Bushwalk Australia

NZ south is so tempting as a walking and camping location but for those pesky sandflies. What works to keep those sandflies at bay? Season? General insect repellent? Anything peculiar about these creatures? If they can be reliably kept away, then the whole area is so much more enjoyable.

I did a little research on these buggers for my writing about walking in NZ. I found the following hints.

A good start is to starve the buggers of exposed skin by wearing long sleeved shirts and trousers and a hat. Next you can put insect repellent on any exposed skin and on your hat. One I didn’t try, but which locals swear by, is to take vitamin B tablets. Apparently sandflies don’t like this, and as those great Australasian delicacies Marmite or Vegemite are full of it, some recommend large doses of this. If sandflies don’t like vitamin B, they DO like dark colours, so it’s best to avoid wearing black, navy and similar coloured clothing.

You can also consider the following:
* Tramp above 1500m as they don't survive well at altitude and in strong winds. But you mightn't either!
* Go in the colder months. We didn't have much trouble in spring, for instance.
* DEET repellent works, but I wouldn't use it (nasty to both skin and synthetic clothing). We used a DEET-free herbal repellent, that did a 90% job.

There's some other general info. in one of my blog posts http://www.naturescribe.com/2010/04/dragons-in-paradise-part-2.html

According to Maori legend the creator sent sandflies to stop the people from getting fat and lazy in beautiful Aotearoa. And in the end, you're likely to fall victim to the odd bite. When you do, just DON'T scratch it, as secondary infections can make you maddeningly itchy - and worse - for a long time. Disinfect bites and try really hard not to scratch.

cheers

Peter

Thanks Peter. I still can't work out why they have such huge sandfly models in Milford Sounds' cruise waiting area. Trying to scare all the tourists off?

Ruling out DEET, I wonder how well does Permethrin work against sandflies?

This looks interesting GPSG http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/08/best-insect-repellents/index.htm It looks like DEET works best, but Picaridin (whatever that is) is almost as effective. This was NOT specifically against NZ sandflies.

I'll also try and find out the brand name of the stuff we used.

cheers

Peter

So, would it be correct to understand that late spring, summer and early autumn are the worst seasons in terms of sandfly attacks? During our trip a year or two back, I read of many horrid stories of those early explorers and road gangs who suffered badly in the area.

Found it! We used Botanica "No Insects". They make a repellent as well as an itch reliever. Some details here http://www.healthpost.co.nz/shop-by-brand/natural-beauty-and-personal-care/botanica/no-insects-repellent-boirr

We found it reasonably effective, and quite pleasant smelling. In fact some mates and I imported a small supply for use in Tassie. Now when I smell it I'm back across the Tasman!

cheers

Peter

Interesting ingredients! Looked almost "healthy"! Will have to try to source a bottle when convenient.

Best cure- Altitude and temperature, well in the lower South Island anyway.
Late March/April last year on the Rees Dart and Routeburn =
Below 800m if your in the Beech forest - stay in the hut.......If you stop, they will find you after about 30 seconds. When your moving seldom are they an issue. Sometimes though they are nearly non existant in the forest. I was told they don't like sunlight. I will not go into details but my swim/bath in the Dart River (In full sunlight) at Daleys Flat hut ended rather poorly when I tried to sun dry next to the river
800m - 1000m, all good for about 3-5 minutes static, then run waving arms above head.
Above 1000m, enjoy the view (well for the most part, no promises)

Honestly though after 4 trips to the South Island they are just a minor nusance on occasion. Depends where you go I guess.

Yeah... 4 trips! Going with the family, I suspect I'll be on the rock after the first and never a second. Fourth then becomes a dream.

GPSGuided wrote:Yeah... 4 trips! Going with the family, I suspect I'll be on the rock after the first and never a second. Fourth then becomes a dream.

You might be suprised. I have done 3 of the trips with family. My wife who doesn't bushwalk much in Australia will even don the rain gear and "tramp" in NZ. My inlaws who think I'm a some kind of crazy man even "tramped" a day on the QCT. All those snow capped mountains soon inspire !!
Working on trip 5 now for next April, yes the family will be there......But I might slip away for a few days. Along these lines - How about that, There's a full walking pack in the suitcase, how did that get there .......look dear, there's a track there that I had no idea existed on the side of this random gravel rd 50km's from nowhere....., oh see you in a few days......

Ah! Another reason for UL. Can hide a full pack anywhere.

One I didn’t try, but which locals swear by, is to take vitamin B tablets. Apparently sandflies don’t like this, and as those great Australasian delicacies Marmite or Vegemite are full of it, some recommend large doses of this.

The first time I went to NZ tramping in 1988, I tried this. Started taking tablets a couple of weeks before I left home and took them while I was there. Still got bitten just as much as anyone else.

The interesting outcome was that for some of the group, the bites itched for a period, but left no lasting effects. For others, the bites became infected lumps that persisted for weeks.

A friend was working in Fiordland - being flown in and wandering around in the bush for several days and being flown out again.
His advice was "wear polyprope". ie cover all of your skin with something thick enough that they can't bite through it.
I would concur.
We also used Fisherman's Friend (DEET) and Tui (a nice "natural" beeswax based thing for the face - keeps your skin moist and fresh

davidmorr wrote:The interesting outcome was that for some of the group, the bites itched for a period, but left no lasting effects. For others, the bites became infected lumps that persisted for weeks.

On our trip to the west coast of the South Island (March 2004) I scored the trifecta - bites that itched insanely, followed by lumps (not infected) that lasted for several weeks, followed by purple blotches that lasted another few weeks. I think it was close to 8 weeks from the time the bites were inflicted until all traces of said bites disappeared.

sandflies in nz usually dont go very high above ground level,, they usually congretate on the legs... i've been sitting in a chair, my legs can be covered with sandflies but my upper body is free of them,, they dont like bright sunlight or wind or rain or night time, but thats still not a guarantee you wont be bitten in those conditions.
mozzies in nz theres less rules, dawn dusk or darkness and it's game on...
not sure about aus but in japan, mozzies do round the clock shifts....
sandflies don't have a long probe like mozies , they have a set of teeth so it doesnt take as much in the way of clothing to foil a sandfly. they dont drill through some fabrics as easily as mozzies.

Asian mozzies have been domesticated.

GPSGuided wrote:Asian mozzies have been domesticated.

Does that mean Malaria is a pet too?