I live in south Florida and recently moved out of a beach front condo into a house inland. The noseeums in my new area have been merciless. The entire town is infested with them. It rains frequently in southern Florida during spring, summer, and fall months and the humidity is high. This, along with the many canals and lakes, creates a perfect environment for noseeums. After trying just about everything in these forums to battle these unseen critters biting me in my home, I finally got some good advice from a friend.
Before I share that, let me explain what didn't work. Deet or any other repellents do not work on these critters. Insecticide sprays are of little effect. Dryer sheets help a little but are still not effective repellents. Fogging doesn't work because they are flying insects that easily come through screens and under doors or cracks in windows so the house gets re-infested in no time. Tenting is the same. Exterminators told me they cannot treat against flying insects. Lawn service doesn't help again because they are flying insects. Zappers don't work as I bought many of them for inside the house. Glue pads work to trap some of them but also do not work to clear them from the house. Soap and apple cider vinegar also traps a few of them but does not get them out of the house. Steaming them is futile like a few UN workers trying to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; they just move back in as soon as an area is treated. Borax may have limited effect but makes a big mess out of your house and electronics.
I have tried all of the above treatments without any relief. Forget all of them because none of them work and they will cost you a ton of money, grief, and disappointment.
Yesterday, a friend mentioned one thing I have not yet tried and is, by far, the easiest and cheapest method. This worked immediately and the following day; the time of this writing. I wanted to share this with as many people as I can to help prevent others the torture I have gone through since buying this house.
Turn the air conditioning down in your house to 62 degrees. Turn off any humidifiers or make sure humidistats are below 40%. If your air conditioning system can't achieve this low temperature then rent or buy some supplemental units or replace the system with a new one. If you go for a new unit, make sure your A/C company knows you want the temperature that low. If they say it can't be done, get someone else because they don't know what they are talking about. I'm an engineer by trade and know there are many efficient systems with tiered cooling capacities and even multi-level fans. These are great if you like to entertain a lot of people in your home like I do. It will be cheaper replace your entire system in the long run than going through many of the processes above including tenting a house.
I turned my thermostat down to 62 degrees yesterday around 3 PM and went out shopping and to dinner. I returned around 10 PM and the house was just reaching 63 degrees. I turned the thermostat back up to normal around 8 AM. For the first time in months, I slept without one noseeum joining me in bed and biting me all night. I did have to drag out several blankets and a comforter to sleep in these chilly conditions. It is still upwards of 90 degrees in Florida and this is a drastic drop in temperature. It is now around 24 hours later and the house is still noseeum free. I can't wait to thank this friend of mine. I plan on freezing out the house again tonight for good measure.
Female noseeums bite and then lay eggs. These may hatch several days to a week later so I will be sure to repeat this step several times. The higher air conditioning cost will be well worth the money. I only wish I had discovered this before spending a fortune on other useless methods and contaminating my living space and skin with pesticides and chemicals.
I hope this method helps others like it has me. It is so nice to sit in my house without being bitten for the first time in months.
This page contains the following solutions.
I was at my wit's end, allergic to the bites of no-see-ums. I was driven to tears. I am the only one in my house affected by these bugs. I finally found a remedy. I use a mixture of the original Listerine (gold type), witch hazel and tea tree oil.
We winter over in Florida and I used to live there on an island. That is the worst in Florida for mosquitoes, as well as noseeums.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I recently retired and I'm spending the winters in Florida. I have a bad allergic reaction to the (no see ums bites). I get bitten all over my legs, it's unbearable. I heard that B12 helps to prevent bites. Does anyone have any input?
By Elsa
I get lots of bites and I put Scotch Tape over them. It stops the itch immediately. I leave it on for at least a day.
Wipe yourself with a dryer sheet ( bounce preferred) prior to walking out. It works great and serves as bug repellent minus the smell and grease etc. I hope it helps :-)
I've been taking B 12 for over a year-- they still bite me!!
I was planting a flower bed in Florida and they were terrible. I rubbed a few drops of Manuka Oil (found on Amazon) all over my exposed skin and continued plant. They completely disappeared. I plan to try some drops of Manuka Oil in water in a spray bottle to see if this too would work. I was desperate at the time and just put it full strength on my skin. I'm hoping the spray bottle will work as well, since Manuka is pricey.
I live on my boat in Fl. and the marina is surrounded by mangroves, witch they love. I found that regular hand sanatizer works after getting bitten. Put it on very liberally. It works for me.
I'm from Florida and always knew them as sand fleas. I didn't hear the word no see ums until I moved to SC and believe me, they introduced themselves to me pretty quick. One bite and I have quarter size welps on me. They are worse than mosquitoes, at least I can swat them!
My daughter has been playing soccer for the last 6 years. It has taken 4 years to learn what works for me and that is skin so soft with rubbing alcohol (half and half). I spray it on exposed areas, it gets on my clothes. I recommend it to everyone, it's cheap and those who try it agree.
The noseeums are back here in full force here, not sure that they ever really went away :-) My sis-in-law is being plagued with them on Hilton Head too, recommended this for her.
We use natural repellents and have tried many, even made our own out of desperation, but now have found a product online, it works great is effective and safe on the kids: thesolidbarcompany.com/
There's an anti itch cream that works fine for when you forget the repellent or miss a bit, good info.
