This will be our 5th year going to VA Beach for vacation. It's great and we always have such a good time. It's a great family experience. The skeeters are always bad...particularly last year. There were a couple nights where you just couldn't stand to be outside after dark. I realize there's not a ton to do but if anyone has any tips/tricks that work I'd love to hear them. We had so many chemicals on everyone last year I'm surprised someone didn't grow a 3rd arm. The chemicals really didn't help. Thought about maybe a screen room at least to eat outside in but I imagine with everyone going in and out it would only be a matter of time before it's filled with skeeters not too mention the extra space one takes up on the trip and time setting up and taking it down.

We lived in Hampton for 3 years, back in the early 1970s. Even with regular spraying by USAF C-123's the skeeters were bad. A local "tall tale" was that a Virginia mosquito landed at Langley AFB and the ramp crew pumped 75 gallons of JetA into it before they realized it wasn't an F-4.We never did get used to the bugs and when Boeing called to see if I wanted to go back to my old job, we'd moved out in less than a week!

I kinda doubt the mosquitos in Virginia are any match for those in Alaska.

I've been to northern alberta but not alaska.......va skeeters are cut from the same cloth as the canada skeeters. Last year at va beach they mowed the field directly across from our site and that night there was a slight breeze blowing towards us across the field. It was unbearable. Spray or no spray they were biting and even in the wind they were biting. It really is the one issue that makes me want to look for a new family vacation spot. It's impossible to sit around the fire on most nights.

Have you tried the Thermacell units?

But does VA have Black Flies ? Skeeters are no fun unless you have Black Flies too. :)

mosquitoes...the VA state bird | Good Sam Community

49 Replies

Caveman_Charlie
Explorer II
Dec 20, 2014
FIRE UP wrote:
Caveman Charlie wrote:
I've often felt that some of my friends claim the Mosquito Repellents don't work because they don't put them on until after they have already been bitten up. Some of those bites seem to take a little while before you realize you were bitten.

FIRE UP, I don't know about Mosquito's in other places but, around here the bites quit itching after about oh, 4-8 hours. Sometimes less. Maybe we have smaller mosquitos.

Charlie,
Well Sir, all I can say is, it's quite normal for skeeter bites on both of us, no matter where and when they're acquired, can itch for as long as almost two weeks. I do think that it's possible that everyone's chemistry is different and, the tolerance to them, how well their body/skin handles the bites and, how quickly the self-repelling system of their bodies, heals the bites. I'm by far, no "Bug-ologist" but, that's kind-a the way I figure things work.
Scott

Maybe your a better "Bug-ologist" then you think.

2 weeks, Wow. Around here you would have to live in a bubble. A quick internet search found that there are doctor recommended treatments for those of you exceptionally allergic to bites.

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/immunotherapy-for-allergies-to-insect-stings
real4u2c
Explorer
Dec 19, 2014
Evening, Da wife and I live in Hampton Va. 30 miles north of VaBch as the interstate travels. Long story short, da wife grew up in Minnesota and I grew up in Mississippi, and we both believe in a nice sturdy box or floor fan, good for sqeeters, hard to land on you when there's a Gail force wind on em. If you can get your hands on sage herb, all bugs hate the stuff, just drop in into your campfire. I complained about the bugs so bad at local campground that the ranger came and set off a bug bomb close to our site, and We were mighty thankful. Wonderful for days. Just a thought
michigansandzil
Explorer
Dec 19, 2014
bucky wrote:
The mosquitoes and the green head flys have their Super Bowl every year At Assateague National Seashore. Just saying :)

Excellent. We have a site there in August 2015 and have never visited before. Last year Tahquamenon Falls was 30* and flooded with mosquitos. Looks like this year it will be 100* and flooded with mosquitoes. Ugh.

Fwiw- we did use one of those screen rooms and it worked pretty well. It was the only way to enjoy being outside. Bug spray, citronella, and those bracelets didn't do anything. They even snuck into the camper with it sealed shut.
Honestly, if Assateague is as bad as Tahquamenon was last year, we'll leave to go some place else.
If bugs keep you from enjoying the outdoors, there's no point in staying.
WeBeFulltimers
Explorer
Dec 18, 2014
Caveman Charlie wrote:
Another thing I though of that helps is to wear long pants. Or, sweat pants. No much you can do about your face/arms/ and neck though.

I've had Alabama skeeters pull my pants leg up so they could attack me. :E
FIRE_UP
Explorer
Dec 18, 2014
Caveman Charlie wrote:
I've often felt that some of my friends claim the Mosquito Repellents don't work because they don't put them on until after they have already been bitten up. Some of those bites seem to take a little while before you realize you were bitten.

FIRE UP, I don't know about Mosquito's in other places but, around here the bites quit itching after about oh, 4-8 hours. Sometimes less. Maybe we have smaller mosquitos.

Charlie,
Well Sir, all I can say is, it's quite normal for skeeter bites on both of us, no matter where and when they're acquired, can itch for as long as almost two weeks. I do think that it's possible that everyone's chemistry is different and, the tolerance to them, how well their body/skin handles the bites and, how quickly the self-repelling system of their bodies, heals the bites. I'm by far, no "Bug-ologist" but, that's kind-a the way I figure things work.
Scott
Caveman_Charlie
Explorer II
Dec 18, 2014
Another thing I though of that helps is to wear long pants. Or, sweat pants. No much you can do about your face/arms/ and neck though.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Dec 18, 2014
I keep seeing this thread.

In Michigan we call them "The Michigan Air Force"
0rion
Explorer
Dec 17, 2014
some friends of ours went with us a couple years ago to va beach. His wife was eaten alive the first night there. We had spray on and citranella candles/tiki's going but we go to the beach the next day and I felt sorry for her. She literally had hundreds of bites all over her legs. That was day 1 and it never got any better for her the next 6 days. Fortunately no one in our family is that sensitive to it....my wife would probably be the closest....but it's still no fun trying to sit by the fire and constantly swatting them off of you.
We love going there and it's great for the kids so I want to find a solution or at least something that reduces them but if it doesn't improve we'll have to find a different vacation spot.
frankdamp
Explorer
Dec 17, 2014
You sure do have much more reasonable skeeters in Minnesota, Charlie. The Virginia bites from the big guys itched for about a week. The no-see-ums bites itched for a couple of days, but you got so many from their swarms that the seemed as bad as the big guys.

We walked across from our condo about a quarter mile to a theme park in Hampton one evening and one of our daughters (a real skeeter target) got over 700 bites in 45 minutes. Not a nice place if you're sensitive to bug bites - I'm glad we moved back to Washington.
Caveman_Charlie
Explorer II
Dec 17, 2014
I've often felt that some of my friends claim the Mosquito Repellents don't work because they don't put them on until after they have already been bitten up. Some of those bites seem to take a little while before you realize you were bitten.

FIRE UP, I don't know about Mosquito's in other places but, around here the bites quit itching after about oh, 4-8 hours. Sometimes less. Maybe we have smaller mosquitos.

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mosquitoes...the VA state bird

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