Strategies for Managing Your Relationship with New Zealand Sandflies
Posted on 05 February 2009 by Justin
First off, sandflies in New Zealand are not actually sandflies. Rather, these pesky little bugs are female black flies more thirsty for blood that a dehydrated vampire. If you plan on going outside, or opening a window, in the Westland region of New Zealand’s South Island, you will encounter sandflies. True, they are more prevalent in the bush (read: woods) than in the cities but contact with these annoying pests is inevitable.
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Facts
- Sandflies Travel in Swarms: You will rarely be attacked by one sandfly as they seem to hunt in packs. If you see
one, the rest of its friends are busy stealing your blood. - Sandflies Are Not Fast: If you are walking in the bush or kayaking on a river, the sandflies will leave you alone as they cannot keep up. Problematically, when you stop for that well earned water break a whole cloud of sandflies will quickly find you. On a positive note, you won’t have a problem killing them as they are too slow to avoid a solid slap. Keep in mind though that in the time it takes to kill one, three more will leach onto your foot.
- The Wind and the Rain: Sandflies cannot tolerate either wind or rain. So, if you can brave the elements, you will avoid the majority of these swarming little blood suckers.
Develop a “Sandfly Strategy” that works for you. Every person is effected by sandflies in a different manner and how you protect yourself from them will likely be determined by how much they like you.
Protection Strategy
- Buy Local Repellent: When you get to the Westland Region, every tour operator and outdoor adventure store will have locally made sandfly repellent at the checkout counter. Buy it. The repellent from other places in the world does not work as effectively as the local formula. The locals had 100 years to figure out a way to keep sandflies from stealing liters of their blood so you can trust them to concoct an effective solution . If you do not like DEET, good luck. DEET is the main active ingredient and is far more effective than the natural products.
- Cover Up: It does not get very hot in Fiordland and, if you are hiking, chances are you will be under the canopy. Long pants and sleeves provide effective protection from swarming sandflies.
- Apply Repellent BEFORE Your Get Out of the Car: Many people park at a trail head, slowly get out of the car, and begin applying Sandfly repellent. You are already too late! The sandflies are trapped in your car and they will feast on you when you return. While the sandflies are colonizing your car, their friends are latching onto your majore arteries as you frantically attempt to apply repellent and kill sandflies simultaneously. To be kind, this is usually ineffective and is a poor start to your hike. Put the repellent on before hand to avoid this cyclical problem.
- Drive Away: If you are sleeping in your campervan or car you will often park for the night in high sandfly areas. Close your van up as soon as you finish cooking to keep the majority of the sandflies outside. In the morning, try to drive away from the campsite to a location not surrounded by the bush. This should prevent the sandflies from swarming into your van while you re-arrange your belongings for the days drive. Otherwise, the sandflies will feast on your feet as you scramble to get your car onto the road. Getting eaten by sandflies while operating a vehicle leads to dangerous driving.
- Don’t Complain About Sandflies: Complaining will not attract sandflies but it will not help you make friends either. In the Westland Region, sandflies are a way of life. If you cannot handle them go somewhere else. Your fellow travelers and the locals will have little patience for your complaints.
If you follow all of the above listed advise, you will still get bitten by sandflies. When this occurs, do not scratch the bite. Scratching simply spreads the itch and extends the amount of time it takes the wound to heal. Plus, scratching leads to more scratching and that simply escalates the problem. Instead, apply hydrocortisone cream. This will cut down (but not eliminate) the itching and will also help your skin heal more quickly.
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Tags | New Zealand
They sound gross. I do have to say I love the way you describe them. I also enjoy reading about your travels. Be safe.
Ashleigh
I often wonder what sandflies eat before people came to New Zealand (because we have know native mammals)?
Yes Ashleigh they are truely awful. They are only creature that God created that has know purpose!
The only time I have ever considered taking up smoking is when I have been surrounded by sandflies.
Bye for now
@Ashleigh Flynn Porter – ASHLEIGH FLYNN!!! So good to hear from you. Sandflies are a bit gross but I am glad my description brought you enjoyment. I happen to agree with Cath. Those things appear to form no purpose but I guess the food chain needs to start somewhere.
Thank god they arnt as prolifient in the North Island, But just this valentines weekend I mustve walked into a hunter swarm cos jesus I got tons of Itches! D:
Thanks for the heads up about hydrocortisone cream, Its funny im a native to this city yet never was bothered or irritated enough to seek an ointment till now. *frantically scratches* ooooo yeeeeaahhh :3
Lol. Enjoy that hydrocortisone cream. It is not quite a miracle cure but it does help with the itch.
