

 

[dg39]

I'll never forget these darn little bugs. We were down in fla. during easter break. The second nite of our stay, I sat on the balcony of the resort. WELL, the next day I had 36, yes 36 bites on 1 leg. By the 4th night, I couldn't sleep because of the terrible itch. I pratically tore my leg apart from all the scratching and scratching. We went out and got Off and Aveno creme, but it was to late. The itch lasted for 1 full week and still now I see some marks from where the bites were. Now when we go in july, I will use the Off spray everyday and night I go outside. They itched so much that when ever I moved my legs in the car or the restaurants, its would start up again. Even in bed, if I moved a certain way, the itch would come back. THere terrible little bugs, that you don't even see.

I forgot to add, that it was me, dh & dd on this trip and I was the only one that got "attacked" by these creatures.

 

[floridafam]

Oh, the memories.

They are awful. I just remembered that they itched so bad at Vero Beach that I actually sat up in bed and was crying (and I'm a pretty strong person).

For their size, the noseeums have got to itch a thousand times worse than regular mosquitos.

My only concern, after reading that they were part of the mosquito family, was West Nile and related viruses. Are they too small to transmit something like this? Do they not bite more than one person?

I can still see spots where some of the bites were on my legs.

All this from something that doesn't look bigger than half of a freckle.

 

[Kes]

Does anyone know what the usual "season" is for these nasty bugs? We have a trip planned around Columbus Day and I always seem to be the one bitten I don't want to have to cover us in DEET if I don't have to - but I'd rather that than the alternative.

 

[Muffinish]

Okay, so now I'm worried. My older son has always had a huge reaction to mosquito bites...he swells up to un recognizable proportions. And as far as we know, the 10-month old has not been bitten yet, so we have no idea how he might react. Does an insect repellent with DEET really keep all these nasty bitey-things away? What do I do about the baby?

 

[Virgo10]

There were so many dragonflies

LOL! I forgot about the dragonfly mating season that was going on. It was a nice trade off though. There was hardly a love bug to be found. The dragonflies, however, were everywhere.

I still have the marks on my legs from the multi bite area. All the rest have finally faded away. From reading the posts here, I can see that these little demons can be there at just about any time of year. I've only been bothered by them in May.

Roberta

 

[petecaler]

about the bites that have been posted, it's sounds like what we in Texas refer to as chiggers. They tend to bite only your legs and you won't know about it until the deal is done.

 

[dreamflight99]

I've come to the conclusion PANDORA'S BOX was definitely opened in FLORIDA!

The BEST mosquito and NO-SEE-UM repellent is AVON's SSS bath oil. I have no idea WHY this works more effectively than OFF/DEET, but it does. Especially on the No-See-Ums! I have also been bitten by the Green-eyed Fly of Florida (just off the friendship launch area @ MGM studios-dusk), which was excruciating! They have MANDABLES/PINCERS, and like the mosquito, it's the female which bites.

It is definitely of concern for anyone susceptible to mosquitoes, to wear repellent (West Nile Virus), both early morning, afternoon and especially evening.

Here's some info on the SSS oil:

Skin-So-Soft Original Moisturizing Bath Oil
SAVE 45%!

Orig. price: $12.50 NOW:$6.99

America's #1 moisturizing bath oil will pamper your entire family. Provides rich moisture for exceptionally soft and smooth after-bath skin. In our original Woodland scent. 16.9 fl. oz.

www.avon.com

Of course...you could always choose to wear this stylish suited PROTECTIVE MOSQUITO-NET BUBBLE SUIT! (LOL)

Interesting sites/articles on this topic:

www.floridaenvironment.com/programs/fe10716.htm
www.isis.vt.edu/~fanjun/text/Link_specf02.html
www.nearctica.com/family/pests/home/mosquito.htm
www.nearctica.com/content/table_f.htm

 

[hmp2z]

Hi! I am always a prime mosquito victim (the kind of person who will walk outside and get 20 bites on my legs, while my husband has NOTHING!), but I have never been bitten by any kind of bug at WDW. The only bugs we really noticed were the love bugs that we saw in September. We were there in August 2002, and there weren't any love bugs around then. There were, however, the palmetto bugs on the GF marina, which look too much like roaches to me for comfort! I saw one run into the GF lobby, and it grossed me out.
When we were there in early April 2002, we didn't notice any bugs at all; the weather was beautiful, and except for the crowds, this was a great time of year to go!
Cheers!
Heather W

 

[lucysdad]

Was on the net looking for a combination sunscreen and insect repellent and found a product called SmartShield. It is a SFP 30 sunscreen with a natural (no DEET) insect repellent. I've read good reviews and it seems like a good product. Anyone out there ever tried it? Thanks

 

[phamton]

Originally posted by hmp2z
There were, however, the palmetto bugs on the GF marina, which look too much like roaches to me for comfort!

They look like roaches because they are: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_IN001

Florida also has American cockroaches which fly and many people also call these palmetto bugs. http://www.fagerlund.addr.com/cockroaches.htm We have them where I live too. Many call them waterbugs around here. They are different than the non-flying German cockroaches.

 

[bunnyfoo]

I never thought of bringing bug repellant because I didn't notice them last year. This year, I was bit a couple of times while waiting for the buses at a couple of the resorts ... I didn't think they were much of a problem at the parks or DD. I did notice there were a couple of people who had lots of bug bites.

 

[floridafam]

Phantom,

Thanks for clearing that up. My son's class took a field trip to the "Bug House" or Entimology dept. at the University here and I asked her what the difference was between a roach and a Palmetto bug and she said "nothing"-just different types like your link pointed out.

I know when we lived in FL I felt better calling them Palmetto bugs-I think it eased my mind a little bit

We got a chance to see the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach at the Bug House. I think I would faint if I saw one of those near my hotel.