They say there are no dangerous animals in NZ…. apart of sandflies.:D
What kind of repellent or protection do you recommend?
Are sandflies a serious issue on the east coast at all?
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They say there are no dangerous animals in NZ…. apart of sandflies.:D
What kind of repellent or protection do you recommend?
Are sandflies a serious issue on the east coast at all?
Tea tree oil keeps the buggers off. Of course there is the old timers option of a teaspoon of kerosene for breakfast and sweat it out your pores....
They are only out during the day, overcast is worst, bright sunny day or rain they go away. Just keep moving if they find you
The bastards on the west coast are out 24/7 rain hail or shineQuote:
Originally Posted by 223nut
DEET is your best friend and yes plenty on the East Coast anywhere there is bush
Some years ago, I did a tramp coast to coast, and we heard vitamin B is good, so we took it 2 weeks before, and during. Not a bite . The buggers would land on us then go away.
How did you take it?.
Like this...
I swear by “Uncle Ben’s” insect repellent!
If your near water or in the valley they’ll find you but if your up high there not around.
They don’t like the dark so they go off to sleep, cold frosty mornings their still asleep until the sun comes out.
In Fiordland we use these $10 head nets which are worth their weight in gold.
You don’t get sand flies up in the north island. Little bastards haven’t figured out how to fly across the Cook strait yet!
bushmans friend DEET is good ,the higher the deet % the better BUT BEWARE it eats plastic.....the likes of sunglasses dont do well with any on it at all. we now useing a teetree oil based spay on......covering up is always a good option...gloves with sleaves tucked in or vice versa.....the females bite you to suck blood so they can go and make little sandflies...some folk swell up a little some more so...I guess about 5% of a honey bee sting reaction would be normal. they last for a day on some folk 4-5 for others.the more you scrath the more they will itch.
we spent a week down haast way a few years ago...by third day the sandflies left me alone,wife and daughter got hammered...we would see now lot of campers turn up and start spaying crap like mad to get rid of the little black huas and you could just about see the squadrons forming up for next wave of attack...it was as you say 7mmwsm like a lure.....go good stuff or not at all.
Sandflies are the day shift, in the evenings they hand over to the mozzies.
West coast ones are bad but i think the ones in Canada are worse. Deet and lots of it and dont forget your ears. The sound and itch of one that gets in there is indescribable.
Thanks for all the pointers, everyone!:thumbsup:
Just got back from a Funeral of my best mate :-(
He and many of his mates were ex Forrest School recruits who most went into Veni recovery and Air shooting etc
So heard heaps of great stories
Someone said your "Blood Type" can depend on Sand-fly effect etc
For memory (as my memory a tad blurred) Blood Type "O" is immune ????
Silly newbie question, I know wind direction is important however is it even more important when using really smelly insect repellants? Or are they only really smelly to human and to game animals they're 'normal' ?
I'm O neg and they barely bother it me. Conversely my wife is a magnet :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarvo
Stuck deep in Fiordland on a job for a couple of weeks, many more moons ago than I care to count, somehow the mozzie rep didn't turn up in our gear, resorted to diesel, works really well, but not recommended!
What I meant did you take tablets?Quote:
Originally Posted by erniec
Stoke up on marmite.
Did it work for all.
Just interested.
now us coasters(the true variety) have known the cure for years -whiskey and sand-smother yaself in whiskey -roll in the sand -wee bastards land get pissed and start hurling rocks at each other killin all and sundry.
I also hear some blokes in fiordland reckon a 12g full of buckshot will deal with the larger ones.just saying mind you
+1 for the dettol / baby oil mix if you want cheap & cheerful, but you've got to re-apply often, and it can make you burn more easily in the sun. Deet works, but I wouldn't put that toxic shit anywhere near my skin if I can help it (although I'd consider it in dengue & malaria areas where you just don't want to risk getting bitten). I now use a tea-tree based repellent, and put up with the occasional bite.
If you can avoid scratching, the itching will fade more quickly. Also resist the urge to swat the buggers straight away, let them suck the anti-coagulant back out first.
Inevitably i get bit.
Razene to reduce the itching.
Several options there for the repellent. Take a variety and find out which one works.
The bit that a lot of guys forget is the benefit of proactive antihistamine treatment. Yes the topical creams like Anthisan will work to an extent, but the most effective way is to build up an underlying dose of oral antihistamine in the bloodstream before you get into the bush, then keep yourself dosed up. I know this from years spent in African bush where all manner of flying bastards bit you all day and all night. We would get hammered by the tsetse flies, various midgies, mozzies and fleas, and the only way to sleep soundly after a day of bites was to be thoroughly dosed with antihistamine.
As a chronic hayfever sufferer I guess I know a bit more about antihistamines than the average guy, suffice to say there are several different types that you can get on prescription from your GP at negligible cost, specifically the modern ones that do not induce sleepiness like the first generation types such as Phenergen (promethazine) etc. And they don't interact badly with beer or other medications either which is quite important.
Cetirizine, loratadine, fexofenadine are the regular pharmacy ones that cost a fortune but you can get cheaply through your GP. The GP can also prescribe stronger prescription only varieties such as hydroxyzine for use at night if you have had a bad day and been bitten a lot. It will induce a bit of sleepiness but it doesn't (in my experience) come with the horrible hangover of promethazine. And man does it knock the infernal itching on the head.
No substitute for keeping yourself covered up obviously and using repellents properly, but if you do get bitten the antihistamines are a fast and effective way to rid yourself of the irritation.
if anyone can remeber the old reckitts "blue" bombs mum used to use to whiten the washing ,and you know where to get em -that stuff applied to bites knocks the itch on its arse .vinegar can too.vinegar applied neat is also excellent for relieving itches in athletes foot -tingles a little but does the job and bacteria dont like it.
Its as important, If you are squeeky clean and end up upwind from a deer they will be gone. If you are stinky covered in mossie repellents and end up upwind from a deer they are gone. Their sense of smell is fucking incredible.Quote:
Originally Posted by uk_exile
Deet is my go to. Bens 100 in the little orange bottle. It’s 95% deet and 5% something less nasty, like arsenic ;)
Someone said above it’s not good with plastics so watch your binos and definitely don’t go for a p1ss straight after applying!
Razene is a good anti-hist to ease the swelling and Soov cream (the pink/green tube not the white one) is good to stop the itching as it contains lignacaine (numbing agent).
I’ve like most trued it all. Hate getting bitten as I now swell up. Germolne I found is really good at taking the itch out of the bites. I keep a tube on me when in areas where sandflies, mosquitoes and no-see-ems are about. Obviously if in a malaria area (which nz is not) I cover right up and take the appropriate Precautions.
The vitamin b works well and garlic tablets. I also try not to wear dark colour like blue, black.
Face net for thé West cost is a good idea.
I get large itchy lumps I now take two antihistamine tablets straight after an attack works for me (don't try this seek medical advice :thumbsup:), still best keep the buggers at arm's length Deet seems effective but melts things.