Fernandina Beach/ Amelia Island and Sand Gnats

[ColoradoMom!!]

We are leaving for a week vacation and are planing enjoying this area of Florida. We also plan to visit Cumberland Island.

I talked to someone who scared me to death about the sand gnats or no-see-ums. I react horribly to mosquito bites, but here in Colorado we rarely see them. I have googled repellent recommendations, etc. but how bad are they during the last week of March in this area?

I heard they get in your hair - ugh . And that we need to watch for ticks on Cumberland.

Any information, advice on repellents, etc. would be appreciated!

 

[Bilberry]

I don't know about the areas you are planning to visit, but the no-see-ums are back in S. Florida. I discovered that yesterday. The warmer weather brings them out. Some new lawn was placed down recently in the yard and yesterday I needed to quickly walk on it barefoot. My legs are red and itchy today from no-see-ums. I react badly to them. I never have found a repellent that worked well for me. Others I know have used some of the store brands successfully. What I've done to stay away from the bugs is to avoid going out in the mornings and the evenings as much as possible. That is when they are the worst. During that day, when the sun is out I'm rarely bit.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

Thanks! Any more advice out there??

 

[Erzengel]

Just got back from Charleston and got head to toe bites. They even went through my hair and onto my scalp. I probably got around 20 bites.

I'd do my research and try and find the best spray for them. I heard Burt's Bees works. But I'm sure there are some Floridians/Southerners who can answer this question better than me.

 

[Imzadi]

If you spend the day on the beach or in the sands, or splashing in the ocean then walking on the sand, make sure you shower when you return to your hotel room and do NOT put any clothes you have worn on your bed or near other clothes. The sand bugs will stick to you & be transferred to your bed sheets.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

wow - not great news - but thanks for the heads up!!

 

[Jaya]

If there's a biting insect within 20 miles it will find me and I am especially attractive to no-see-ums. The only thing I have ever found that works even the slightest bit was covering myself with Avon's Skin-so-Soft bath oil and that probably only saved me half the bites and I hate the smell. I've used every insect repellant for sale out there and nothing works. My late husband, on the other hand, could be sitting two feet away from me and not get a bite.

A breezy day helps. It appears they have a hard time hanging on in a stiff breeze.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

Returned from Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island yesterday. Fortunately we did not get bit. Hurray!! I think we were fortunate with the conditions not great for the sand gnats, and I am very grateful. We had a great time!

 

[mnrose]

Here's the thing about no see ums. Good news: Only 1/4 people react to the bites of them. The other 3/4 don't. So, if people say "I went and got no bites," often what they mean is "they didn't react to the bites." In our family my daughter and I react, my son and husband do not. At all. We do the same things, sit side by side on the beach, etc, and my daughter and I will be covered on our lower legs with bites, while my son and husband appear to have none. Grrrr.

Now, I am not "bothered" too much by the bites. They are red and obvious, but not terribly itchy. My D gets red, obvious, itchy bites. Poor thing. Cortisone is her friend.

In terms of what prevents the bites, I find that the picaridian (sp?) based insect repellants work reasonably well. If I apply conscientiously and regularly, the number I get is minimized. But, because I'm not "bothered" by them, I don't always do a good job.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I'm glad you didn't get bitten. My sister and her family went camping somewhere in that area of NW Florida/SE Georgia one year -- they not-so-fondly refer to it as their trip to Gnat Creek. They wound up in a hotel!