hey all!
i'm in puerto rico, where no see ums and mosquitos are killers. from my experience with them, florida ones seem to be close relatives
. i echo the suggestions above- no scented lotions or perfume, don't sit on the grass, and use an insect repellent. repellents with deet like deep woods off are pretty effective if you really want them to stay away, along with everyone else
. if you prefer natural alternatives, citronella and lemongrass are known herbal insect repellents, and most herbal repellants have them.
when you apply, actually spray them onto your hand and wipe them on for full coverage. go INTO your sleeves and pants legs when you do it. i try and keep the insect repellents from my bites, but it's just because it stings and then i have itch cream and insect repellent mixed up. just doesn't seem cool.
no see ums seem to kick up and swarm at dusk around here, as the hot sun wanes, so much so that kids don't go out between 5 and 7pm. at night they're attracted by light, so close your deck/porch doors behind you. i don't know what the policy is in the resorts, but a citronella candle might be an option if you want to lounge on on a deck/porch area. the resort may be able to scrounge one up for you (or may have alternatives available).
if you have to stand outside for a prolonged period of time and are particularly sensitive to bites, consider changing into lightweight 3/4 to full length sleeve t's and longish pants. if i'm going to an activity that will have me standing around, i try to tuck my pants legs into my shoes, or i put on really lightweight dress socks and stick the pant legs into the socks. it looks goofy, but it works. and if you have to sit on the grass, lightly spray whatever you're sitting on (paper, plastic, pack) with insect repellent as an extra barrier. you may want to lightly spray any backpacks or bags. a trick i learned while hiking is to shake my backpack and shake out my hair after i've walked through a swarm of no see ums. they sometimes just stick to ya.
finally, i always carry itch cream with me. whenever i go to the bathroom or make a pit stop after i've been outside for a while, i lightly wash any bites with cool water and soap. it relieves the itch and cleans the area from sweat and dirt, which can compound the problem and lead to infection. if they're getting infected because of scratching, consider swabbing with alcohol (momentary ouchie) followed by an antiseptic cream, covering the whole bite area up with non-scratchy gauze right before bed. sometimes the middle of the night scratching is exacerbated cuz the tossing and turning inadvertently "scratches" the bite. most of these suggestions seem are a bit much, even to me, but it doesn't hurt to pack a small "first aid kit" with these items-- most of them serve a dual purpose, and whenever i haven't carried insect repellent and itch cream i've regretted it. they just gang up on me!!
btw, a quick fix if you don't have itch cream is ice. and when it gets really bad, i try the u.s. marine method: i pinch myself and try to distract myself from the itch.
Are these no see ums around in November?
