I always knew that I am loved by pesty bugs that bite. My worst enemy until recently was the mosquito. But I have a new nemesis, the noseeum flies. They are horrible and love me so much that they sacrifice themselves through the bug spray to die as they bite me. Allow me to better explain.
We had just returned to our campground in El Fuerte from our 5 day trip into the Copper Canyon. We are tired after an eight hour train ride and pretty much just go to sleep. Upon daybreak, we wake and decide to mingle with some our neighbors in the campground. Here is where we first meet Karen and Dale, our friends from Canada who, like us, also sold their house and are traveling by VW Vanagan through Mexico on their way to South America. There are more striking similarities between Chad and Dale such as sharing the same birthday, they both just got out of the military and they both are driving VW buses to South America.
But alas, I digress, back to the devil flies. I innocently stand next to Chad (who coincidently receives no bites) talking with our neighbors when we can´t help but notice the giant swarm of tiny flies all around us. I go to the car and apply a hefty amount of bug spray and return to the conversation. As we chat, we all try to ignore the swarm of flies, every now and then batting at them in vain. Soon, just a few minutes, I look down at my legs and notice a few black dots, which I proceed to flick away and notice a speck of blood left behind. Quickly realizing that the irritating flies are biting me through the bug spray, I gear up and put on some long pants and long sleeve shirt. But it is too late. The next day, I counted 18 bites on one leg and 22 on the other, and a few on my arms, but not as many as on my legs.
So, I don´t seem totally insensitive, I understand that the noseeums need to feed on my blood to make their eggs in order to reproduce, but do the bites have to itch as bad as they do? I don´t mind being bitten, but they itched so bad, I couldn´t resist and scratched myself raw. I looked like a walking freak with open soars on my legs. Not that I think noseeums serve any useful purpose on this Earth but I´m not that convince that we, humans, serve a very useful purpose either, so therefore I shouldn´t judge. But after my experience, I wish them all dead. I don´t know… is that bad?
Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite
April 14, 2008
Hi Chad and Ana! I’m so glad to hear that you guys are doing well, haven’t had a chance to read or view the new postings as we just got back from our trip and are in VA with Dave and Amber right now. Can’t wait to read and look at what you’ve been up to when we get back to Seattle. You guys stay safe and Talk to you soon!! love you both. PS everyone says Hi!!!!! love, Netters! miss you!!!
August 31, 2008
I got bit by a no seeum on my foot & it itched so bad i HAD to scratch it && now its swelled up i cant even walk : (
January 14, 2009
OMG. You can’t even imagine how great your idea was good when you decided to put this picture on the internet. I don’t know you and I am a Quebequer( that’s why my english is that bad…) And just as I came back from cuba, I noticed scratchs like yours on my legs and everybody else on the internet was talking about (larves) which are littles bugs that live UNDER(!) the human skin… so .. anyhow thank you now I know that you’re still alive and what is on my legs is nothing really bad ( compare to what I had though. 
April 20, 2010
OMG! Finally someone else who had been subjected to the horrific itchiness of this nasty microscopic pest! I have enjoyed thoroughly the early warming temperatures of this spring UNTIL I decided to read a delicious novel on my deck after an exasperating week. WhaT may I ask was delicious? Apparently I was a complete feast to these evil-posessed creatures from H–L! I have been scratching non-stop since yesterday and am almost praying I would rather see a mosquito (heaven strictly forbid!), those are absolutely insane in this swamp as well. So I have to say that these miniscule little suckers are sent straight from hell and now occupy what was left of our sane lives and I’m sure the miserable saga will continue…from just outside Winnipeg, Manitoba
June 13, 2010
Heyy
I took a summer camp job working in Northern Ontario, and while shovelling up a terribly old campfire, I was completely surrounded by these bugs. Do theylive in ash or something? Ah! The next day, driving to the other base, I scratched my forearms with straight paper and felt good but later more appeared above my elbows and ankles uhhh I looked dieased. Ive been trying to sauna-it but iwish had worn spray! Ana, those look like INTENSE bites though. hope you got better soon!
Ana says: Snejana,sorry to hear you got bit also. The bugs were probably living on the ground around the campfire and got stirred up when you were working. I was wearing OFF bugspray when I was eaten up, I think the only way to avoid the bites is to be totally covered with clothes. I didn’t find too much that made the bites go away more quickly other than not scratching them and waiting about a week. It was a painful week! Good luck!
June 20, 2010
Just counted 300 noseeum bites from NM! Yuck!
Ana says: Yikes! That sounds like hell! Good luck and try not to scratch too much.
June 27, 2010
A friend advised me to use Preperation H with Vitamin E and Aloe and said that it would help alleviate the itching. It worked wonders! And is the only thing I found that would take the itch away from noseeum bites.
July 14, 2010
I just went on my second camping trip to a beach in Connecticut. Last year while camping I received over 130 bites from these horrible creatures. This year I thought I protected myself, but managed to get bitten 71 times. I can’t wait to spend another couple of weeks this year walking around looking like I have some kind of disease.
July 26, 2010
As I stand here in florida w/over a 100 bites on one foot, I have to agree w/u - all noseeums should die
July 27, 2010
Just this summer, I have experienced noseeums for the first time,( new resident of North carolina). All my life, ( 56 years), I have been a mosquito magnet, and I thought that they were bad enough, but these noseeums are equally brutal!!! And for those who suggest that wearing clothes helps to deter them, my legs and torso were bitten from under my clothing. Don’t know how those little buggers got under the clothes, but they did!!!! I have tried Preperation H and Witch Hazel, both to no avail. 
August 18, 2010
Hey guys I was charging an a/c outside unit and before I knew it I had been bitten about 18 times around my stomach, back and chest, and I had on clothes. I had on a short sleeve shirt and they never bit me on my arms. I have been able to relieve the itching some with anti itch creams used for poison ivy.
August 22, 2010
Just returned from a trip to my dads in Florida - 160 noseeum bites on my legs alone…not counting the ones on my arms…I have scratched myself raw…this is the second time it has happened to me…both times same place in Florida…
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