Pappataci-Midges

Can't advise on prevention but you can get relief from the bites if you hit them with a piezo zapper as they occur. Amazon do them for very little money and they are really effective.

Eat lots and lots of Garlic, it gets into the blood and they don't like it...your freinds might not as well but at least you will be bite free...

My young son lives on a Marmite diet (supplemented with chocolate) and seems to be unaffected by bitey things of any sort while the rest of us get attacked as usual.

Marmite works for some - as does garlic  But not for all Any midge repellent spray with Deet in it seems to work well all the time

Thanks all for your advice!  I will look for midge repellent.  I had never heard of midges before having seen them in Italy.  I probably was bitten by them in the Caribbean but never knew what they were.  I guess our Canadian repellants work well enough on Canadian bugs but not so well on their Italian relatives.

... Tiger mozzies are out all day and every day, seen them here in Jan (ok not as bad as summer, but). Main fact is they are not bothered about sunshine move ever so fast, so you need protection on all the time not just after sundown. Not found anything that totally stops them, but a lot of products do cut down the number of bites. Boots own suncream/aftersun with mozzie protection I seem to recall was good, if they still do it? Now I simply cover up with light clothing, however my OH has been bitten a number of times through walking tops....

Marmite does it for me,  - On Regent street last Xmas with the marmite Xmas lights, there wasnt a midge to be seen!   For mozzies I use Off! and that works a treat too.

If the locals call them pappataci, beware! They are like midges because they're tiny and fly silently, but their bites can cause fever, fatigue, headaches and muscular pain. A doctor friend said their bites can be really nasty. Personally, I react badly if bitten by anything (including your common old UK ant!) and the best thing I've found in Italy is Autan stick - which seems to be popular because it's OK for children. I confess to stockpiling and I put it on all the time when it gets warm enough to be aware of them, and at dusk from about now onwards. I also have plug in machines all over the house. Plus After-Bite (or just plain ammonia) and antihistamines if I do get bitten. I hope you don't have as bad a summer as the one you described. It must have been awful.

Ive never heard of these things - sounds like you could do with some bat boxes or investigate if it has a natural enemy.  On a different track, a friend of mine found that she was always bitten much worse when she was menstruating - so you could be looking at drastic remedies!   You will need to eat alot of marmite - which is fine for marmite babies - so your sweat has a marmite tang.  I got bitten much less when I was Vegetarian - so its all to do with being appealing to the little buggers for some reason.  now I eat some meat, I obviously pong right. 

Sandflies and midges are a real pain. Not surprising that one of its species is called "Culiocoides Molestus", a real nuissance. Also, there is a pappatataci fever, which they transmit. So it is a real problem. Many years ago, I lived in Byron Bay (Australia) and some areas suffered a lot from these little monsters. I remembered that the local Council used to issue instructions about how to deal with them and I found this most useful piece of information: http://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/protect-yourself-from-biting-midges-sand-flies There used to be a local remedy made by mixing baby oil with tea tree oil (available from health food shops) and it was quite effective. I also found this article that mentions some of those remedies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandfly Also, people with O type blood group seem to be more affected than others. Vitamin B1 is also useful to prevent attacks. Look at the instructions in the Byron Shire sheet. And follow their advice regarding what to do. They are all very effective. In any case, I would advise you to have with you some prescription medication containing antihistamines in case you get seriously attacked. Do not take it on a regular basis, simply as needed if you find yourself in a difficult situations. Ask your doctor to explain. Best wishes.       

I am a bug magnet, regardless what I eat, and I get very bad allergic reactions from the tiger moth. At one time I got a blod infection from some kind of insect bite, and went to the pronto soccorso. The doctor who examined me and gave me all kinds of penicillin for the infection also told me that I should take one antihistamine a day as a prevention. It works very well for me, and I am also not as sensitive to the bites today, as I was the first year we had our house in Italy. I also use after bite and cortison if it swells up.

I get bitten just as badly as you - a real misery - the bites swell to the size of eggs almost and ooze plasma and one year it was so bad that I just flew back to the UK as I simply could not take another bite. Then I discovered a product by Avon called Skin-So-Soft.  I didn't believe it would work, but it did - not a single bite and as proof that it works (for me) if I should forget to use it I get bitten many many times within hours. If you are willing to try it, make sure you get the OIL and not the cream.  It is available online.  Use liberally and make sure you cover every inch of your skin - don't think the little buggers cant bite through clothing - 'cus they can.  After a few days you wont have to use quite so much of the oil as the residue seems to build up a little - it seems to remain even after showering.  Good luck.

Abolutely right Esme - Skin so Soft works a treat, goodness knows why, but it definitely does. They say the Marines use it when training on the west coast of Scotland as it was the only thing that kept the midges away from them - nothing else worked. Definitly worth a try.

