Sandfly repellant?

[nippa&pippa]

Is anyone in Canterbury/Chch getting bitten? I am usually a buffet for mozzies and sandflys (or noseeums as they were in Scotland ) but I haven't been bitten lots since moving to NZ

When i went over to nz for a month in april, we went to chch first for first week, before hire campervan and we did toured south island, no problems, no bite then toured north island. Wasn't till we arrive north-east of north island, i did experiences my first sandfly bites, oh hell! since then from this place to auckland, i was forever bitten, even everyday i put insect repellant!! i was only one in family got bitten badly whereas my children escaped it and my husband had few . It took few months back in UK to clear my bites up after few course of antibiotics

Sophia x

[katiejay]

Just thought you might like to know - Avon's SSS Woodland Fresh is on offer at the moment (UK anyway) - buy one, get one free. I've stocked up ready for our trip out in March - that's flights booked (check); motorhome booked (check); cars hired (check); Skin So Soft (packed!). I like to plan ahead!!

[Simon & Emily]

Talking to the locals about the sandflies, I'm told that anything with a strong smell will deter them. They suggest, if you have nothing else, that even washing up liquid will stop them, but i haven't tried that one yet!!!

We are overrun with the little critters - and they pack a hell of a punch. They seem to really start itching about 24-36 hours after being bitten, and itch for weeks. If you scratch them and take the head off, drawing blood, they go on itching forever. I don't know if it's all in the mind, but once that I got in September seem to start itching again when I got a crop of new ones this week, and they had scabbed over and I thought were done and dusted.

I'm told that lavender, tea-tree and eucaliptus oils will all work if you add a few drops to a base cream. Sunscreen here seems to work as well, although interestingly those I've brought from the UK don't deter them at all.

The thought of flys didn't enter our heads when we bought this place - doh - as we didn't get a single bite in five weeks in Christchurch, nor in the two weeks we were in central Rotorua, even at the lakeside. We are currently trying to find flyscreens for the windows. It's begining to heat up, so we can't go much longer without windows open at night, but the windows must have, in the evening, at least a thousand of the little darlings crawling over each and everyone.

And then there's the huge blowflies - or flies on steroids, as we've lovingly re-named them At least you can hear them comming, though!

Emily

[Simon & Emily]

Oh, and you don't seem to get imune to them either. Some of the local schoolkids are covered in them, and talking to others - both Maori and European - they all get bitten just as much as we do.

I just worry about covering us all from head to toe in repelent day after day after day....... although we have to have the sunblock, so I guess it's just one of those things you have to do. I'll let you know if we grow any more arms or legs. Although thinking about it, extra arms may be good for swatting them, although extra legs would give them more of a viable target area

Emily