Mosquitos, sand flies, doctor flies... oh my

Coconut oil will help keep off sand flies. We make a mix of essential oils to help more and also keep away mosquitos and dr flies. The mosquitos go after my husband and daughter, but the doctor flies come for me, and I can't stand them. I react horribly to them, but it has gotten much better in the three years we've been here.

We prefer to use coconut oil as the base, but sometimes we use just veg oil. Then we put in: bergamot, lemon eucalyptus, lemongrass, eucalyptus, patchouli, and citronella. It totally handles sand flies and mosquitos. Nothing totally handles Doctor flies, but this definitely helps.

I have found deet and "off" cause skin problems I have found Cutter works for me. But I must admit where we are despite being in the jungle by a river we have surprisingly  few bugs or Mossies.  (lots of Bats in the trees) There is some bug that attacks me lower legs usually. It has happened at different places  in Belize usually near old wood piles. It  is really nasty  don't feel the bites but then huge itchy bumps appear and it is the only one that gets through the Cutter.

love your essential oil approach. Amy particular recipe of how many drops of what to coconut oil?

Thanks. If you have recipe you could share that would be great. Also, if you have a source for essential oils You could share. I think there's a herbalist in a Mennonite community near that might be able to supply ingredients but I'm not sure.

Monkey Town brew wrote:

We prefer to use coconut oil as the base, but sometimes we use just veg oil. Then we put in: bergamot, lemon eucalyptus, lemongrass, eucalyptus, patchouli, and citronella. It totally handles sand flies and mosquitos. Nothing totally handles Doctor flies, but this definitely helps.

That sounds very much like a locally made product sold in a few gift shops and the Pharmacy here in Placencia. It is named “Sand Flee Byby” it works well, and I think it is the citronella that is the primary reason.

For those times I forget to put it on and do get bitten and other minor first aid needs, I will not be without my little bottle of Tea Tree oil. This stuff comes from the cold pressing of Leaves of the Melaleuca tree. It stops the sting or itch fast. It is sold in pharmacy's in the USA and here in Belize. I was first introduced to the great product about 15 years ago. It will not prevent bites, but is great for stopping the sting/itch of bites, small cuts, minor burns including sunburn. It does have one drawback.......it stinks 😷 But I'll take the smell over itching anytime.😊

Hi Terrific,
I had been doing some research on chiggers...might be what's getting you? people on forum sight i read said USP grade Sulfur works great. put some in a sock and dust yourself with the powder. they get the sulfur from a feed store in the US. other people swear by Permethrin (sawyer brand). I personally do not have experience with this stuff but it might be worth a try.
Dan

Will The Old wrote:

For those times I forget to put it on and do get bitten and other minor first aid needs, I will not be without my little bottle of Tea Tree oil. This stuff comes from the cold pressing of Leaves of the Melaleuca tree. It stops the sting or itch fast. It is sold in pharmacy's in the USA and here in Belize. I was first introduced to the great product about 15 years ago. It will not prevent bites, but is great for stopping the sting/itch of bites, small cuts, minor burns including sunburn. It does have one drawback.......it stinks 😷 But I'll take the smell over itching anytime.😊

Hi Will, there's a fat leaf oregano that grows here that is also great for relieving itching. You just mash the leaves with a spoon and rub them on the bites. Also the tobacco tree leaves are good for sun burn or swelling. I find that my doctor fly bites swell up quite a bit. The combination works pretty well and can be found in the yard. Lavender oil is also good for bug bites but I don't have any 

Indeed there are a few local tinctures that probably have similar recipes. DoTerra essential oils also has a blend that works pretty well. I believe the health food store in Maya Beach has essential oils, and there's a woman in Placencia named Jill Hoyrup who I think has essential oils.
No doubt about the tea tree oil, Will. That stuff is miraculous. It's good for everything. Definitely prevents infection. I also put a couple drops in my toilet ever now and again to kill germs. For a super refreshing experience, put a drop (just 1!) on your toothbrush.
For the recipe, I'd say we do 10-20 drops of each in a little dropper bottle full of oil. More on the low end with lemongrass and citronella, on the higher end with the others. I honestly think it's the lemon eucalyptus and the patchouli that get rid of the sand flies and the citronella for the mosquitos, but I'm covering all the bases!
I'm sorry you're having such a reaction to Dr. Flies. I do too. If it helps you feel better, my reactions are way less than they were when we first moved down.

