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Friday, October 5, 2012

2012-10-05 No-See-Ums

Can you appreciate how small these monsters are?

Four nights ago we went out on the patio at dusk to enjoy being in Florida, albeit unplanned.  The neighbor complained of being "bit up" in spite of being in a screened-in enclosure.  Later when I came in my ankles started to itch and ITCH!  Big welts were starting to show, although I didn't remember feeling anything biting me while outside.

The first couple of winters I didn't know WHAT was wrong with me.  Silly pharmacist didn't recognize NoSeeUm welts and was no help except to recommend a Benadryl cream that didn't help. 

Tonight we went to sit by the lake...big mistake.  I was wearing shoes and socks but it seems I was bitten again, or maybe that is just the previous bites.  How can something so tiny leave such welts and cause such itching that lasts so long?

"Biting midges can be a nuisance to campers, fishermen, hunters, hikers, gardeners, and others who spend time outdoors during early morning and evenings, and even during the daytime on still, cloudy days. They will readily bite humans; the bites are irritating, painful, and can cause long-lasting painful lesions for some people.
A common observation upon experiencing a bite from this insect is that something is biting, but the person suffering can not see what it is. Biting midges are sometimes incorrectly referred to as sand flies. Sand flies are insects that belong to a different biological group and should not be confused with the biting midges."

3 comments:

Rosie Goins said...

We always fight with them when we are at the campground in Charleston.

We were told to pin a Downey fabric softener sheet on our clothes to keep them away.

Conchscooter said...

Nothing works except learning to enjoy the pain.

Spaethon said...

I'm a Floridian who lives in Safety Harbor (a little town on Tampa Bay that borders Clearwater). No-see-ums have always been attracted to me...and mosquitoes. I have very sweet blood or something because when I'm with others, I'm always the one bitten the worst. I learned to deal with it long ago and now its second-nature to rub my arms and legs every couple minutes when I'm outside at certain places. Based on experience, I've found that they are prevalent if you're near wetlands or another body of water. They also seem to like open areas such as fields, parks, etc. I've never researched repellents because mosquito repellent never works for me so I figured why bother. Yes they suck (pun not intended) but they don't keep me inside. When I fish, metal detect, enjoy the park and go on walks, I just know that I'll have annoying little friends with me. Fortunately they don't leave welts on me like some people get. They bite me, it itches for a few minutes, and I'm fine. Probably because I've been bitten so much over the years that my body naturally built an antidote. Anyway, that's my long-winded take on no-see-ums

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Gabby Faye
Michigan, United States
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