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.
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I'm wondering what this will do to your electric bill?
My electric bill was a difference of $6.32 and that's very efficient to get rid of these little nasty hungry bloodthirsty biting insects
I live beside a lake in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. During the scourge of noseeums, I have a kitchen cathedral ceiling that is black with those nasty critters.
I've had a relatively comfortable winter however my noseeums are back. It's been quite warm down here most of the winter.
I have to mention that I did go to a dermatologist who prescribed a cortisone skin cream called Tramcinolone Acetonide Cream USP. This helped my skin heal which assisted in warding off the critters. I suffer from allergies and discovered for asthma and allergy sufferers can get compromised skin causing the critters easy bite access.
Also the a/c helps temporarily but does not stop the critters from coming back into the house. I'm to the belief that when they bite they lay eggs under your skin. I may try to check with an entomologist on this. Since most of the bites are on the foot area I think soaking in very warm water and Epsom salt may help kill any eggs under your skin.
I'm going to try the sandalwood trick. I'm seriously considering selling the house and moving back into a beach condo. I hear Eva Gabor singing the Green Acres song...,"New York is where I'd rather stay."
Irrespective of what you heard, you can get rid of the things. We had a huge problem and were going to move, but finally hit on a solution. We been bug free for over a year now.
Contrary to your opinion, eggs do not get buried under your skin from that specific insect. if you have an entomologist, use that entomologist! you obviously do not have the correct identification. Is nobody aware that mold replacates at very rapid speeds under low temperatures and high humidity? do you realize the humidity is created when you take a shower, cook on your stove, and leave your door open too long? Do you know how many insects are feeding off the mold and how many are merely attracted to the condensation?
So, do you mind sharing what you did??? We are really glad that you found a solution, but those of us who are still struggling would be very grateful if you could share that information!
What a waste of time. I'm actually suffering from anywhere from 50 to 100 bites a day and I'd rather spend my time reading something that might be productive.
I have reduced the numbers of bites by keeping bleach in the toilets and drains. They don't care for Listerine so I made a combination of Listerine and water to mist my furniture. I put essential oils Lavender and Eucalyptus in Coconut oil and keep that on my exposed body parts. I thought I had it all figured out. For two days I went without a bite but today they got me again. I will figure this out or end up in an insane asylum
Hi! I had just moved to a quite place which I adore small lakes at the back. From the first day I moved d here on Dec. I have tried not leaving my apartment building because everytime I walk out to my car and back upstairs I get about 15 bites on my arms, legs, face or maybe even on my head! I am having the worst anxiety attacts because of these bites daily (I go to work).
I have tried everything! Running my A/C low may help but what about when I walk outside? I'm the only one, the only person that gets bit by these! Even the maintenance man laughs at me! He says you are the only one getting bit around here. What else can I do? I can't move again! I'm feeling trapped in my home and I don't like inhaling all these bug spray inside my house. I'm gonna go crazy! Here's some of my photo from last night. These pics are just from coming out of my car to upstairs. Imagine if I were to sit outside for 5 mins?
I also had a Bad experience with the noseeums. I tried most everything til
one night when they were biting me so bad I couldn't sleep so I rummaged through my medicine closet and found denture cleaner. I put 36 Tablets plus a 1 or 2 cups of concentrate lemon juice in pretty warm bath water (about 12" tall) and it completely stopped the itching, it seems they like it when you sweat.I also used a quart bottle filled with water and added whole bottle of tea tree oil.
I used that to spray throughout the house.
You may also add other essential oils such as patchouli, citronella, & lemon balm.
You can also use a homemade spray for outside by combining 1 Large bottle of blue mouthwash, 3 cups Epsom salt & 1
cup Dawn dishwashing liquid. Just spray outside before you go out and it helps to keep them away as long as the wind doesn't blow away the spray.
Thank you for posting these pictures. They look exactly like the welts I have all over my body as well and yes, they get me under my clothes and underware as well. They eat me alive while I watch tv, sleep, just sitting around inside. Keeping a very clean house makes no difference either. I have still not found a solution, but the cold winter was just lovely as I didn't have any issues till the weather went into the 60's last week and we had one small rainfall and now they are attacking relentlessly. I never had this problem till 2009 and I live in the exact same house since 2004. And you are right, they make you anxious and make you feel crazy, cause no one else is being bitten but you. :O Ahhhhhhhhhh I wonder about the comment that mentioned orange oil. It made me think that when I moved here I used an orange oil wood polish on my furniture weekly and didn't have any bites, but the smell was so strong when my grandson came to stay with me I stopped using the wood polish cause it smelled so toxic for a toddler and lasted days. That is the same year I started getting these weird bites and welts all over my body. Hmmmmmm. I think I will give the orange oil a try, my grandson is bigger now and doesn't live here anymore anyway. Good luck to everyone who is being eaten. If I find something that works, I shall return to share with you. :)
Read my post that I put in today. Maybe it will help you.
