Mosquitos -- Avoiding bite in the southern Caribbean

We're doing a Southern Caribbean cruise on the Valor in two weeks. Did anyone else traveling to the Southern Caribbean see the article in the Wall Street journal yesterday about the chikungunya virus? It sounds absolutely horrible. St. Maarten has had 711 confirmed cases. There has been one case confirmed in St. Kitts/Nevis. Not to panic people or anything (I would imagine that the chances of a cruise passenger getting something like this is super low), but I'll be using deet spray on those islands (and encourage other family members to use this too) and be glad that I'm on the ship at dusk when the majority of mosquitos come out, just to be cautious. I'm a mosquito magnet. It's just an old wive's tale and I understand their is no scientific evidence to back this up, but I will also stop eating bananas until I get back from the cruise. I am a person who happens to eat one of these almost every day and heard an old wives tale that says, these for some people make them more attractive to mosquitoes. It's probably just chance, not anything else, but I stopped eating bananas a month before going on a camping trip in Yellowstone this summer, and this was my first summer national park trip ever with no mosquito bites. I'm someone who visits national parks frequently I the summer too.

Here's a link to the Wall Street Journal article:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304071004579409532322280294

I'm also curious about others who have traveled to these islands in March as cruise stops. Did you find mosquitos out during the day / get any bits (I'm especially interested to hear from people who commonly get eaten alive while others have no bites, as that's me? Do you have any tips for avoiding bites.// All we are doing in St. Kitts is probably a little two hour taxi tour and in St. Maarten all we are doing is going to Maho beach in the afternoon to see the big planes, so I really see risks being really minimal.

I'm still, though, planning to keep one of those bounce dryer sheet in my pockets (has helped me avoid bites at home), put on deet spray over exposed skin and clothes for these two islands, and be back on the boat by 4:00 p.m.

We thought about this too and found out...

1) Cream or spray that contains DEET

2) long sleeved tops and trousers

3) The crazy army stuff to wash your clothes with..forgot its name

We were there this past May on our first Southern Caribbean cruise. Our youngest daughter is very allergic to bug bites but she never had any problems there. The worse mosquitos she ever encountered were in Belize and Cozumel. I always use Avon's Skin so Soft original scent--mosquitos do not like it. It works for me.

I had not heard of this.

It sounds like we will eventually be dealing with this here.

Yikes.

A good friend died in January from complications from West Nile.

It took a while, but the mosquitoes that carry it are just about everywhere now.

It is especially bad since we live in a place with lots of mosquitoes.

I had about a dozen swarming around me yesterday even after the cold winter we have had.

.........3) The crazy army stuff to wash your clothes with..forgot its name

Agent Orange?

The more deet the better. At least that seems to work the best in SC.

My husband will tell me there are no mosquitoes, but I walk outside and suddenly they all appear and eat me alive. However, I just came back from the Southern Caribbean in February and I never saw a single mosquito. Everywhere we went there was a bit of a breeze and that may have helped. I brought my repellent with deet, but did not need it.

I eat a banana every morning for breakfast and rarely get a mosquito bite. On the other hand, my wife may eat a banana sandwich once a month and is a mosquito magnet. Go figure. :confused:

Thank you for your replies. We'll still take precautions, but it's very comforting to hear individual accounts who get a lot of bites, not having a problem here.

I've not heard the banana thing before. I have heard to rub the banana peel (white part) on a mosquito bite to relieve the sting. We are going to bring some Deep Woods Off with us when we sail on the Valor. I'm a mosquito magnet as well.

We were on St Martin and St Maarten in February (stayed overnight on French side), as well as Antigua and the BVI. I am also a mosquito magnet so was really worried. I wore Deet (applied 20 minutes after sunscreen) and I got no bites, saw no mosquitoes, and have no symptoms after 14 days.

I am so glad I went to St Maarten - enjoyed it thoroughly.

Maybe I'm nuts. I live in New Jersey-known for tomatoes, corn, blueberries, cranberries and mosquitos the size of hummingbirds. I rarely get bit because I know....

Some pointers- they don't like wind- any breeze will keep them away, they like shade and moist places- stay away from swamps and wooded places- beaches and sun are good places to spend your day. They are also most active in the evening- good thing, you'll be back on the ship

Stop worrying- enjoy:D

Here is what the CDC has to say about avoiding Bug Bites

Bugs (including mosquitoes, ticks, and some flies) can spread a number of diseases. Many of these diseases cannot be prevented with a vaccine or medicine. You can reduce your risk by taking steps to prevent bug bites.

What type of insect repellent should I use?

* FOR PROTECTION AGAINST TICKS AND MOSQUITOES: Use a repellent that contains 20% or more DEET for protection that lasts up to several hours. Products containing DEET include Off!, Cutter, Sawyer, and Ultrathon.

* FOR PROTECTION AGAINST MOSQUITOES ONLY: Products with one of the following active ingredients can also help prevent mosquito bites. Higher percentages of active ingredient provide longer protection.

* Picaridin (also known as KBR 3023, Bayrepel, and icaridin. Products containing picaridin include Cutter Advanced, Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus, and Autan [outside the US])

* Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or PMD (Products containing OLE include Repel and Off! Botanicals)

* IR3535 (Products containing IR3535 include Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Expedition and SkinSmart)

Always follow product directions and reapply as directed.

