There is an annoying, tiny creature known by the scientific name of Ceratopogonidae that is barely noticeable yet powerful enough to scare grown men. Common names include biting midges, punkies, sand fleas, sand gnats and black flies but the most common of names is no-see-ems. Many other names cannot be written as they are a laundry list of four-letter words!
While you can actually see them, they are so small that until you are either bitten or swarmed by them, you would not know they were there. But if you do get bitten – you know it immediately – and if you saw a close-up view of their razor sharp teeth, you understand why you feel that bite! Then wait a little bit and that bite gets irritated, red and itchy. They tend to swarm in packs and suddenly become so overwhelming that people of all ages go into a frenzied state of shooing and slapping to get rid of them. They are especially fond of hiding in hair and will irritate you to the very edge of sanity if you don’t immediately repel them or go inside. Many wonderful outdoor events are cut short or avoided altogether for fear of the dreaded no-see-ems!
Ask anyone who has served in Iraq or Afghanistan about the sand fleas over there. They were so bad during the Gulf War that the military began infusing uniforms with pesticides along with ongoing spraying of service personnel, facilities and bedding trying desperately to control them. How did that work out? Well, the sand fleas became resistant to the pesticides. However, the worst fall out is the Gulf War Illness which the Department of Defense now recognizes is directly attributed to pesticide exposure. Classify that as an epic failure for all concerned.
Clearly no-see-ems are difficult to control. Some people try a pre-emptive strike by spraying breeding grounds to kill them before they procreate but spraying all the areas a no-see-em could breed is beyond unreasonable. A variety of products tout that they are effective in repelling but experience proves otherwise. Some smell worse than the bites hurt while some (like those containing DEET or permethrin) are clearly not safe (see above comments on Gulf War Illness). One product in particular that claims to control is merely a heavy oil product that traps them when they land. In that case, why not just slather on vegetable oil? Yuck! After all these options, is there anything that works, is safe and doesn’t require immediate bathing?
Greenbug All Natural Pest Control Products are the perfect control for no-see-ems! Greenbug for People is a very light, spray that can be used for personal protection. If widespread control is the goal, a Greenbug System provides Automatic Pest Control through your irrigation system to create a pest-free barrier that no-see-ems not dare cross!
So when you play golf, when your children play outside, when you attend an outdoor evening soiree, you can be free of no-see-ems! No more being a victim – you are now in charge and no-see-ems are helpless against the power of Greenbug!