Just to add another photo of he other side of my shoulder, and yes, I have bites on my bumbum checks too... but I will not post that.
Thank you so much for sharing. My A/C only goes down to 65 degrees. Will this process stI'll work for the Noseeums?
I am in San Antonio,TX and have NEVER heard of this bug, pest insect until a fee days ago. My 21 year old daughter told me about them when I was explaining to her what was happening ONLY to me and Noone else in my house (insane).
Thank you so much for sharing. My A/C only goes down to 65 degrees. Will this process stI'll work for the Noseeums?
I was very excited when I read your post and followed your directions. It did not kill the Noseems. In fact, when Winter came (and I live up North) I intentionally kept my house as cold as I could with the hope that the cold would kill them. I did not get one bite all winter long. Once Spring came, however and there were warmer days, they started biting me again. It has now been a year since they infested my home due to me bringing a houseplant with a saucer full of water inside from being outside. I have tried all the remedies you suggested to no avail. I am SO DESPERATE. I drench myself with citronella every day. Someone suggested ingesting Brewer's Yeast so I would not taste good to the Noseeums. NOTHING WORKS! They only bite me -- nobody else in my family gets bitten. We do not have pets. I do not have any houseplants and no leaky pipes or water sources where they could be living. You cannot see them; therefore, you could never find a nest. I have scoured the Internet to find someone who had an effective way to get rid of them and I cannot find anything that works. Signed Desperate 6/14/16
We are also in S. Florida. Our no-seeums are outside around our porch, carport, and in our yard. Any suggestions for treating an outdoor area?
Thank u,I just moved to here to Florida and I've been getting non stop bites I was wondering what was biting me,so then I heard of the no see bug looked it up and realized that's the problem,its so bad these bites just end up on me out of no where,I had even stop going outside cause I thought it was mosquitoes until I started getting bite in the house,so thank u I'm turning my air down as I'm writing.
In Indy we get chiggers if we go thru talk grass. Same itch. Old prevention was to disturb with sulfer powder before fishing. It works. Never got a bite after.
I thought you said this wasn't an expensive method to keep noseeums at bay. I can't afford to run my AC at 62 degrees all the time. Plus I would be freezing and me and my Chihuahua would have to wear our parkas indoors if I kept it that cold. Are you by chance the owner of an AC company? I don't know many people who are gonna try replacing their whole AC system to see if this method will work unless they are Rich.
Your comment is the first time ever I've laughed about these devils. I needed that.
This works for old people that stay in the house all day. Not a good solution!
Our apartment became invested with "no-see-ums"...could even sleep without being wakened with bites. They even were in our clothes. It was horrible because nothing seemed to work. Finally after experimenting with pesticides coupled with changing in living habits, we got rid of them completely. We been bug free for about a year now. So no matter what you read, you can get rid of them
You didn't say what you used....is this true
We were able to get rid of the bugs using a combination of pesticides coupled with life-style changes (the way we washed clothes). But it wasn't easy... took about 6 weeks and a whole lot of work
Do you mind sharing what kind of pesticides you use??? And what you use to wash your clothes??? It's nice know that someone got rid of them!
Hi I just stumbled upon this and do not know what I am in. I have no see ums and need help. Can you tell me how you got rid of them? I do not have a Facebook account.
Oh for Pete's sakes there are people suffering and you're going to sit there and rub it in our face and then not tell us what you did!?
My dad is suffering from these and it's driving him mad so is it right the house needs to be freezing to get rid of them
Prevention should be the first step before you cause drawing no-see-ums, bees, flies, etc. to share you and your drinks.
Sprays and stuff work some what, however most bugs are attracted to open drink containers then to your body.
Odor and smells seems to be the attraction for bothersome bugs, so by having any drink container completely covered helps by not advertising it. Ever run from a Bee or Wasp?
A solid lid is a great way to reduce attracting things, no straws, no sippy lids. One that I found is made in the USA at Pittsburgh Pa works great, just Google drink container protector and youll find a bunch.