Like Esme I used to get eaten alive.  I used to be covered in massive lumps that would be bright red/rock hard and boiling - and of course really itchy.  I started using the Avon skin so soft following an article my husband read re the forces using it - I was a little sceptical at first but have been wowed.  I only get bitten if I miss a bit - even so far as if you wear a long dress still cover yourself from head to toe as the little buggers will find the one part oyu haven't covered.  And a real bonus it's really cheap - around 2.99 a bottle.  But it's the dry oil you need - not the shower gel/moisturiser - and Avon (as I understand) now deliver to Italy - you just order it on line. It has made a MASSIVE difference to me - I can go out at night/sit at BBQ's and if I get 1 bite a week I'm unlucky - as opposed to the 20/30 I'd get a night.  The best summer purchase ever I also use something that you burn outside - it's like a coil that slowly burns down and releases a vapour - a volcano or something.  Plus where we rent I use plug ins - just ordering our windows for our restoration and getting built in mosquito blinds too :)  As many forms of defence I say....

I take vitamin B compound otherwise the pesky things have me for dinner.  Apparantly after taking it for a couple of weeks  it gives off an odour through your sweat that the flies don't like.  Thankfully humans can't smell it! 

Citronella candles are also useful. I have not experienced any problem in Bagni di Lucca, but I light them whenever we are outdoors having a barbecue. They also smell very nice...

... does not work for everyone. I suspect it's one of those combination things where the type of skin/body you have makes the difference. Certainly if I were like you getting so many bites, I would try it, just when we did it made little or no difference, so don't build up your hopes too much... Fortunately we don't get more than one or two bites now and then and that is invariably when we've been working in the garden. Never see or hear more than 1 or 2 per year actually in the house as we use mozzie window shutters and the plug in tablets. Yes we do eat a lot of marmite (the only thing we would miss from the UK), but hold little or no store in that, except it is laced with a number of "B" vitamins. We also eat copious amounts of garlic, so it could be a combination that cuts down the bites... 

You said in your original posting;- "..........I tried Deep Wood Off (30% Deet) and I tried some of the sprays that I picked-up in ..........Italy. I got the bites down to about 50 .........." The concentration of Deet is critical to its effectiveness.  We use "Jungle Juice' spray which we get in the UK.  It is 50% Deet, and most effective for us see  http://www.jungleformula.co.uk/range/maximum/

work for mozzies too? 

Which one Ram?  Skin so soft or deet? I can only speak for skin so soft as it's the only thing that's worked for me - I think skin so soft not working is by excpetion with Steve being one of them.  Only the dry oil works - it's not marketed as a repellant as Avon is not a drugs manufacturer.  If you go on their website you can read hundreds of reviews.  Always worth a try as it's so cheap :) As I understand it - you need to be careful who you use deet products on as it contains lots of strong chemicals and isn't suited for young children

Forgot to answer the question - yes skin so soft works on mozzies!!

On the Avon uk site there are 47 skin so soft products - with all types of oil - I reckong this is it? http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?pf_id=45291 but then there is skin so soft bug guard spray, and all sorts - could an expert in the field point us newbies in the right direction, or become an Avon rep in Italy? You'd make a fortune! 

This is the Skin-So-Soft.  Only this one works http://avonshop.co.uk/product/skin-so-soft/skin-so-soft-original-dry-oil-spray.html

thanks

Deet based all the time, Skin so Soft did nothing to help me, and in the warmer months Deet goes on in the morning with a top-up in the evening, or after showers, plus plug ins in the house, eek had forgotten the downside to life in Italy!. Interesting though re blood types, another O here.

Best of luck, can only suggest what has already been mentioned here. If the little blighters are pale or transparent they sound more like sand flies rather than midges which, at least in the UK, are black. Sand flies can carry disease so take precautions and stuff to put on after. Good luck!

I'm fortunate in that although midges (in whatever bit of Europe) do seem to find me very attractive, I don't react badly. Oddly enough I have found that a loose shirt is much better than anything tucked into my jeans to avoid these pests nibbling the back of my waistband! I think there is some very good advice in this thread - and I would go along with Ram's opinion about plug in mossie deterrents. I would never use one of these in a room without the window wide open - but if the plug-in is below the window (and you can't smell it) I think they are effective and not toxic. (Coughs, I could be wrong!)

We are having a place built near Marsciano and will move there next year.  My wife has always been a magnet for biting insects, so I need to prepare for war, if there is to be one.

I've posted a question as acomment, hope you see it.

Both Marmite (British) and Vegemite (Australian) spreads are yeast extracts which contain good doses of Vitamin B, including Thiamin or 1, the one that seems to have an effect on the little monsters. If you are already taking the supplement, you should be right.

Thank you for such informative ideas.