Hi Paul,
Seems to me that Brits are especially allergic to North American bugs/mosquitos/no seeums.Any time we have relatives come over they get eaten alive by mosquitos and no seeums,and end up scratching with red inflamed areas that sometimes almost look poisoned.
Maybe they have no 'built in antibodies' to the bites.
Best thing we have found is simply to stay in at dusk and early mornings and give the sun a chance to get up.
Sit in sunny areas away from greenery and trees and any standing water.
Stay away from the covered patio as they will feast on that Royal blood for sure.
We are both originally from UK and used to be realy bothered and my wife still comes up in large welts although not as bad as in the past but still annoying.
Even when we go out for dinner at places like Lazy Flamingo or Mucky Duck we always sit inside .....no outside patio's for us as we end up being dinner if we eat or drink outside.
Even BBQ in the shade at Casa is a problem so I always try to do while the sun is up.
You just kind of have to think of that stuff and be guided by the surroundings ...shade is not good.
Good luck in avoiding the little guys....they sure can ruin a vacation.
That is one thing about cruises,no bugs while you are at sea...that alone makes it worthwhile!

Hugh McGowan

I really must check my entries before posting them on this site. The spelling mistakes in my previous one were terrible. Sorry everyone.

What has worked on the mesquitos here in Michigan is "Listerene". Put some in a spray bottle and spray arms and legs. I was doughtful but tried it as I was working in the flower beds, it worked. I have not tried it on noseeums but give it a try. It dosen't have to be listerene brand, it could be a no brand.

Baileys Grocery store sells a bottled liquid of some kind that seems to help, we used it.
Home Depot has a bottle that claims to be effectice against noseeums, natives tell us not to wear perfume or other smelly items that attract the noseeum.
Stay in windy areas, they blow away.

Question?

Are the noseeums worse on the East end of the Island? Whenever we go to the lighthouse for annual picture taking, we are eaten alive! We will be there in December on the East end and wondered if we should expect to be nuisanced by these pesky little pests.

Thanks for anyone's expertise.

Are the noseeums any better or worse at different times of the year?

I am pretty sensitive to these pests unlike my wife, so I have tried all sorts of things. The last time I was there I went to the local clinic for treatment it was so bad. The doctors there know how to treat noseeums. They gave me an anti-histamine (Clarinex - prescription dose of Claritin}, a steroid cream to help heal the skin bites, and told me to buy a local product called Cactus Juice for prevention. It sounded like snake oil to me but I tried it and it worked. The local pharmacy in the strip that contains the Hungrey Heron {opposite end} is very knowledgable and sell the products. There is one kind of Cactus Juice that contains sunscreen. Bailey's sells it also. After taking the course of treatment from the doctor I was OK in a couple of days. But I also used benedryl cream and other anti-itch products so I could sleep. Witch hazel also helps.

We've been at CasaYbel beginning of December and end of February. No problem in February - I hear they start up around May. December is not good though.

Thanks for the information. We will give cactus juice a try.

We gave cactus juice a try for the week we were just on Sanibel. One of us(me)was all bite up and the other one was not. Hopefully there is something stronger on the market the next time we come.