Best of luck to all in keeping those miserable itches away! x
I"ve tried and did not work, I've heard that for some people will work as the body will smell different! Good luck!
I recently moved back to Florida after 52 years and suddenly got confronted with Noseeums- which were not around 50 years ago- and from what i've read, maybe as little as 8 years ago. Luckily, I had Avon Skin-So-Soft with me, which had been a remedy for sand fleas when I lived on the east coast of Virginia/North Carolina. It worked like a charm as it always has against flying, biting insects of all kinds- even mosquitoes. I knew about Avon Skin-So-Soft because the military had shipped tons of the stuff to all the troops during Desert Storm to keep the sand fleas from biting. There's something in the formula that bugs cannot stand. A contractor here in Florida told me he smears Skin-So-Soft all over himself before going out to work in the Florida heat, else he would not be able to work. I'm going to try the other things I've read about on here, as well- especially keeping the house super cool (62 degrees). I like it cool and wearing a sweater and sleeping snuggled in a quilt beats being tortured by Noseeums!
Avon Skin-So-Soft will keep biting bugs away. Smells nice and easy to use.
I got relief last night from the no see ums by rubbing on my skin a mixture of apple cider vinegar, salt, and garlic. I am still considering rubbing myself with gasoline. They are relentless.
I got relief last night from the no see ums by rubbing on my skin a mixture of apple cider vinegar, salt, and garlic. I am still considering rubbing myself with gasoline. They are relentless.
We have them in Arizona too.
The answe is , The Solid Bar Company. They have a great repellent that I can count on protecting me from mosquitoes AND No See Ums. Plus, they smell really good. I feel good about using them on my kids since it's all natural.
The answe is , The Solid Bar Company. They have a great repellent that I can count on protecting me from mosquitoes AND No See Ums. Plus, they smell really good. I feel good about using them on my kids since it's all natural.
I have had them in my apartment and they just kept coming. I looked this what to do about them in this article and just turned my
A/C way down. Said it's a great way to get rid of them. I hate bugs especially in my living quarters. Thank god we can get rid of them.
I read they like the apple cider vinegar - use white vinegar
Is the Skin so Soft lotion you use the one with insect repellent in it and SPF 30 or a general type Skin so Soft lotion as there are many types of Skin so Soft lotions.
if you get them in your house , vehicle, and work they are living in your scalp. solve by washing your head with a flea shampoo, scrubbing vigorously using finger nails for 30 minutes. These guy will burrow into scalp. This wont kill them at this point but really pisses them off for the next step. let dry and wait unilt you start to feel bites again then apply generous amounts of olive oil. coat the oil onto your scalp. shower cap optional. leave oil in hair 24 hours. apply again if drying out. while your waiting do laundry with borax on your clothes and linens. borax and vacuum carpets and floors.
No, do not do that, dryer sheets are known endocrine disrupters and highly toxic
Just tried the scotch tape...hope it works. Thanks for the tip.
I've been taking it as well for over 2 years and it does not work for me. I wish it did. I live in MD in a wooded area and they are in my house. I have used sprays, called exterminators and they sprayed and it didn't work either. I also have tried lavender essential oil and it didn't work either. I have bite all over me everywhere!!!!!! nothing works!
I am in Northern ARIZONA and I am getting eaten alive!
Try some essential oil of peppermint or eucalyptus drops in your carpet cleaning solution. That worked for me before. Also Vicks vapor rub mixed with my lotion kept them off me. For the hair, use the essential oil drops in your styling products or shampoo and conditioner. Wipe your walls, furniture, floors, and cabinets down with the essential oils also and make it into a strong smelling spray mixed with water for curtains and other linens. That should get them to move. You must carpet clean for about 3-6 days over and over again to kill them all and be rid of them for good. Happy hunting. ;0.)
Apple cider vinegar and magnesium and garlic supplements they don't bite me. I dropped the b12 it didn't work.
I truly know how you feel. I am dealing with it and have been for 3 months. I lived in the same home in South Florida for 25 years. Had pest come and go. We always have dust and dawn no-see-ums outside and you learn to deal but some how they have got in the house and I have know idea how. I now have plastic sheeting on every window and door trying to get a grip on the situation. I have caulked and had to different compnay's take me for so much money Truly Nolen almost killed me, didn't touch the no see ums. Then Okin and they too couldn't help. When you said you feel like putting Gasoline on you skin I actually started laughing so hard because that is the point I am and I know many are. Thank you for your honestly.
Any luck? I'm here in PHX too, iso alcohol works a bit, cortisone cream after bite works but how do I keep them out!? Lol ...also I grew up in Phoenix and I don't remember these as a problem until maybe the last 4/5 years
yes, I would like to put gasoline on my body too, have no seeums in my hair, been in there 3 years now, used dawn dish soap,
they bite my head, my feet, go up my nose, man what will get rid of them, please email back thanks.
They were on all of the natural sand(parrot fish poop and broken coral) beaches in the fla. keys in the early 80s. I hear the keys have changed from a beautiful wild clean place to human infestation gone amok. Maby we caused them to evolve because they are in greater Atlanta ga now! Its 2021 July and I am getting torn up by them. Not since I was a teen in s. Florida have i been bitten by sand flies....
I have just heard of this concept today! Strangely enough, through recent bloodtests I found out that I have signifinantly more B12 in my system than I should (no idea why), and I get bitten way less when camping than my two boys. Perhaps there is a connection!
