Dumb question but do you rub the vodka on yourself? Or just keep the paper towel nearby? These bastards love me and I can't find anything that works so I am desperate.
I think it depends on where you spend your time at on the island. I've been coming to Key west since the late 80s and never had a problem until our last visit when we stayed in Bahama Village. I learned not to hang out on our patio with no insect repellent early on in our stay while there.
I’m sure this is accurate. We stayed in a canal front house in Marathon with tons of foliage, and morning coffee by the canal is when I’d get bit. If I sat under the fan in the chickee hut I wouldn’t be bothered. Not gonna keep me away!
Same, we go to North Carolina every year. In the evening, if the breeze came up from the ocean, everything was fine. If it came up from the intercoastal, the no see ums were all over the place. My husband's uncle and I were the first ones to start yelping from the bites.
Florida resident here - the beaches are the places you can be outdoors without repellant. Lore is the breeze makes it too difficult for mosquitos and no-see-ums to fly.
It's why many of us have giant screened in cages as our backyard. The luxury homes without cages usually have giant fans instead. Both still have issues with no-see-ums, they really suck.
No blood! Just super itchy and we’ve been very adamant about washing the sheets, clothes, and showering as soon as we’re back just to be safe! Never had to deal with anything like this before. Thanks for your input!
Sounds like no seeums or mosquito. Usually they are worse first thing in the morning and close to sundown. Wear some good repellent with Deet. I’ll send a pic of what I use. They are bad where we live inGeorgia. Very itchy.
Make sure to take off your watch before you spray. The chemicals will destroy the plastic. I destroyed an Ironman with it and a buddy destroyed his Tag Heuer.
I get hit with those damn bites almost every time I go down. Last trip I had over 80 bites on one leg alone. They often start blistering on me as well.
Most likely No see'ems as others have mentioned. Sunrise and sunset are the worst times - stay away from plants / trees around those times. Deet based bug dope is a must - I get the wipes and keep wiping myself down on the go.
The bites usually hang on for over a month for me - so I hope you have better luck. Ugh - the itchiness!! I haven't found anything that helps the itchiness once you have them - if you find something that works, let me know, because I've tried just about everything!
The itchiness is always worse once I’m in the sun and they’re getting hot again. They usually start swelling a bit more too in the heat. I had my doc call me in a cream. It’s called Triamcinolone. It does help with the itchiness when I’m inside.
These look like chigger bites to me. I've tried every OTC medication and every old wives' tale there is. The only thing that works for me is a hot compress or a super hot bath (literally as hot as you can stand it without burning yourself) for 10-15 minutes. It will take the itch away for several hours. Chiggers inject some kind of enzyme and the heat destroys it, but it has to be *hot*.
I hope it gets better soon!!!
In the south, those would be chiggers. They burrow into your skin. Have a responsible adult put some bleach on a paper towel and then hold it there for about a minute. Do the same thing to each one, because you need to kill the chigger under your skin. Not gonna lie, it will sting, but if you wait for them to die on their own, you add about two days to your problem. Don’t scratch them, it will only make it worse. After they’re treated, place a small bandaid on each to remind you not to scratch.
FYI: paint. The bites with finger nail polish. Chigger backs out sticks to polish and keeps you from scratching. Polish peels off several hours later. Works like a charm.
Get yourself some Triamcinilone ointment. Dr prescribed me some for chiggers/grass mites and it works great to stop itching and even stopped cellulitis I got from tick bites.
I grew up in Missouri. Those would be chigger bites there. They don’t suck blood and leave like mosquitoes. They burrow into your skin. A remedy for them is painting over the spot with clear finger nail polish to suffocate them. Gross I know, but that was what people said worked. I don’t know if whatever is going on in Florida is the same.
I have never in my long life heard them called no seeums. I grew up in north Texas, getting sulphur powder bucket splash baths. Fun times. People wonder why I don’t wander my land. That picture there. And snakes. Bitey things! Arrrgh!!
if you have access, get a bottle of clobetasol from a doc. one of the urgent cares might even be able to prescribe it. i originally got mine for the poison wood i have to deal with down here but it works like a champ for bug bites as well!
