Princess Cays Bugs

[bobhsv]

Hehehe Shogun.......only joking....come on downunder, we have a nice variety of biting things too. Was the Scot bite a white tip spider, if you have them there? The venom from their tiny bite, that you hardly notice, eats your flesh away if not tended to, but only gradually! Your symptoms sound similar. This is not meant to scare you off Oz btw.

Jen

[Shogun]

Hi bobhsv,

 

Plan one day to do Aus, but will have to be by ship, DW hates bugs, snakes spiders etc, so has already said no way is she spending a night on land.

 

Bug that bite was nothing fancy it was the bacteria that got in then did not respond to penicillin that did the damage.

 

Just now temps here are falling which means we get the big house spiders

coming indoors harmless but a 3inch spider in your bed running up your leg

still makes you jimp

 

yours Shogun

[Reader0108598]

shogun glad to see you are doing better! About those spiders ewwwwww:eek:

 

We have tiny ones here and I pulled my bed apart one day when one ran across it,mattress box spring and all! Dh thought I had lost my mind.:rolleyes:

 

Something about them creepy crawly legs! I am shuddering sitting here right now!

 

Reader

[Nan-L]

Wow, going on a B2B next month to most of these places and my daughter and grandson (12) are also goingh the 1st half.

This is scary

[grandmaa]

Hope you are completely recovered and thank you for the heads up. We are off to the Caribbean in a few weeks and this is great info..this board is great with the news that is shared.

[C Cruise Dude]

Peachy!! What is our defense against that? Spray?

 

Cedarcide will likely deal with it without Deet, strong smell though. :eek:

[crusinpeg]

Does anyone have a brand name product that contains DEET that can be purchased in the US?

[GLCAS]

Watkins Insect repellent in Canada is recommended by travel agents.

[Shogun]

Hi bighairtexan

 

I see we are crusing together

 

 

yours Shogun

[retiredldo]

Does anyone have a brand name product that contains DEET that can be purchased in the US?

 

 

Bens and you can get it up to 99.9 % deet

 

Pete

[crusinpeg]

Sorry...your link's not working.

[bighairtexan]

Hi bighairtexan

 

I see we are crusing together

 

 

yours Shogun

 

 

I look forward to meeting you. I enjoy your posts. Oh and I've signed up for the 2 7 day roll calls.:)

[retiredldo]

Sorry...your link's not working.

 

It was just a photo of Bens you can google it, it is very good stuff

 

Pete

[msmarvel]

I was in Bangkok earlier in the year for work, so I had to get vaccines and I also got a malaria kit. Luckily the city did not have dengue.

 

But....dengue skeeters bite during the day, not at dusk/night like most mosquitos.

 

They gave me Ultrathon repellent, high levels of Deet but it sits on your skin and does not get absorbed like Deep Woods Off or Cutter.

 

Also, you can pre-treat your clothes with a spray that lasts 2 weeks or a washing, but not sure where to get that.

[Putterdude]

Does anyone have a brand name product that contains DEET that can be purchased in the US?

 

In the sporting goods department of your local Walmart you will likely find two brands, one being Off, that come in small pump bottles for about $5

[Mary Ellen1]

Does anyone have a brand name product that contains DEET that can be purchased in the US?

 

Look on amazon-dot-com if you want to purchase some before your cruise. For ease of packing, I'd recommend you look at the wipes, not the spray can. I saw one made by Off that had 25% DEET. There may be higher concentrations available... We got the wipes at our local Walmart, before our Alaska cruise.

 

Happy cruising!

[Mozo9]

But it really isn't a good idea to apply DEET products directly to your skin. The chemical is absorbed through the skin into your blood and is harmful. Spray on your clothes and hat.

 

Other remedies to keep mozzies away. Lemon scented or lavender cologne. Avon Skin So Soft, but only the Soft and Fresh Body Lotion. Eat lots of food containing garlic or take garlic supplements. Take vitamin B6 supplements.

 

Take antihistamines with you.

[msmarvel]

As I mentioned above, Ultrathon is NOT absorbed by your skin like Deep Woods Off or Cutter type repellents - actually absoprtion of it lessens its effectiveness. It's a thick cream like sunscreen. It really does last 12 hours, so you don't need to keep reapplying it. Made by 3M and some of this is from their website.

 

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Ultrathon/Products/Where-to-Buy/List-of-Retailers/

 

 

 

HE MOST EFFECTIVE INSECT REPELLENT AVAILABLE! Ultrathon was originally developed for the U.S. military for use in challenging environments that require long-lasting protection. Because of its proven effectiveness, Ultrathon is the repellent most recommended by the travel medicine community.

The 33% DEET formula is dispersed in a unique controlled-release polymer, which reduces the loss of DEET from the skin surface through absorption and evaporation. When Ultrathon is used on exposed skin in conjunction with permethrin-treated clothing, complete protection against annoying and potentially disease-causing mosquitoes and ticks can be achieved.

A leading consumers magazine tested Ultrathon and rated it the number one insect repellent. In their tests, Ultrathon prevented mosquito bites for over 12 hours and tick attachment for over 9 hours.