Good to know. I'll try to conserve the Tea Tree Oil I have with me, as well as the Lavender Oil, (for repelling them), but today I broke down and bought a bottle of Caladryl lotion for the damn itching. I'm only still in Mexico and I already look like I've got a chronic case of chicken-pox from all the bug bites. Probably from every bug in this city. (Except whatever bug makes the bite area green pus-filled and painful; haven't got any of those yet...)...and the Caladryl was so expensive I'm wondering what the native Mexicans do, just scratch all the time all their lives? Or maybe bugs only go after "fresh blood." Like people who live here are used to it or something. Maybe I can find Permethrin cheaper somehow, somewhere...I already know I can't get Avon Skin-So-Soft sent here, which is only one of the things that factored in to my decision to "bug out," so to speak. That and, needed medications that Mexican pharmacies seem to have never heard of, can be shipped to me from London if I'm in Belize but not here.

I found this article helpful......
https://www.sanpedroscoop.com/2017/07/b … elize.html
When I lived there the fire ants were most unpleasant. Sandfleas were mostly around Hopkins. My waitress friend at Tonys in Corozal acquired Dengue Hemmorhagic Fever and had to be transferred to Merida for treatment. This was from the  daytime mosquito  species. If it flies, crawls or slithers and induces misery it can be found in Belize.

KeriMeHome314 wrote:

Will The Old wrote:

For those times I forget to put it on and do get bitten and other minor first aid needs, I will not be without my little bottle of Tea Tree oil. This stuff comes from the cold pressing of Leaves of the Melaleuca tree. It stops the sting or itch fast. It is sold in pharmacy's in the USA and here in Belize. I was first introduced to the great product about 15 years ago. It will not prevent bites, but is great for stopping the sting/itch of bites, small cuts, minor burns including sunburn. It does have one drawback.......it stinks 😷 But I'll take the smell over itching anytime.😊

Hi Will, there's a fat leaf oregano that grows here that is also great for relieving itching. You just mash the leaves with a spoon and rub them on the bites. Also the tobacco tree leaves are good for sun burn or swelling. I find that my doctor fly bites swell up quite a bit. The combination works pretty well and can be found in the yard. Lavender oil is also good for bug bites but I don't have any 

I managed to get away with still having one bottle of Tea Tree Oil and one of Lavender Oil. I'm trying to make them last because I'm pretty sure the places I got them from in Philly don't ship -- or if they do, just "not to Mexico" (I'm so tired of hearing that I could just scream!) ... and for some reason one little bottle of Capsaicin just in case I can't find Cayenne Pepper (yeah that's rare and expensive here). Yeah, mine were $5.99 each in Philly but to find them for that, the cost of shipping to Mexico would be like £25 or more or in some cases "we just don't ship to that address, sorry" sort of thing.

Have you checked at Walmart in Mexico City for Tea Tree oil? That is were I buy it in the USA.
In Belize the three pharmacies I have been in all carry it and even one general store in Belmopan.

It is a product of Australia so I figured if it's available in Belize, it's available in lots of countries 👀

I'll check in Chetumal next time I'm there. I found tea tree oil in the pharmacy in Corozal with no issues.

Good tip on Insect repellant. I will definitely try it. I have used the cylindrical shaped hanging sticker. It is mostly yellow and little green on it.
Worked great for Dr fly

The cylindrical  shaped sticker came from FTC in spanish look out
Mathew

Try lathering your skin in baby oil. This works well when I stay in Hopkins. Also, the longer I stay, the less the bites occurred, perhaps the insects don't find my skin appealing any longer.

What about the bug spray from the lady in hopkins- does that work against dr flies?