Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

Hi, I'm going to New Zealand for two weeks from 3-19 March. I just
bought my Lonely Planet guidebook today, and one of the first things I
noticed in leafing through it are mentions of sandflies. They sound
like the midges I've encountered in Scotland and Ireland.

Are they the same thing? and, is summertime over enough by 3 March for
them to all have died off?

RSVP, please post,

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

No
midges are mild compared to sandfly bites
and No
bug season lasts much longer than calendar summer
--
like fu_ a porcupine
1000 pri_ks against one
_
"Dan Stephenson" wrote in message
...
Hi, I'm going to New Zealand for two weeks from 3-19 March. I just
bought my Lonely Planet guidebook today, and one of the first things I
noticed in leafing through it are mentions of sandflies. They sound
like the midges I've encountered in Scotland and Ireland.

Are they the same thing? and, is summertime over enough by 3 March for
them to all have died off?

RSVP, please post,

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

"Dan Stephenson" wrote in message
...
Hi, I'm going to New Zealand for two weeks from 3-19 March. I just
bought my Lonely Planet guidebook today, and one of the first things I
noticed in leafing through it are mentions of sandflies. They sound
like the midges I've encountered in Scotland and Ireland.

Are they the same thing? and, is summertime over enough by 3 March for
them to all have died off?

RSVP, please post,

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Sandflies are midges on steroids. Pesty little buggars.

Usually not that much of an issue if you use REPEL or RID or someform of
insect repelants.

They are only a bad problem around weed areas of the beach and places where
theres plenty of food for them.

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

"Scotty" wrote in message
u...

"Dan Stephenson" wrote in message
...
Hi, I'm going to New Zealand for two weeks from 3-19 March. I just
bought my Lonely Planet guidebook today, and one of the first things I
noticed in leafing through it are mentions of sandflies. They sound
like the midges I've encountered in Scotland and Ireland.

Are they the same thing? and, is summertime over enough by 3 March for
them to all have died off?

RSVP, please post,

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Sandflies are midges on steroids. Pesty little buggars.

Usually not that much of an issue if you use REPEL or RID or someform of
insect repelants.

They are only a bad problem around weed areas of the beach and places
where theres plenty of food for them.

They won't bother you at all, unless you are way off the beaten track; an
isolated beach, a swamp, or similar. I live in Dunedin and don't think I've
ever seen one here, or many other parts of N.Z. but have struck them when
walking the Milford track and similar places. Save your money - don't worry
about dimp or repel. If you really want some protection a bit of
disinfectant, mixed with some moisturizer or baby oil to stop it drying off
too quickly, and they won't go near you.

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

In article , Fred
wrote:

Sandflies are midges on steroids.

Oh wonderful. chuckle

Are they the same things on the beaches amongst the seaweed that swarm
away by your foot when you walk through them?

And thanks for the repellent suggestions. I might try one of those.

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

No they dont swarm away, they attack reletlessly, insect terminators, its
you or them

--
like fu_ a porcupine
1000 pri_ks against one
_
"Dan Stephenson" wrote in message
...
In article , Fred
wrote:

Sandflies are midges on steroids.

Oh wonderful. chuckle

Are they the same things on the beaches amongst the seaweed that swarm
away by your foot when you walk through them?

And thanks for the repellent suggestions. I might try one of those.

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

In article , Dan Stephenson
writes
In article , Fred
wrote:

Sandflies are midges on steroids.

Oh wonderful. chuckle

Are they the same things on the beaches amongst the seaweed that swarm
away by your foot when you walk through them?

Nope. These are kelp flies and they don't bite. You have no idea how
itchy and painful the sandfly bites can be until you have been bitten.
As a starter, take a mosquito bite and multiply it by a factor of 10.

There is an apocryphal story which comes from the Maori which says that
in order not to get bitten you must not stand still. (Indeed you do -
you keep running with arms waving about trying to stop the b*st*rds from
biting you).

PS. I did find that DEET 100% solution did help keep them off.

--
JohnM

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 14:20:22 GMT, in message
, Dan Stephenson wrote:

In article , Fred
wrote:

Sandflies are midges on steroids.

Oh wonderful. chuckle

Are they the same things on the beaches amongst the seaweed that swarm
away by your foot when you walk through them?


Sandhoppers? No, sandflies are not sandhoppers.

Some tips about sandflies:
1. While you keep walking they generally don't bother you.
But when you stop or sit down they can immediately attack.
2. They go away at night (unlike mosquitos).
3. They're only present in some parts of the country (generally
the most scenic parts).

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

"JohnM" wrote in message
...
In article , Dan Stephenson
writes
In article , Fred
wrote:

Sandflies are midges on steroids.

Oh wonderful. chuckle

Are they the same things on the beaches amongst the seaweed that swarm
away by your foot when you walk through them?

Nope. These are kelp flies and they don't bite. You have no idea how
itchy and painful the sandfly bites can be until you have been bitten.
As a starter, take a mosquito bite and multiply it by a factor of 10.


Hmmm, they arent actually *that* bad. Yeah, they are a PITA when ya get
bitten but once bitten, and regardless of what yourve got on you WILL get
bitten. Just use calamine lotion and stop the itching, failing that use a
cheap aftershave as the alcohol will dry it up and stop it itching.

Dont let them stop you visiting. If your paranoid them just wear long pants
and long sleeves. Wont stop them but will help out.

Are sandflies the same thing as midges?
 

On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 03:20:12 +0000, in message
, JohnM wrote:

You have no idea how
itchy and painful the sandfly bites can be until you have been bitten.
As a starter, take a mosquito bite and multiply it by a factor of 10.

They hurt a lot less if you roll them off instead of slapping them.


--
Cheers,
Ralph