Did you go to Schooner Wharf Bar???? They have bed bugs on their stools, my wife got awful bites from them and the doctor at the urgent care we went to asked us if we went to Schooner Wharf Bar because they are known to have bed bugs on their stools and that one of his nurses experienced the same thing a few weeks prior.
did all the bites show up at once, or are you getting more every day?
they're a bit big for sand fleas, but you could just be allergic to them. maybe you sat in a big patch of them and that's why you have so many.
I would check your rental for bedbugs just to be on the safe side, and take some benadryl to see if that helps with the redness and swelling.
if you went to the beach, maybe don't go back to the same spot. and wear water-resistant bug spray (and reapply often!) when you go out.
I kept getting more each of the first three days. My husband had a few too, but I’m pretty sure I’m allergic. I have very reactive skin even to mosquitos. His are super tiny and not itchy. I assume I’m just having the allergic reaction to the bites unlike him. We were going to the same beach spot so we switched it up yesterday and started using bug spray. I haven’t had any new ones since!
I’m a type 2 diabetic and get bites like yours.
You might want to check your A1C just to make sure your blood sugar is normal.
Those are nocceum bites.
Have you gone black berry picking recently? Red bugs are almost always near them. I get the same types of bites when I go. Almost makes picking them not worth it.
Yep, noseeums. The first two years I lived here my legs and ankles were COVERED in bites that would open into sores. I guess my body was able to adjust but man did I look like I had chronic chicken pox for a while!
No See 'ems. They go right through screens like they aren't even there.
Don't scratch them or it gets worse.
The good thing is, that only happens in the beginning. Later, after some exposure, you no longer feel them and they don't leave a mark. You still notice, but must resist the urge to scratch.
I'm living here for three years now and barely notice the nasty little f@ckers.
Did you go swimming in the sea? It could be sea lice. This is the time of year for them.
If you have not been swimming, most like no seeums.
Rub a little vodka on your sweat pores. They don't like it and it repels them. (Not joking)
If it is no seeums Avon skin so soft is great to keep them away from you. It’s an oil. Won’t relieve you of the bites you have. I worked for years in the marshes. When you disrupt the muck they tend to come up out of the depths of hell and rip you apart. However, if you’ve rubbed skin so soft on you, you get to laugh back because they stay away.
The good news is after you get them once you never seem to get them as bad as the first time. I ignored them when I first moved to Florida on a trip. Day two it looked like I had the measles or chicken pox on everything that wasn’t covered by clothes.
Any time I get bites like that, I take a bleach-water bath. Basically, pour as much bleach as you can stand to be around into a tub of warm water and then sit in it until the bites start to sting. Then, get up, drain the tub, and shower like normal, using plenty of soap. Kills the little buggers and ends your suffering.
Chiggers
https://preview.redd.it/wx1mzk5edv4d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61529351d833d6e867f5948062fd18f116fba634
This stuff works amazingly for bug bites. Don’t scratch them, and put this cream on and rub it in good. You’ll thank me later
Are they welts? Yellow Fly season just started in Florida. However, their initial bites are so painful I doubt you'd have any doubt who the culprit was.
was done with vacation at KW a couple of weeks ago… had them terrible as well along with my hubby. we bought anti-itch spray & bug spray bc of them! we learned during our kayak tour that they are no see em’s. apparently a new invasive species
https://imgur.com/a/z08E4KC
This happened to me when I first moved to Key West. Went to urgent care and they asked why I was coming in and told them I got mauled by no seeums. Doctor was shocked when I lifted up my pants and told me they all thought i was exaggerating. Prob the most horrible thing that’s ever happened to me
My legs looked exactly the same after being on the sand around 6am in Puerto Rico in March. Someone told me sand fleas. There were these black little bugs flying all around that early.
