Friday, June 28, 2013

Sand Fleas: How I Deal with Them & other Tips

Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
http://zipolitazstudioz.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita

So a friend of mine was at the beach and he was going crazy. I know because I saw the 4am post on his Facebook page. It was the sandfleas, he was having a terrible time. He said they were attacking his feet and he couldn't sleep. He also said he thought he might be allergic.

I understand totally. I have this same problem.

Many years ago now, I went out to dinner and we were sitting at a table right on the beach, watching the sun go down and that's when I started getting bit. I had forgot to put any thing on to prevent bites as I had just arrived that day.  Someone had invited me and so I couldn't just leave. I kept getting bit all thru dinner. I was horrible. As soon as dinner was over I said goodbye and made a fast get away.  The next day my legs we covered. I was awful. I had huge welts. I looked like I had the chicken poxs on my legs.

Oh my god, it was so itchy. I kept covering my legs with lavender and calamine and everything I could think of. I survived...but now I am highly allergic to all bites it seems.

When we are in Mexico I get bit, and I itch and it swells but I have some tricks for sand fleas. And this is what I share with my friend the other day.

Amigo, hi, you may want to get an enclosed room, that will help a lot. Where we stay in Zipolite at .... it's basically enclosed, no palapa roof, and I have a broom and I am constantly sweeping and cleaning my room as the sand tracks in so easily and the sand flies get you.

I also wash the floor often and spray it with my oils.

Once I stupidly lit incense and filled a bottle with sand to put it in without it falling over...then brought it inside. Dumb, dumb,dumb!! I couldn't figure out why I was being bit so bad all of a sudden.

I put a towel by the door at night along the crack at the bottom and where there was a crack in the window Angel and I stuffed toilet paper.

Sand fleas are a real issue for me. That's why I start to panic when I run out of lavender and citronella and eucalyptus. Always carry Benadryl.

Sometimes you just end up with a 3 or 4 bites and they make you crazy. Benadryl in a pill form will make you sleep and next day the bites will not be itchy or at least bareable.

The cream does not work. If you don't address it at that stage they can get infected.

The first year Angel broke out very bad with little blisters..if you get a blister, what ever you do, do not pop it, the fluid inside will spread and you will get more. It's nasty.

I was lucky this last time and before I left I got a bottle with like 100 pills Bendryl for $15 and I was helping out a lot of people. They would tell me what happened and I would ask them if they wanted to try it and later they'd thank me so much.

 Just google sand fleas to read up on them more. The usually feed on what ever is with in 10 feet. They are in the sand and it's so easy to track it into your room, bed, etc.

So these are my tips, I go as natural as I can but because I am highly allergic I have to take action sometimes with the Bendryl, I try to avoid it at all cost but it's a necessary evil I guess.

I also take it for bee and wasp stings, which has happened to me also and I swell up horribly and it's very painful. Twice I have stepped on them with barefeet at pools... they are drinking the water in puddles from when you get in and out...so watch out!! I could barely walk for days until I gave in and took the Benadryl.

For mosquitos, sandfleas & heat rash here is the other advice I gave

I use citronella. I put 10 drops in a little bottle and spray myself when ever, especially at dusk...the worse time. I also put a dab of lavender oil every time I get a bite until it feels better. Lavender oil mixed with water helps with the heat rash too. 

Photos by Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita © 2013


I carry those everywhere I go. But I remember being there at the end of May once and out of lavender and seriously wanted to go home because of the heat rash. http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2011/03/essential-oils-where-they-come-from.html at the bottom of this page is a great book, it's my bible. You should definitely read it

The book I'm referring to is 
Valerie Worwood's "The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy"