If your chartering anytime soon bring bug spray. Tons of mosquitos this year following much rain. More than we have ever seen before.

alert the media, mosquitoes in the Caribbean, is there anyone who does not bring bug spray?

Agree.
On the good side, the night air has been really comfortable last few nights. Coolest we recall in a while.
Watching a little sliver of moon over Tortola from White Bay, Gauna Island right now. Nice night. I think the little bastards are done for the night.

Much buggier than I recall ever seeing it. Even during the day they were all around today. On the plus side, cisterns are full and everything is very green.

Yes!! They are a nuisance right now. Worse then I have experienced before.

Thanks for the reminder. We are coming down this week and are bringing the heavy duty stuff due to the rains and reports from other recent travelers.
I really appreciate real time reports as we are getting ready. That's why we look to TTOL for information from others.
Thanks!

thanks for the information as well.

The answer may be obvious, but is this limited to specific bays/islands or is this fairly widespread? just trying to get an idea...

thanks!

Bring bug spray for Zika. Works for all bugs. Sawyer fishermans formula has 20% pitarin.

When we were there in November, I thought our overnight at Great Harbour (near Foxy's) was the worst. I got bit there even with bug spray.

Karen

This, not to be an alarmist but Zika is definitely in the BVI.

On Peter Island we had a huge amount of non biting flies "visiting" our boat. Gave us a harder time than biting mosquitos on all other Islands ...

What does everyone use/suggest?

Does it matter? Will any brand work?

I do not know if you could ever get an reliable answer to that question. November in the BVI was more than 7 inches of rain with 4 inches falling already in December. That is the norm with October, November, and December being wet months. By February it should be dry again and then the cycle will repeat itself. Anytime there are puddles of any kind of fresh water. Adult mosquitos will lay eggs. If the fresh water puddle stays wet until the juvenile mosquitos hatch and evolve into flying inspect larger numbers of each brood survive. That is how the population of mosquitos explode. It has been wet everywhere and there will be mosquitos everywhere. Wind is your only friend coupled with the proper applications of repellent. You need something with at least 20 percent DEET or Picaridin and a lot of it. Almost all of us apply insect repellent inadequately. The primary carrier of Zika is an indoor short distance mosquito. You are at risk there as soon as you get off a plane in Puerto Rico or STT. If you want good protection from mosquito born illness or even just the bites. Get a proper DEET or Picaridin product and put the stuff on correctly before you leave home. Keep applying the stuff 24/7 while you are in the area. Make sure you have the DEET or Picaridin properly applied before you go near the airport, shopping, or any activity ashore. Anywhere near other people across the tropics we are all at risk of ZIKA and the other mosquito born illnesses. The research shows none of the "natural" products are effective. If you get the proper products they research shows DEET and Picaridin are both effective for 7.5 to 8 hours. We now treat insect repellent like sunscreen. We buy the correct stuff and apply the Picaridin or DEET early and often 24/7. Put is on when you get up, reapply after each time you get wet, and apply insect repellent heavily just before you go to sleep. If the bugs are biting you or your crew. You either have the incorrect product or improper application.

My wife got absolutely destroyed by noseeums on Anegada a few weeks ago. Bring bug spray (high deet content) with you because there was none on island (the high deet kind) on island.

Here is a New England Journal of Medicine Study that reveals just how ineffective anything but the high concentrations of DEET are for those spending a day or night in an area with mosquitos.


NEJM Study Results by Product

I don't see picaradin in that comparison. I found Natrapel with 20% picaradin far more effective for 'skeeters and noseeums than any of the deet products i brought down in August.

Has anyone used the Avon product "Skin So Soft" for noseeums in the VI? It works quite well in Florida but I'm curious if its efficacy was regional/geographical.

The NEJM Study was done in the very early 2000's before the Picaradin was approved in 2005 for sale in the US. For me the key takeaway and real learning for me. Is how short the window of time the products and snake oil so many of us have been using for years. For decades I carried the near worthless Skin So Soft so many claims does all these great things.

The data shows DEET will help protect against a broader list of critters. DEET will repel ticks, Picaradin does not show that benefit. Data does show Picaradin does work with mosquitos as long as you use enough and apply the Picaradin often.