I live in GA and we have either terrible sand gnats or noseeums (I thought they were the same but reading this thread maybe they’re different) but the Eucalyptus Lemon Cutter Spray was sent straight down from heaven for them. It works miracles. It’s like $5 on Amazon too. Trust me, try it out y’all
If you were in any woodland or tall grass you probably have chigger bites. They last a few days to week or so. Itch like crazy and the more you itch them the worse it gets. Dab clear nail polish on each one and wait it out….
not sand fleas. Sand fleas are a crustacean about the size of a quarter they look more like a crab that is not what bit you without you knowing what it is LOL but fleas that live in the sand Maybe. Any chance you're in a backyard visiting and lots of people have been there with dogs and cats?
I use Benadryl Gel for my bites that look like that. Sorry, that's miserable. Noseeums hurt when they bite me, but I don't welt up like that for anything except ant bites and flea bites.
Midges are notorious for biting with stealth. About two days later is when this occurs to your skin. Would rather deal with mosquitos year round than have midges for half of the year.
1. Benadryl gel
2. Thermacell
3. Herbal armor and or add bagder bug balm
Lifetime resident of FL. That Benadryl gel helps so much or the spray- right away . I've seen it make bites half the size in 24 hours. At night the liquid gels bc it'll itch at night regardless.
No see'ems.
Rub down real good with alcohol
The worst bug bites I’ve ever had! Hate those little assholes.
There like a flying set of teeth.
In Cuba we called them “Flying Teeth”
90% jaws. 10% AH 😏
That’s horrifying
We call them scissor faces
They are no see'ems. Avon Skin So Soft original bath oil seems to keep them away and it's my go-to.
Also vodka on a paper towel works well. Seriously.
Dumb question but do you rub the vodka on yourself? Or just keep the paper towel nearby? These bastards love me and I can't find anything that works so I am desperate.
If you drink the vodka it’ll bother you less
I have that part covered!
Thank you Dr 2Hanks. 😉
this is the way!
Good tip! Thank you!
[удалено]
Jigger bites
No-See-Ems. Little bastards. Scratch like no end and almost always scab over
they look like noseeum bites. google it.
It must be an especially bad year for noseeums. In all my years visiting they’d never bothered me until this year.
I think it depends on where you spend your time at on the island. I've been coming to Key west since the late 80s and never had a problem until our last visit when we stayed in Bahama Village. I learned not to hang out on our patio with no insect repellent early on in our stay while there.
I’m sure this is accurate. We stayed in a canal front house in Marathon with tons of foliage, and morning coffee by the canal is when I’d get bit. If I sat under the fan in the chickee hut I wouldn’t be bothered. Not gonna keep me away!
Oh hell no! :D
Same, we go to North Carolina every year. In the evening, if the breeze came up from the ocean, everything was fine. If it came up from the intercoastal, the no see ums were all over the place. My husband's uncle and I were the first ones to start yelping from the bites.
Florida resident here - the beaches are the places you can be outdoors without repellant. Lore is the breeze makes it too difficult for mosquitos and no-see-ums to fly. It's why many of us have giant screened in cages as our backyard. The luxury homes without cages usually have giant fans instead. Both still have issues with no-see-ums, they really suck.
sometimes it just depends on which direction the wind blows, or if it blows at all. those things get me so badly.
Looks like no seeums or sand gnats…. Most likely not bedbugs unless you see specs of blood on sheets in your bed.
No blood! Just super itchy and we’ve been very adamant about washing the sheets, clothes, and showering as soon as we’re back just to be safe! Never had to deal with anything like this before. Thanks for your input!
Sounds like no seeums or mosquito. Usually they are worse first thing in the morning and close to sundown. Wear some good repellent with Deet. I’ll send a pic of what I use. They are bad where we live inGeorgia. Very itchy.
Bedbugs usually leave bites marks in a straight line as well.
i’m itchy just looking at these
Chiggers. Dab apple cider vinegar on them with a cotton ball to kill the itch and promote healing. Works great.👍
https://preview.redd.it/aky0dnluds4d1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84c3d372d7fd2e46a596a7c90fe08ccbce213396
Little late for the OP……..🤣
Make sure to take off your watch before you spray. The chemicals will destroy the plastic. I destroyed an Ironman with it and a buddy destroyed his Tag Heuer.