I even use one at work to keep other peoples germs from my coffee mug. The web site is
www.bugnot.us
I am an A/C contractor ( residential and commercial/industrial ) with over thirty years experience. I think your recommendation to take a house to 62 degrees is baloney. The electric bill and overuse (to an early failure of the air conditioner) to achieve such a temp drop on anything over a 72 degree F outdoor temp day is pure idiocy.
After hurricane Irma, they are back with a vengeance! Thanks for the tip which I had read over a year ago and forgot about turning down the AC to 62 degrees. I just turned it down to 69 and will continue if there is no relief. Having a ceiling fan on and one sitting at the sofa help but they still manage a bite or two on the face or wherever they can have a quick bite. They are merciless! Thanks again.
My husband and I live and travel full time in our Motorcoach and winter in FL. No-see-ums are horrid in inland Florida!!
Our current location in Bradenton has mangrove trees at a waterway next to the RV resort, a favorite habit for the nasty creatures.
Ive found, after many, many potions, oils, Skin So Soft, ect., that cedar spray works fantastic!! I refuse to use any toxic or poisonous products and Cedar is nontoxic.
I bought two products, Cedarcide Tickshield Natural Extra Strength Insect Spray, which is 20% Cedar oil, and a large spray bottle of Cedarcide Original Natural Biting Insect Spray, which is 10% Cedar oil. We use the large bottle to spray around our coach and inside under the slide outs to keep bugs out. We were having a problem with stinkbugs getting into our motorhome, from somewhere. My husband discovered they may have been coming in under one of the slide outs. I decided to try the cedarcide and it worked like a charm. No more stink bugs from that day forward.
Both of those products provide excellent results! They are safe for people, for pets, for homes and for children. That was important to me as we have a puppy. They not only repel all the bugs but they also kill them, to include, no-see-ums, ticks, fleas, bed bugs, mosquitoes and more. Awesome products!
Super happy to be free of the intense, long-lasting ITCH of no-see-ums!!
I've been trying to find relief for months. In addition to what I've found here, and on other sites, I've discovered these helps: In my bathroom sinks, I ran a small amount of water, and firmly stopped the drains. I squirted the sides of the basins with a thin coat of mineral oil. By accident, I discovered that doing the same with rubbing alcohol created bedlam in the mixture. Evidently eggs were being laid there, and the larvae were suffering from the effects of the alcohol. I've left this mixture in overnight. I discovered that I got the most action right after these gnats started biting me. I'm beginning to find larger gnats that are visible there, now. If I had to use these sinks, I drained them, and repeated the procedure
when I was done using that sink. In the kitchen drains, I've been pouring in a mixture of 2 tbsp baking soda, with one cup of white vinegar. It creates a tiny explosion which probably can kill gnats. I place some 8 oz plastic cups in the drains to make it difficult for the gnats to travel in and out. If nothing else, you'll have clean drains. The best thing I've found to keep them away from my body is Woodlore Cedar Spray. You can order it directly from their online website. I've been using it for a while now, and it doesn't seem to irritate my skin, or damage clothing or bedding. I use regular Skin So Soft for areas that are sore from bites. At night, I cover myself completely, except my face, with a "HOTEL COMFORTER" that I ordered online from Walmart, and I run the a/c pretty cool to ensure that I won't throw the comforter off while I sleep. Caladryl Lotion helps with itchy bites. GOOD LUCK, ALL!
How long do these bugs last? I'm going to,st. Pete in sept and I really don't want to deal with them.
How long do these bugs last? I'm going to,st. Pete in sept and I really don't want to deal with them.
What the hell are you supposed to do when your sir conditioner is the infestation problem? My ac, the only one I can afford, is a window cooler that collects water outside. Right now it's off and I taped garbage bags over it, but they're still getting in. My bedroom is I fested- I'm the only one getting bit and I haven't slept in days because they won't let me. I need real help.
It doesn't mean they're gone dear, once an insect has satisfied their meal they can go dormant for two or three days until the next meal. Have you had an entomologist confirm that they are what you call noseeums? If not you're taking a terrible Chance by lowering the temperature in your home that low you're going to create condensation which is going to draw pests that are attracted to and feed off of mold. Mold exposure mimics ectoparasite and/or arthropod infestation. there are several kinds of mold, each with their own cheerleaders and fan clubs. Black mold mites, blue mold mites, orange mold fungus. Until you know what you're dealing with do not take advice here. Apparently there is no screening process and people are permitted to dole out medical advice. Before you trust anything anybody here has to say, please double check it with a published study by the national institutes of health, world health organization, CDC, or entomology.org
Please do this for yourselves! I'm trying to save your lives here! Just because somebody's well spoken does not make them knowledgeable. have you ever heard the term 'baffle them with bulshit'?