Quote

"When it comes to picaridin, recent studies have indicated that a concentration of 7 percent is equivalent to about 10 percent DEET (one to two hours of protection), and a 20 percent concentration offers the same protection (four to five hours) as an equivalent DEET concentration."

If you want protection from bugs. Skip all the gimmicks and marketing. Get something with a high >20% content of Picaradin or DEET. Apply the stuff before you get to the Carribean. Apply the stuff after each time you get wet, apply the stuff when you get up, apply the stuff before you go to bed, most importantly apply the stuff before you go ashore or around other people. If you want the stuff to work, You need a lot, you need it early, you need it often.

I was hoping the NEJM study would get the message across. Throw away all the Skin So Soft and all the "natural" stuff there is no science data that shows they work. In fact the data shows they do not and put the users of those products at risk for insect born disease.

Here is a current Consumer Reports publication on the the subject:

Free Link to Consumer Reports

Quote

We advise skipping most products made with natural plant oils, such as California Baby Natural Bug Blend (a blend of citronella, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, and other ingredients) and EcoSmart Organic, (which includes geraniol, rosemary oil, cinnamon oil, and lemongrass oil). They did not last for more than 1 hour against Aedes mosquitoes, and some failed almost immediately.

WAY too much free time!

OK, Good.
I thought it was just me.

Mike

Stormjib, Mr. copy and Paste

Anyone down there now getting eaten alive?

Still here. Bugs not as bad as they were a month ago, but it's been windy, which blows them away. There has also been a lot of rain, so I expect there will be mosquitos for some time.

We are back from a sail December 8th through the 18th. Perfect weather, albeit a bit windy in the front half. Rained always at night.
Used Picardin 20% at all times. Saw one mosquito, got one no see um bite and killed one fly in cabin. Ate on shore every night but 3.
Yes, the wind helped, but so did the bug spray.
I am now a believer in Picardin 20%, but folks with Deet did ok as well.
Hope this helps your planning.

http://www.wondercide.com/insect-repellent/

This stuff works great !! It's all natural, smells incredible ( like cedar ) and when I brought it over with me on my last trip, I never got a single bite.

I found it watching Shark Tank one night. We live on a lake in Oregon where the mosquito breakout is about 2 months long in the summer. We used it here last summer and we didn't get ridiculed with bites.

I don't have a nickel invested in it other than my purchase, but I'm telling you, I am 100% sold !!

SoggyDollarScott, Thought I would try the Wondercide product, however...
"We no longer manufacture the personal insect repellent. The reason is because we were no longer able to source the product's carrier oil (Hydrated Silica) from within USA; we have a profound commitment to sourcing all of the ingredients within our products inside the US, and this change was very much in line with that commitment.
However, you can use Flea & Tick Control for Pets + Home on skin the same way you would the insect repellent. That product is here: wondercide.com/natural-flea-tick... "

The stuff above makes use of Cedar Oil. That is why it smells like Cedar Oil. Some of the "natural" products may repel even kill some insects at times or for a short period of time. All the research shows the "natural" products lack stability or consistent protection from a wide range of biting insects. Using my own words from a different industry. Results may vary. Most of us on a BVI trip are exposed for hours at a time and even 24/7.

Here are some real words from the World Health Organisation WHO.

Quote

Repellents containing only essential oils in the absence of an active ingredient such as DEET should not be recommended as repellents for use in disease endemic areas, and those containing high levels of essential oils could cause skin irritation, especially in the presence of sunlight.

There is growing research that shows Picaridin (also known as icaridin, Bayrepel, Saltadine, and KBR 3023) can works as well as DEET Picaridin was developed by the German chemical company Bayer in the 1980s and used worldwide since 1998.

Whether you use DEET or the newer Picaridin to repel mosquitos the concentration must be high enough and you must reaply just like sunscreen early and often and everytime you get wet. Most do not use enough repellent and do not apply the repellent often enough to be effective.

We are sailing for 2 weeks in mid Feb.will the bugs be more scarce then?
Thanks,Ron

All my trips have been in February...it's just been the no see'ums ashore.

What you are looking for is 100% deet, you don't need much. Use it sparingly.
We use REI Jungle Juice 100 Insect Repellent

Just bought 4 spray bottles of Picardin 20% (Sawyer brand) based on your review along with Consumer Reports. I'll be holding you responsible for any bites <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />