Okay, last January on St. Thomas around Sapphire Beach I daily had at least 20 bites on me. I saw only the ocassional mosquitto, but I'd never saw the 'no see ums' - which is what others said were attacking them.

Some people in the area swore they'd never return to USVI because of the bugs. Some friends can't believe I'm going back.

So to better prepare myself for this coming January, I am doing my research ahead of time. Last year I used Cutter Deep Woods Off in the 20-30% DEET range depending upon current label. I'd spray in morning, especially legs and arms, I'd spray in evening.

Bites never really itched so bad, but I was full of red dots on my arms and legs. My body didn't like the bites as the dots would swell up like a thumb tack. Treating bites with tri-bacteria ointment or cortozone didn't make a difference.

In fact, spraying didn't seem to help on number of bites, but in evening around pool or out walking, spray helped reduce what was flying around me.

I tried garlic tablets, no effect.

And it doesn't help that the patio door on condo doesn't really seal.

Thoughts on improving my chances this coming Jan? Never had this problem sailing all those previous years.

Thanks for assistance. Oh, and those silly little lemon scented braclets don't work, but they sure smell nice.