In this case the only problems here were recommending you use Dawn dish soap on your pet's coat and not advising you of the risks, as well as a healthy natural way to restore the balance after a Dawn dish soap bath. also, suggesting insect growth regulators is a bad idea when you really don't know what you're dealing with. do you know which kind of insect growth regulator you're using? Do you know there's more than one and do you know the difference? what each is used for? The compositions and chemical differences of each and what the differences mean? Can you explain it right now? I'm putting this whole site on notice. I'm going to be screening every single answer in this thread and noting all of your information. If the site won't hold you accountable for your irresponsibility, I certainly will. I just hope you haven't harmed somebody already! all you people with your BS and your half-ass researched "knowledge". Aside from myself, there are only two other experts that have responded here. Everybody else- you better start deleting and thinking about the consequences of your cavalier attitudes concerning a strangers health.
I'm hoping you're correct. I turned mine down tp 60 around 7pm CST and it's 64 at 11:15. Not a bite since I returned home at 10:35 I've been sleeping as a fireman does.
Skin so Soft kills them instantly. You must spray outside your doors where they hover to get inside, I keep Skin so Soft on the floors 24 hours. You can spray your carpet and bathroom rugs, under furniture etc also. Spray again outside because they tend to run out the door once sos is in place.
Ive been suffering with what I believe to be noseeums for more than five months now. I live in a high-rise building in NYC, dont have any pets or plants and havent traveled anywhere for over 2 years. My exterminator has only provided methods used for roaches (sticky pads, sprays and bomb fogging machines), which have proved useless. He has told me that unless I can provide a sample of the mite, hes unable to do anything else. Im at my wits end and dont know what else to do. These bugs attach to my clothing and body and I carry them to work and wherever I go everyday. Im losing my mind and have only shared my plight with a neighbor (who has since avoided me) and a friend (who Im no longer friends with). Im using Listerine and a mixture of lotion, MSM powder and tea tree oil (which I learned from an article written by someone who suffered the same fate) to keep them from biting as much but whenever I do laundry (with borax and Clorox 2) and clean my apartment with Windex (which he said is the only thing that kills them) they become more vicious. Im hoping cold temps will bring some relief but recently heard they just go into hibernation. My thinking is if I can get rid of them when they hibernate during Winter, I might be able to move and not carry them to my next apartment. Im going to see a dermatologist soon and hopefully be referred to an entomologist per my insurance rules and in the meantime Im losing hope and patience. Dont know how Ive contracted these horrible mites and have no clue how to get rid of them.
Check to make sure there is no leaking hidden pipes or blocked gutter drains. I also suffer with this but I use cutter skinsations with aloe and vitamin e and tea tree oil on my hair. I keep air at 70. This all seem to help me.
Check to make sure there is no leaking hidden pipes or blocked gutter drains. I also suffer with this but I use cutter skinsations with aloe and vitamin e and tea tree oil on my hair. I keep air at 70. This all seem to help me.
Im not a professional. I live in south-west louisiana. Turning down the temperature helps quite a bit. I can deal with them alot better when i get rest.
well my husband and I sold our home and moved to a 1 bedroom apartment . these bugs ruined our lives. Than when we moved we had 1 free week with no bites . than these are back . WE did not even come in with our clothes. We brought nothing in here from our house . NOTHING! They have over 500 type of no seeums. This is a different type than in our other house we owned for over 40 years.......... Nothing kills them . If the cold weather from outside does not kill them how will cold house or apartment kill them at 40 degrees ...... I do not think so .......it will be 3 years total we have been living like this . They bite me bad but my husband rarely feels bites but lots of itching on him. The females bite females and the males go after the males but the men do not feel the bite because their skin is so tough they only feel the itching . Please if anyone can help me please write to my email account 1605martha@att.net
I have an old window air conditioner and I swear theyre coming in from the air conditioner that doesnt get very cold. What can I do?
Cooling wont work. It might provide some relief for a a little while but believe me it wont be long until they are back. Dont waste your time! I leave in NY and even after opening windows with freezing temps for several minutes these little pests always come back.
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