* If you are also using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second.

* Follow package directions when applying repellent on children . Avoid applying repellent to their hands, eyes, and mouth.

* Consider using permethrin-treated clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents). You can buy pre-treated clothing and gear or treat them yourself. I think this is the "Army" stuff

* Treated clothing remains protective after multiple washings. See the product information to find out how long the protection will last.

* If treating items yourself, follow the product instructions carefully.

* Do not use permethrin directly on skin.

What other steps should I take to prevent bug bites?

* Prevent mosquito bites.

* Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats.

* Stay and sleep in screened or air-conditioned rooms.

* Use a bed net if the area where you are sleeping is exposed to the outdoors.

What should I do if I am bitten by bugs?

* If you are bitten by mosquitoes:

* Avoid scratching mosquito bites.

* Apply hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to reduce itching.

Maybe I'm nuts. I live in New Jersey-known for tomatoes, corn, blueberries, cranberries and mosquitos the size of hummingbirds. I rarely get bit because I know....

 

Some pointers- they don't like wind- any breeze will keep them away, they like shade and moist places- stay away from swamps and wooded places- beaches and sun are good places to spend your day. They are also most active in the evening- good thing, you'll be back on the ship

Stop worrying- enjoy:D

I am a mosquito magnet and I live near the shore. I've had many black fly/green fly bites at the beach on Long Island, but so far not one mosquito bite at the beach.

There are different types of mosquitoes. Some of them bite during the day

Canadian Government Health Advisory

"The risk is higher during the daytime, particularly around sunrise and sunset. Mosquitoes that can transmit chikungunya bite even in shady areas, when it is overcast, or if you are indoors."

I'll be enjoying the beach on St Martin and will be putting on insect repellent with deet over my suntan lotion and I will make sure that it is reapplied when I leave the beach.

We spend two weeks on St. Maarten every January, and hit several islands each year on cruises. I used to be a prime food source for every carnivorous insect under the sun; but since using Bull Frog "Mosquito Coast" sunblock/repellant I have not been bothered. It is a very effective waterproof sunblock - strongly recommended by my dermatologist - as well as powerful repellant. It is more expensive than most other sunblocks (but worth it for its effectiveness) but if you are also applying repellant, it may even come to less overall.

We use OFF Backwoods for Sportsmen in easy to carry small 1 oz. spray containers. No mosquito bites for us at St. Martin/St. Maarten in January! :)

LuLu

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I was on a cruise in mid Feb. and spent three days on St. Martin and one day each on Dominica, St. Lucia, Nevis, and St. Kitts. I am usually a mosquito magnet, and I used a mosquito repellant the first day only. I never saw a mosquito or got any mosquito bites on any of the islands. I took land tours on all of the islands and ate dinner outside two evenings on St. Martin.

Just got back from the cruise your about to take. Never had any encounter with a mosquito on St. Martin. As long as you stick to the coast line where the moving water and strong breezes are you will be fine. Mosquito cannot fly in strong winds coming off the ocean and cannot spawn in moving waters.

just got back from 8 days in french st martin followed by a week long cruise in the bvis. while we did see some mosquitoes in st martin, it was mostly in the hotel rooms. we brought mosquito milk that we bought on amazon.com. it goes on like a roll-on and you just apply stripes over the exposed areas of your body. not smelly, sticky, or toxic smelling, but it does have a large dose of deet. did not encounter mosquitoes anywhere else.

steve

I use my regular Avon Skin So Soft after every shower on the cruise or in skeeter weather...or in winter to prevent dry tight skin. I can't remember the last time being bit by any bug. The wife and kids use Off! with DEET during the cruise.

Some pointers- they don't like wind- any breeze will keep them away, they like shade and moist places- stay away from swamps and wooded places- beaches and sun are good places to spend your day.

Gosh, Aruba should be mosquito free. :D

It's always windy there and tends to be very dry!

LuLu

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just got back from 8 days in french st martin followed by a week long cruise in the bvis. while we did see some mosquitoes in st martin, it was mostly in the hotel rooms. we brought mosquito milk that we bought on amazon.com. it goes on like a roll-on and you just apply stripes over the exposed areas of your body. not smelly, sticky, or toxic smelling, but it does have a large dose of deet. did not encounter mosquitoes anywhere else.

 

steve

Mosqto inside is bad with sickness just back from friend visit to French side everyone seems sick and government stops count now with 2 dead from chik.

Not good place now.

http://blog.sermo.com/2014/03/04/chikungunya-virus-spreading-quickly-in-the-caribbean/

Why put your family in danger, this virus is not pleasant, much worse than anything in the US. Plus you can get Chik and Dengue together.

My friend got it 2 months ago and still can't walk because OF the severe joint pain. The governments are certainly sending out squads to deal with the issue, but they're not trying to eradicate the mosquitos, that's impossible at this point. They are silencing the locals and doctors so tourists don't find out about the issue until it's too late.

just got back - on our cruise stop in st maarten- we went to orient beach, our group of 15 did not get biten- only myself and my son had deet on- everyone else felt no need to apply as there was a breeze. also, no one on the cruise seem concerned.