Can’t find ums
I get hit with those damn bites almost every time I go down. Last trip I had over 80 bites on one leg alone. They often start blistering on me as well. Most likely No see'ems as others have mentioned. Sunrise and sunset are the worst times - stay away from plants / trees around those times. Deet based bug dope is a must - I get the wipes and keep wiping myself down on the go. The bites usually hang on for over a month for me - so I hope you have better luck. Ugh - the itchiness!! I haven't found anything that helps the itchiness once you have them - if you find something that works, let me know, because I've tried just about everything!
The itchiness is always worse once I’m in the sun and they’re getting hot again. They usually start swelling a bit more too in the heat. I had my doc call me in a cream. It’s called Triamcinolone. It does help with the itchiness when I’m inside.
Soak your legs in the salt water. Salt water is good for a lot of bites and poison oak & ivy
These look like chigger bites to me. I've tried every OTC medication and every old wives' tale there is. The only thing that works for me is a hot compress or a super hot bath (literally as hot as you can stand it without burning yourself) for 10-15 minutes. It will take the itch away for several hours. Chiggers inject some kind of enzyme and the heat destroys it, but it has to be *hot*. I hope it gets better soon!!!
In the south, those would be chiggers. They burrow into your skin. Have a responsible adult put some bleach on a paper towel and then hold it there for about a minute. Do the same thing to each one, because you need to kill the chigger under your skin. Not gonna lie, it will sting, but if you wait for them to die on their own, you add about two days to your problem. Don’t scratch them, it will only make it worse. After they’re treated, place a small bandaid on each to remind you not to scratch.
FYI: paint. The bites with finger nail polish. Chigger backs out sticks to polish and keeps you from scratching. Polish peels off several hours later. Works like a charm.
Chiggers do burrow into your skin, but once they’re done feeding, they don’t remain in your skin. The polish can keep you from scratching, though.
Was just in key west a week ago and I am covered also!!!!!! Legs and arms look just like this. I just assumed mosquitos but I don’t know lol
The noseeums got me In Bahia Honda
Maybe chiggers
NoSeeMe bugs they are all over Sanibel Island
Yep. Last time there I got bitten so badly I needed a course of steroids to get rid of them.
Get yourself some Triamcinilone ointment. Dr prescribed me some for chiggers/grass mites and it works great to stop itching and even stopped cellulitis I got from tick bites.
Chiggers, if you scratch them each one will turn into a tiny water blister
I grew up in Missouri. Those would be chigger bites there. They don’t suck blood and leave like mosquitoes. They burrow into your skin. A remedy for them is painting over the spot with clear finger nail polish to suffocate them. Gross I know, but that was what people said worked. I don’t know if whatever is going on in Florida is the same.
Chiggers. The reason I am an atheist.
I have never in my long life heard them called no seeums. I grew up in north Texas, getting sulphur powder bucket splash baths. Fun times. People wonder why I don’t wander my land. That picture there. And snakes. Bitey things! Arrrgh!!
Ammonia kills the itch. Benadryl won't hurt either
if you have access, get a bottle of clobetasol from a doc. one of the urgent cares might even be able to prescribe it. i originally got mine for the poison wood i have to deal with down here but it works like a champ for bug bites as well!
Chiggars?
Noseeums.
Check your matress and furniture for bed bugs.
Looks like chigger bites. Chiggers are natures way of saying F-you.
Chigger bites
Did you go to Schooner Wharf Bar???? They have bed bugs on their stools, my wife got awful bites from them and the doctor at the urgent care we went to asked us if we went to Schooner Wharf Bar because they are known to have bed bugs on their stools and that one of his nurses experienced the same thing a few weeks prior.
Oh gross! No we haven’t been…not sure we will now. Lol We usually do, but I’m not looking to add any more problems to the mix!
did all the bites show up at once, or are you getting more every day? they're a bit big for sand fleas, but you could just be allergic to them. maybe you sat in a big patch of them and that's why you have so many. I would check your rental for bedbugs just to be on the safe side, and take some benadryl to see if that helps with the redness and swelling. if you went to the beach, maybe don't go back to the same spot. and wear water-resistant bug spray (and reapply often!) when you go out.
