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mosquitoes...the VA state bird

0rion
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Explorer
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.
49 REPLIES 49

Caveman_Charlie
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Explorer
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
1993 Cobra Sunrise, 20 foot Travel Trailer.

real4u2c
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Explorer
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
Retired Marine with Retired Navy woman2004 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37 C, Workhorse p32 chassis, 8.1l gas engine.

michigansandzil
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Explorer
bucky wrote:
The mosquitoes and the green head flys have their Super Bowl every year At Assateague National Seashore. Just saying ๐Ÿ™‚


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.
2017 Coachmen Catalina 323 BHDSCK
2018 Ford F150 FX4
3 growing kids and 1 big dog

WeBeFulltimers
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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
2012 Ford F-350 PSD SRW ** CURT Q24 ** 2018.5 MONTANA 3791RD

FIRE_UP
Explorer
Explorer
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
Scott and Karla
SDFD RETIRED
2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab 4x4 Toad
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KI60ND

Caveman_Charlie
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Explorer
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.
1993 Cobra Sunrise, 20 foot Travel Trailer.

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Explorer III
I keep seeing this thread.

In Michigan we call them "The Michigan Air Force"
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times

0rion
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Explorer
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
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Explorer
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.
Frank Damp, DW - Eileen, pet - female Labrador (10 yrs old), location Anacortes, WA, retired RVers (since Dec 2014)

Caveman_Charlie
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Explorer
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.
1993 Cobra Sunrise, 20 foot Travel Trailer.

FIRE_UP
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Explorer
Well Gang,
We did the Winnebago/Itasca Grand National Rally at Forest City IA last June and, being from CA, I'd never seen so much green. We parked in their factory supplied campground with about 5 acres of green, nice semi-lawn. Well, apparently they'd had some serious rain a few weeks prior to the event. We arrived a few days early and were liking the chance to sit outside, with no other RVs blocking our view of the nice area and at the time, some really nice weather.

Well, it didn't take long before I had approximately 50 bites and the wife was catching up quickly. Our friends were hovering around 40-50 bites, AND THIS WAS ALL IN THE FIRST AND SECOND EVENINGS. The folks running the event, parking helpers, row advisors etc. said this is the worst they'd ever seen it. We normally get a few bites in the Sierras when we camp there, depending on when we go but, this was ridicules.

We tried the "Skin-so-soft" and a few other elixers and, it's possible that some may have deterred the little monsters but, I'm not sure they (the intended rememdies) were completely effective. As time went on, and things dried out while we were there, (had almost no more rain for the almost two weeks we were there)the little critters seemed to have dissipated. It actually got nice to sit out in the evening, "while continuing to scratch previously injected venoms".
Scott

P.S. By the way, on the way to Forest City, we camped for two nights at Pawnee State park in NB. It was a nice lake and place to camp. I think it was the fourth of July 'cause there were fireworks at every camp site. It was hard for me to imagine the authorities let them do all this and some of the area was quite dry. But, my point about staying there, not only did they have Mosquitos but, they also had TICKS!!!!!!!!! That was the very first time we encountered those little monsters. Our dog had one in him the first night and I had one in my side that I didn't even know what there.

Man, this living out west in the dry, arid climate sure has something to say for it.
Scott
Scott and Karla
SDFD RETIRED
2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab 4x4 Toad
2008 Caliente Red LVL II GL 1800 Goldwing
KI60ND

Padlin
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Explorer
I have that fogger, it's okay. 1st time used in at Hunting Island NC it worked like a charm on one of the wooded sites. Used it early am and still no or only a few bugs that evening. Next morning the skeeters were back, I sprayed again but it didn't seem to do much. Same results at home, intermittent success.

May just be me but I did not use it if I had neighbors, the fog slowly drifts away, through any down wind sites. Unless you knew the folks, it may not be appreciated.
Happy Motoring
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tomkaren13
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Explorer
Other states have a mosquito season some longer then others. Florida does not have a no mosquito season so we should claim the Mosquito state bird! However we don't

Caveman_Charlie
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rolling_rhoda wrote:
This is what we have.
bug fogger


That's what I was thinking of. It can't use to much propane because it just runs off of one of those small propane bottles.
1993 Cobra Sunrise, 20 foot Travel Trailer.