Those nasty bitey things
Posted 22 January 2010 // Jock Phillips
The sandfly menace
Sandflies and mosquitoes almost missed out being in Te Ara. We were just finishing The Bush theme when I happened to spend a few nights tramping near Blackball. The rata were in full flower and the views were glorious, but, boy, did we suffer from those huge fat West Coast sandflies and mossies!
Slowly the thought dawned – how could we present the New Zealand bush to the world and not tell people about the blood-suckers to be found there. So Carl Walrond sat down and wrote a great little entry on sandflies and mosquitoes.
The subject continues to attract interest. We have just received this comment from Mary Hallowell from Seattle, who seems to have suffered from them long after she left the South Island. This is her story – can you answer her questions?
I visited South Island, NZ in late November, returning to my home in Seattle, WA, USA, on Dec 1. I felt one severe itch on my hand and saw a tiny red mark before leaving NZ.
After I got home, more and more of these dreadfully itchy spots began to appear, mostly on my legs. I counted 15 on my left leg and probably 6–8 on my right leg. I could not resist scratching, undoubtedly making some of the spots worse. Our NZ guide said she thought these were sandfly bites, though I never saw an insect nor felt them bite at the time. The bites increased for some time, and the itching lasted most of December. I still have small bumps and scars where the spots were.
Is it actually possible that one or more of these little creatures could have travelled home with me in my clothing, or been concealed on my body somewhere? It seems astonishing to me that they could have lived that long. I do not believe I have any serious long term effects, but I would certainly like clarification on how this all could have occurred.