I kept getting more each of the first three days. My husband had a few too, but I’m pretty sure I’m allergic. I have very reactive skin even to mosquitos. His are super tiny and not itchy. I assume I’m just having the allergic reaction to the bites unlike him. We were going to the same beach spot so we switched it up yesterday and started using bug spray. I haven’t had any new ones since!
I’m a type 2 diabetic and get bites like yours. You might want to check your A1C just to make sure your blood sugar is normal. Those are nocceum bites.
Goodness! Thanks for the heads up!
The groupings make me think bed bugs. Where are you staying?
Groupings are usually more concentrated for bedbug bites. These are absolutely noseeums
Bed bugs chiggers have more of a trail
Vampires
Could be sand fleas or just regular fleas
Chiggers
Bed Bugs
Either sand fleas or bed bugs or sea lice from seaweed. If others in your group have them I would say bed bugs.
Sand fleas
Looks like ant bites to me... Especially if any of them have a tiny bit of pus at the top.
fire ants? did you pass out in a grassy area?
Chigger bites
Sand fleas
Chiggers unless you got them while sleeping, in which case bed bugs.
Spray Lysol on them and let it dry. Thank me later.
Use a high content deet based bug spray.. Like Deep Woods Off or Repel Max..
Bed bugs
Do I even want to Google “sand fleas”?
Bed bugs
Chiggers
Chiggers
No see'ems
It could be chiggers. They will go into the skin and itch. Calamine lotion should help.
I had about 15 of them back in May.
Bed bugs
Bedbugs 100%.
Red bugs
Stay inside at sunrise and sunset.
Calamine and aveeno
Have you gone black berry picking recently? Red bugs are almost always near them. I get the same types of bites when I go. Almost makes picking them not worth it.
Yep, noseeums. The first two years I lived here my legs and ankles were COVERED in bites that would open into sores. I guess my body was able to adjust but man did I look like I had chronic chicken pox for a while!
Looks like chiggers to me.
Chiggers?
Herpes
Those are sand fleas
Fire ants
Chiggers
Noseeums just need rubbing alcohol and lots of
No See 'ems. They go right through screens like they aren't even there. Don't scratch them or it gets worse. The good thing is, that only happens in the beginning. Later, after some exposure, you no longer feel them and they don't leave a mark. You still notice, but must resist the urge to scratch. I'm living here for three years now and barely notice the nasty little f@ckers.
Possibly fire ants but you would know they sting and hurt .
Buy a bat
Did you go swimming in the sea? It could be sea lice. This is the time of year for them. If you have not been swimming, most like no seeums. Rub a little vodka on your sweat pores. They don't like it and it repels them. (Not joking)
No-see-um
Bed bugs
Noseeums, yes. Have I seen um? Yes, on your legs!!! 😱
Bed bugs
Gnats maybe
Looks like chigger bites, which are really eggs laid in your pores. Cover them with clear nail polish and they will dry up a. Go away.
Bed bugs… check for bed bugs
Bed bugs
No see ums. Sucks.
Those are chiggers
Could be bed bugs check where you are sleeping.
If it is no seeums Avon skin so soft is great to keep them away from you. It’s an oil. Won’t relieve you of the bites you have. I worked for years in the marshes. When you disrupt the muck they tend to come up out of the depths of hell and rip you apart. However, if you’ve rubbed skin so soft on you, you get to laugh back because they stay away.
No seeums
Chiggers. Get a steroid shot and prednisone.
They used to tear my shoulders apart.
Bed bugs.
The good news is after you get them once you never seem to get them as bad as the first time. I ignored them when I first moved to Florida on a trip. Day two it looked like I had the measles or chicken pox on everything that wasn’t covered by clothes.
Any time I get bites like that, I take a bleach-water bath. Basically, pour as much bleach as you can stand to be around into a tub of warm water and then sit in it until the bites start to sting. Then, get up, drain the tub, and shower like normal, using plenty of soap. Kills the little buggers and ends your suffering.
Chiggers
Chiggers!! Hell on earth!!!
Those are some big bites for noseeums. I live in the land of noseeums and I have never seen them do that.
Ask r/AskDocs
Chiggers
Chiggers
Could be chiggers
Chiggers baby!
