If You Are Planning A Beach Vacation Beware
The beach is a popular place for families or individuals to head for vacation. I myself just did the same. Many of you are cramming in a beach vacation before summer comes to an end.
As many of you know I took a trip to the Virgin Island for my birthday. Spending a week in island on the beach sounded like the perfect get away. Don't get me wrong it was wonderful with the exception of one thing, No-See-Ums. What are they you ask, well I learned the hard way.
What are no-see-ums? According to MosquitoNix, no see ums are:
No-see-ums are tiny flying insects that are incredibly difficult to spot. They are also referred to as biting midges, punkies, sand flies or biting gnats. They are so small, they have no problems getting through the screens on your windows and doors. As such, it’s hard to protect yourself from these pests without professional help.
Because they're so small, you might not notice when these flying insects swarm around you or land on your skin. But after they bite, you'll definitely know they were there. The bite marks left by no-see-ums are painful and itchy. Not only are their bites uncomfortable, but these insects can also transmit diseases to humans, making it even more imperative to control these pests on your property.
By day two I knew I was getting bit by something but I just thought it was mosquitos and I kept spraying myself with off to no avail. My best friend called me for my birthday and I was telling her I was being eaten a live by something and that's when she told me about no see ums. Here family had recently been to the beach in Florida and her mom was eaten up with them. The weird thing was they were only biting her and no one else and in my case they were only biting me no my friend. She also let me know off didn't work on these no see ums, I would need to find something else. We went to the surf shop to try to find something. The thing we learned if you have to have some type of repellent with at least 25% Deet. I finally found some at Food Center and it felt like I was putting poison on me. The next day I finally found a natural repellent at a local pharmacy.
Another thing I didn't realize how bad these bites would itch and hurt. Nothing seemed to help. I felt like I was covered in athletes feet or something. The itching and burning was so intense. I was taking so much benedryl I couldn't stay awake. Topical creams, sprays and ointments were not helping. I was going in same. The only thing I can compare it to was chiggers. However I finally found one thing that worked.
I saw online a treatment for mosquito bites and I thought what the heck, it can't hurt. Someone on Facebook said to spray the bites with peroxide and then mix salt with Vick's Vapor Rub and put it in the bites. It actually worked. The salt helped draw the poison out of the bites and the Vick's helps relieve the itch. It actually helped dry up the bites and finally scab over. But I will tell you when they say these bites can last up to two weeks they aren't lying. I am still dealing with these itchy bites today.
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