 

• Contains 33% DEET in a controlled-release polymer
  
• Moisture resistant - lasts through splashes, perspiration, and rain
  
• Used by the U.S. military because of its effectiveness
  
• Effective against biting flies, gnats, chiggers, and fleas
  
• Also repels terrestrial leeches in tropical areas where the pest occurs
  
• Comes in a 2 oz. lotion, which will last one person for 2 weeks if applying it daily to face, neck, and hands only
  

Is it O.K. to spray DEET on my clothes? DEET can be applied to either exposed skin or clothing. It should not be applied to skin that is covered by clothes. DEET should also not be applied to synthetic fabrics such as rayon or to plastics, because it can damage these products.

 

 

don't want to get a sunburn, and I want to protect myself from insect bites, too. Can I apply both sunscreen and insect repellent to my skin? Sunscreens and insect repellents may be used together on exposed skin. However, there is some evidence that DEET can reduce the efficacy of sunscreen when applied to the same area. One study showed as much as a 33% decrease in sun protection (SPF) when a 33% DEET lotion was simultaneously applied. Therefore, when applying both DEET repellent and a sunscreen, you will need to reapply the sunscreen more frequently to prevent sunburning.

[robsaw]

Other remedies to keep mozzies away. Lemon scented or lavender cologne. Avon Skin So Soft, but only the Soft and Fresh Body Lotion. Eat lots of food containing garlic or take garlic supplements. Take vitamin B6 supplements.

 

 

 

None of the above have proven very effective as mosquito repellents.

The Avon Skin So Soft Soft and Fresh Body Lotion contains Citronellol from Citronella oil, which is a very weak and short-lasting repellent (as short as 10 minutes in a CR study).

Lemon is not recognized as a repellent but Lemon eucalpytus and and Lemongrass oil are. Lavender is a mild repellent. However, many scents don't contain the actual ingredients that they are named after and will be ineffective.

Garlic is not recognized as effective against mosquitoes, although it might protect your rice from weevils.

B vitamins have not been shown to repel mosquitoes either, and the popular claim is B1 not B6.

 

The only natural recommended mosquito repellent is oil of lemon eucalyptus.

 

The only synthetic recommended repellents are DEET, picaridin (or icardin), and IR3535, which is found in some Avon products "Bug Guard" (but not the Soft and Fresh Body Lotion).

[walfish]

We live here in Puerto Rico, so are very familiar with dengue. Any mosquitos including those that carry Dengue are more prelevant during the rainy season so if your destination has had a longer rainy season then dengue may be a potential issue. Spraying yourself with a 20%-30% deet product such as OFF will give adequate protection. Just remember to re-apply after swimming and read the specific directions on the product which will tell you how often you need to re-apply under general circumstances. The other important thing is to familiarize yourself with the symptoms and if you encounter any of the symptoms upon returning home be sure to use only Tylenol as a fever/pain reducer and do not use Aspirin or Ibuprofen. Also let your health care provider know you have traveled to an area with a known dengue outbreak (most providers will just treat as the flu as they may not realize you were in a region with dengue). There really is nothing you can do other then watching for worsening symptoms and supportive care (tylenol, lots of fluids and rest) as this is a viral type of infection. The CDC website has in depth information.

[Aus Traveller]

We live here in Puerto Rico, so are very familiar with dengue. Any mosquitos including those that carry Dengue are more prelevant during the rainy season so if your destination has had a longer rainy season then dengue may be a potential issue. Spraying yourself with a 20%-30% deet product such as OFF will give adequate protection. Just remember to re-apply after swimming and read the specific directions on the product which will tell you how often you need to re-apply under general circumstances. The other important thing is to familiarize yourself with the symptoms and if you encounter any of the symptoms upon returning home be sure to use only Tylenol as a fever/pain reducer and do not use Aspirin or Ibuprofen. Also let your health care provider know you have traveled to an area with a known dengue outbreak (most providers will just treat as the flu as they may not realize you were in a region with dengue). There really is nothing you can do other then watching for worsening symptoms and supportive care (tylenol, lots of fluids and rest) as this is a viral type of infection. The CDC website has in depth information.

Thank you for your post. It is very informative. :)

[space cowboy]

Recently Princess sent an email alerting me to an out break of dengue fever in the Bahama Islands, anyone else heard about this, my wife will be 14 weeks pregnant by time we drop anchor at Princess Cay, thinking we'll stay on the ship for the day.

[Aus Traveller]

Recently Princess sent an email alerting me to an out break of dengue fever in the Bahama Islands, anyone else heard about this, my wife will be 14 weeks pregnant by time we drop anchor at Princess Cay, thinking we'll stay on the ship for the day.

I would recommend to most people that they use insect repellent containing DEET, but in your wife's case that might not be advisable. Maybe she could wear long pants and long sleeve shirt and use a 'safe' repellent on the exposed bits of skin.

 

I suggest that your wife check with her doctor.

 

Congratulations on the coming birth.

[broberts]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1496977 has been going for a few days. You may find some useful information and links there.

[shepp]

I think it would be better to use a good insect repellent, one with a high percentage of an ingredient called DEET. The most effective brand I know of is an Australian brand called Bushmans, available with 20%, 40% or 80% DEET.

 

Just catching up with this thread. I've been doing a lot of research on repellents for an upcoming trip to Southeast Asia. Medical consensus is that there's no added efficacy in using a repellent with more than 30% DEET.

 

Consumer Reports recently did a rating of American brands.