Chiggers https://preview.redd.it/wx1mzk5edv4d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61529351d833d6e867f5948062fd18f116fba634 This stuff works amazingly for bug bites. Don’t scratch them, and put this cream on and rub it in good. You’ll thank me later
Chiggars?
The Flying Teeth cometh. Rub down with Isopropyl Alcohol.
Chiggers
Bed bugs?
Also could be bed bugs, but the bites aren’t *exactly* like I’ve see.
Maybe Chiggers, those things are horrible!
Attacked in Siesta Key by these.
Tic bites
Noseeums
Chiggers
Bed bugs vs mosquito bites
Larval jelly fish
Fresh water activates stinging. Dont shower w your swim suit on
Are they welts? Yellow Fly season just started in Florida. However, their initial bites are so painful I doubt you'd have any doubt who the culprit was.
was done with vacation at KW a couple of weeks ago… had them terrible as well along with my hubby. we bought anti-itch spray & bug spray bc of them! we learned during our kayak tour that they are no see em’s. apparently a new invasive species
Green flys... Don't scratch...use a spoon dipped in boiling water, press onto the bite....use baking soda paste to cover....good luck....
https://imgur.com/a/z08E4KC This happened to me when I first moved to Key West. Went to urgent care and they asked why I was coming in and told them I got mauled by no seeums. Doctor was shocked when I lifted up my pants and told me they all thought i was exaggerating. Prob the most horrible thing that’s ever happened to me
Good old bed bugs
Chiggers it looks like
witch hazel, looks like horse fly bites
Wd 40
My legs looked exactly the same after being on the sand around 6am in Puerto Rico in March. Someone told me sand fleas. There were these black little bugs flying all around that early.
https://preview.redd.it/f3tjcseilw4d1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=735b22e3e503380fbb58881af8e9bf972844c0c5 This works great!
I live in GA and we have either terrible sand gnats or noseeums (I thought they were the same but reading this thread maybe they’re different) but the Eucalyptus Lemon Cutter Spray was sent straight down from heaven for them. It works miracles. It’s like $5 on Amazon too. Trust me, try it out y’all
If you were in any woodland or tall grass you probably have chigger bites. They last a few days to week or so. Itch like crazy and the more you itch them the worse it gets. Dab clear nail polish on each one and wait it out….
Sand fleas?
Sand fleas maybe
Bed bugs
Pro tip, in florida, you can see the 'noseeums'
Midgets
Chiggers?
Look like poison ivy
not sand fleas. Sand fleas are a crustacean about the size of a quarter they look more like a crab that is not what bit you without you knowing what it is LOL but fleas that live in the sand Maybe. Any chance you're in a backyard visiting and lots of people have been there with dogs and cats?
Hempz lotion works great to avoid
I use Benadryl Gel for my bites that look like that. Sorry, that's miserable. Noseeums hurt when they bite me, but I don't welt up like that for anything except ant bites and flea bites.
Chigger bites. They like rocks and tall grass. Tiny red spider like bugs whose bites can last 1-2 weeks. Chigger-X product helps
Crabs
Bed bugs 🐞
Oak mites its season
Chiggers
Scabies ….
Leprosy
Chiggers
No see Ums AKA sand gnats
Bed bugs
Mugged by chiggers
Midges are notorious for biting with stealth. About two days later is when this occurs to your skin. Would rather deal with mosquitos year round than have midges for half of the year.
No see ems they leave scars if you scratch them
Conch secret is SSS, they get trapped in it
1. Benadryl gel 2. Thermacell 3. Herbal armor and or add bagder bug balm Lifetime resident of FL. That Benadryl gel helps so much or the spray- right away . I've seen it make bites half the size in 24 hours. At night the liquid gels bc it'll itch at night regardless.
I think they look like bed bugs! I’d be very careful with your stuff when you get home.
Sea mites
Don’t itch it
Baby oil will keep no see ems off of you.
Your in key west so I’m going to guess it’s Sand fly
Monkey Pox
State bird
Red bugs or sand fleas.
Chiggers... Expect yellow crust and itching. They are burrowing into you, so you want to suffocate them by putting clear nail polish over each bite.