Repellent does not work as it wears off in the night and they have colonised your camper van or B & B! We drove around the South island a week ago and applied first imported (Jungle Formula 100% – which works in the worst mosquito areas of SE Asia and Africa) and then local stuff. Both totally useless. Hundreds of bites. Still itching and scarred a week later. Nothing of this is mentioned before you set out on your journey and it makes sleeping in a camper van tiresome. Best strategy was the SE Asia mosquito one – get in your room/van, whatever, and spray the whole area with insect killer from time to time and before sleep. They are becoming used to repellent, according to one local we talked to in Haast and this will become a serious problem. Already the beach up there is virtually unusable.
That is rough! I never had experiences like that and I found that the local repellent worked easily. In fact, many of the locals I talked too never used repellent in the bush. Said they did not need it. Anyway, sorry to hear about your horrible experiences. The north island is practically free of sandflies and the mosquitoes are not to bad either. Best of luck with your travels.
We’re planning a trip to NZ in October, with some time in Fjordland the 3rd week. Are sandflies a nuisance all year long?
Sandflies do not have a particular high or low season so the short answer is yes, sandflies are a nuisance all year long. However, depending on where you go in Fiordland and what you plan to do, you may or may not have any irritating encounters with those little thirsty vampires. For example, I spent 2 months day-hiking different trails along the Milford Road and Southern Scenic Route without encountering more than a handful of sandflies. However, I also heard many other travelers complain bitterly about their sandfly counters in the same region (Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, ect) at the same time.
If you buy local sandfly repellent, put it on before you get out of the car/bus, and wear long sleeves, the breathtaking views of Fiordland will quickly make you forget all about the occasional sandfly.
also sandflies need fresh water to be active, soo if its damp but not raining or if your by rivers, or streams be prepared!
Are there any coastal areas of South Island that are known to be sandfly-free or claiming to be sandfly-free? Alternatively, are there any ’sandfly blackspots’ – ie places known to have particularly bad/extreme sandfly populations/problems?
Jon,
On the South Island, if you stay on the east coast, or perhaps even the southern tip by Invercargill, sand flies will not be a problem. I will be surprised if you find any. You will also not encounter many sand flies on the west coast north of Invercargill and south of Te Anau. Be prepared that as you move north, and the farther off the beaten path you go, the more sand flies you will encounter. I personally found them to be the worst along the coast between Haast and Greymouth. That being said, if you are going into the bush anywhere along the west coast, be prepared for swarming sand flies.
Thanks for this excellent info. We’re going to Milford Sound the last week of Oct (only 3 weeks to go!) I’ll be sure to pack my long sleeves, and already have my head nethat ready for packing. It was useful on African Safari so says the friend that gave it to me. We’ll see if this hat holds up to the biters of the South Island!
I have a HORRIBLE reaction to not only sand flies but also mosquitos. I live in Colorado and have very little reaction to our mossies but your leave scars. My husband and I own a house in the Indeavour Inlet ans i fight them every year. I really do have scars from these bugs. This year seemed particularly worse. I have tried ALL the local repellants including homemade. I guess I am just lucky that they think my blood is gold. They arract me more than anyone I am with! I did find that live aloe helped more than any other remedy this year in the healing process. As bad as I am bitten by both I still come back for 6 weeks every year. So please dont let them detoer you from visiting this wonderfull country!
Im planning a backpacking trip through NZ, just found out about sandflies. got a little worried, then read they were just black flies. I live in central ontario. we have mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies, deer flies, friggin… godzilla flies lol. then I stopped being concerned. the mosquitoes are the worst thing here. Ive gone camping once where I couldn’t breathe without inhaleing a mosquito haha. I promplty packed up and went somewhere else though.
We’ve lived in Northlands NZ since 17/6/10 and have been constantly bitten by black flies, which I was told were sand flies. The roll on repellent ‘Repel’ does not work very well when there are thousands of the little blighters on the beach. The Paraderm cream helps to sooth the bites. I wish I could find something more effective. I’ve been told to try citronella bands – would you recommend these?
Great advice Jo! We only had one beach experience that hundreds were biting at our ankles and calves. It is good to know that you found another remedy for those nasty sand flies.
Thanks for sharing! Enjoy NZ!!!