Thread: sandflies

They say there are no dangerous animals in NZ…. apart of sandflies.

What kind of repellent or protection do you recommend?

Are sandflies a serious issue on the east coast at all?

Tea tree oil keeps the buggers off. Of course there is the old timers option of a teaspoon of kerosene for breakfast and sweat it out your pores....

They are only out during the day, overcast is worst, bright sunny day or rain they go away. Just keep moving if they find you

Originally Posted by 223nut

Tea tree oil keeps the buggers off. Of course there is the old timers option of a teaspoon of kerosene for breakfast and sweat it out your pores....

They are only out during the day, overcast is worst, bright sunny day or rain they go away. Just keep moving if they find you

The bastards on the west coast are out 24/7 rain hail or shine

DEET is your best friend and yes plenty on the East Coast anywhere there is bush

Some years ago, I did a tramp coast to coast, and we heard vitamin B is good, so we took it 2 weeks before, and during. Not a bite . The buggers would land on us then go away.

How did you take it?.

Like this...

I swear by “Uncle Ben’s” insect repellent!

If your near water or in the valley they’ll find you but if your up high there not around.

They don’t like the dark so they go off to sleep, cold frosty mornings their still asleep until the sun comes out.

In Fiordland we use these $10 head nets which are worth their weight in gold.

You don’t get sand flies up in the north island. Little bastards haven’t figured out how to fly across the Cook strait yet!

bushmans friend DEET is good ,the higher the deet % the better BUT BEWARE it eats plastic.....the likes of sunglasses dont do well with any on it at all. we now useing a teetree oil based spay on......covering up is always a good option...gloves with sleaves tucked in or vice versa.....the females bite you to suck blood so they can go and make little sandflies...some folk swell up a little some more so...I guess about 5% of a honey bee sting reaction would be normal. they last for a day on some folk 4-5 for others.the more you scrath the more they will itch.

we spent a week down haast way a few years ago...by third day the sandflies left me alone,wife and daughter got hammered...we would see now lot of campers turn up and start spaying crap like mad to get rid of the little black huas and you could just about see the squadrons forming up for next wave of attack...it was as you say 7mmwsm like a lure.....go good stuff or not at all.

Sandflies are the day shift, in the evenings they hand over to the mozzies.
West coast ones are bad but i think the ones in Canada are worse. Deet and lots of it and dont forget your ears. The sound and itch of one that gets in there is indescribable.

Thanks for all the pointers, everyone!

Just got back from a Funeral of my best mate :-(
He and many of his mates were ex Forrest School recruits who most went into Veni recovery and Air shooting etc
So heard heaps of great stories
Someone said your "Blood Type" can depend on Sand-fly effect etc
For memory (as my memory a tad blurred) Blood Type "O" is immune ????

Silly newbie question, I know wind direction is important however is it even more important when using really smelly insect repellants? Or are they only really smelly to human and to game animals they're 'normal' ?

Originally Posted by Sarvo

Just got back from a Funeral of my best mate :-(
He and many of his mates were ex Forrest School recruits who most went into Veni recovery and Air shooting etc
So heard heaps of great stories
Someone said your "Blood Type" can depend on Sand-fly effect etc
For memory (as my memory a tad blurred) Blood Type "O" is immune ????

I'm O neg and they barely bother it me. Conversely my wife is a magnet :-)