Florida "noseeums" distress

[Ro646a]

This may be an unusual inquiry,
but perhaps someone can provide some advice.
We are finishing a three week stay on Pine Island in Florida. My wife is allergic to the noseeum bites and she has been bitten many times while we have been here. We are scheduled to leave here Sunday and go to Okeechobee for a week, and then on to St. Augustine. If the the bugs are just as bad in those places we are going to cancel outer plans and head home to Michigan on Sunday.
Does anyone know whether or not these bugs are as bad in the rest of Florida as there are Here? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[jim1521]

They are always here down in SW FL.

Here's some info. The short version is that you're going to have to deal with them as the weather turns nice.

Noseeums

[azrving]

I would choose fire ants over noseeum. Those are the worst sob I have ever run into. You can research them online but they are common in many tidal areas. We didn't have a problem with them when we stayed inland around Lake City Fl during the winter but I wouldn't be surprised if they were around when it warmed up.

We also ran into them in other coastal swampy areas of the gulf. As mentioned above, if you want to be bug free go out to Az and Socal. I have been going out there the last four winters and have never seen a snake or scorpion. If the temps go up there may be flies. I have spent a week or so on Padre Island and dont remember noseum but it may also depend on the temperatures. Others may be able to tell you more about RGV area. I have had a good number of fire ant bites in Texas but only because of working around my sons property.

The fire ants are avoidable but noseeum are relentless. I would live in an apartment or in a downtown city or move out of the country before I'd live in noseeum areas. Life is too short. I have used clear nail polish on them and it seems to help the itching. Mex said to boil water and wet a q tip and touch the area. God I hate those things. Mosquitoes? Kids stuff.

[LindaD]

Noseeums in Fort Myers, Naples, Cedar Key, and other places in FL. They seem to like me and for years I had a bad reaction (itching intolerable and lasting for weeks). Now I avoid being outside early morning and at dusk. This year it seems when I do get bit it only itches for a couple of hours (could I have an immunity now?) We bought a new screen house made by Clam Corporation and since then we are able to sit outside with little bug annoyance.

[Twomed]

If you are close to salt water in FL you will have 'em. Okeechobee is a tossup but the 'skeeters are big there.

Better than black flies in the UP eh?

[MDKMDK]

No bugs in Michigan or southwestern Ontario either. Right now, at least.

Good advice re:Arizona. Pretty much anywhere west of the Mississippi has fewer bugs than Florida, even on a bad day. :B

[Edd505]

2gypsies wrote:
You still have time to mosey on over to Arizona. No bugs here. 🙂

We've tried Florida and just didn't like it for that reason... too many bugs.

shhhhh, go north the cold kills bugs 😉

[2gypsies1]

You still have time to mosey on over to Arizona. No bugs here. 🙂

We've tried Florida and just didn't like it for that reason... too many bugs.