Would anyone who has just returned from Tobago (and I know there are lots of you out there!) be kind enough to post their recent experiences of the insect life - biting variety.
Is it particularly bad at the moment, or is it only a problem in some places?
We travel out in just a few days time , and I am trying to work out if we need to get more repellent than we would usually take with us. (I am allergic to some of the repellents as well as certain types of insect bite! )
Sadly its not that simple. It varies from place to place, day by day. Yes, there are known 'bad' places where you will always run a risk of problems, but the truth is that in any couple, one might get bitten badly and the other remain unscathed.
Visitors tend to blame it all on mossies, but in truth its sandflies and other noseeums that are the biggest culprits. Avoid the beach from late afternoon. Its now getting further into the dry season, so mossies are less of a problem anyway. A lot depends upon where you are staying.
Steve Wooler myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
Know all about sandflies from the Maldives - and have scars to prove it!! Strategies already in place to defeat them! i.e. avoid damp sand at waters edge and grassy areas, especially late afternoon.
We're staying at the Inn on the Bay, and hoping that the Atlantic coast will be a bit more windy, and hence less attractive to the little b*ggars! (Having said that, when we stayed at Grafton Beach we didn't have any bother at all - and that was in February).
I have an allergic reaction to mosquitoes but After taking Piriteze the swelling considerably shrunk after a few hours. Autan is a very good anti mozzy spray, my family of 4, using a lot each night for 2 weeks got through 2 bottles. It is very good and reliable and is at a reasonable price
I have already started taking Clarityn - one a day stops the hay fever effect of the early tree pollens here in the UK, and as a side benefit reduces the impact of any bites I may get while on holiday!
Glad to hear that Autan was effective for you. We're taking that and "Jungle Formula" - and I've got some citronella too. (Something in that lot should work as a deterent!)
It was recommended in the Daily Telegraph to try Avon Skin So Soft .
This seems to help me as I am sure they have prior knowledge that I am arriving. As soon as they open the aircraft doors they pounce and have a good meal on me.
I have tried moziguard which is good but because of the smell my husband will not come near me for the rest of the holiday.
Hello,
I truly recommend Avon's Skin So Soft. We often travel to Sanibel Island on the west coast of Florida to visit friends. They have terrible problems with noseeums, sandflies, and mosquitoes. We always immerse ourselves in Skin So Soft and avoid walking on the beach around sunset. We are visiting Tobago in July and expect to be greeted by these pests, but it cannot be any worse than the ones at Sanibel so we plan to load up on the Avon product. I have been reading the other recommendations posted and will be purchasing them upon our arrival at the island. This forum is great. Love to read all the suggestions.
Ana V
Were going 5 weeks today and counting down the days!!! have been reading the posts on all the different types of sprays,lotions for bitting insects.
Have just been to sainsburys they sell Mosiguard, jungle formula and autan anyone tried these??
Where staying in Bacolet so hopefully the winds will help us.
What factor suncream`s shall we get, the sun is a lot stronger than we have been use to. And can you get a good range of creams in tobago or should we bring them with us?
Jungla Formula and Autan are both very good products. Like all of them, it is sadly a matter of experimenting and finding what works for you. See our article in Miscellaneous/Health & Safety/Insects & Nasties for more information and tips.
As regards suncream factor, it depends entirely upon your skin type. You should, however, use the highest factor, particularly during the first week. It is best to bring your own sun cream. You can get good mossie deterrents locally, but there isn't the same range of sun creams - in fact most of those that I've seen in pharmacies are greasy oils.
Steve Wooler myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
You might be interested in Ultrasun. It is a sun cream (various sun factors available) but you only have to apply it once a day - rather than the every 90 minutes you are supposed to apply normal sun cream. I have not tried it in Tobago yet, but I did try it in the South of France last year and I didn't burn once although I had a great tan and it lasted ages.
You can buy it oer the internet (as I did) or there are certain places in the UK that sell it - Excel airways being one of them, but you can't guarantee that they will have the stock on board the aircraft.
Yes, that was very remiss of me not to mention that. We used Ultrasun for the first time this year. Their sun block is a truly fabulous product (unlike their insect deterrent, which was rubbish). As you say, you only apply once a day (we put it on while getting up in the morning, before breakfast). It was a pleasure to apply, because it spread easily and was non-sticky. In fact within 10 minutes you didn't know you'd put any on. And then you simply forget about it for the rest of the day. And, it works. Because I avoid the sun, I burn easily. I had a full day out on a wonderful jeep Adventure Safari with Tobago Now Tourism Services/Yes Tourism and was sitting with my arms and legs exposed all day, but didn't even go pink. Mind you, I did use the highest factor Ultrasun. Yes, highly recommended.
Steve Wooler myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
It´s a tropical sun, so it´s much stronger compared with Greece or Spain. Even if it´s a little bit cloudy, take care.
The sun protection are avaiable in Tobago, I always buy by stuff there. I know what to use for my body. But what´s good for one person might not be good somebody else.
It all depends on the skin you have and how comfortable you are with a strong sun. The bodys skin is also different, some parts need a stronger protection, some not.
This is how I use sun protection in Tobago.
I use a strong one for lips ond nose, No 12-16, nearly all the time. A less stronger one (No 8-10) for the rest of my body for two weeks. After that I go down a little bit (8-6-4) depending on how I feel. If I´m at sea I always go up to No 10-12. I use to put on lotion at least once an hour during the first two weeks.
It´s also important to put on sun lotion before getting into the sea, before one get wet. Sometimes I´ve seen peoples go swimming and after that they put on sun lotion. If they get water between the skin and the sun lotion, the water will be acting as a magnifying glass and they can get badly burnt.
Ronald is perfectly correct of course, but everything he says reinforces the reason to use UltraSun. It works from the inside out, so you can't wash it off - so you can swim as much and as often as you like without reducing your protection. The other thing is that unlike many sun oils, its environmentally friendly - you won't be washing oils off your body and into the sea.
Steve Wooler myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
I also puchased the mozzie cream last year, but haven't had chance to try it. Is it really that bad? I'm also taking my Jungle formula that worked ok last year, but I thought that as the Unltrasun sun cream works so well, the mozzie cream will too !
The problem with creams is that you would need to take a truck-load if you tried to cover all your exposed bits, so the tubes of cream go nowhere. If you only dab it on strategic spots, you never know whether you've got enough cover. All I can tell you is that we used the sample Utlrasun sent me for about three days before dumping it and going out and buying some Off!. Like you, I assumed it would be good, given the reputation off their sun protection, which will certainly become my standard for the future. Pity, but I guess you can't be expert at everything.
Steve Wooler myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
Yes, that's the one, Jill. My Jill just confirmed it. Like a tube of cream, it goes nowhere - you simply can't cover all your arms, legs and exposed bits with a roll on. Jill says it just didn't work for her and was such a pain to apply, compared to the sprays.
Steve Wooler myTobago.info - the definitive Visitor Guide to Tobago
Since I started this string, I feel I ought to report back on the mozzie situation we found!!!
Staying at the Inn on the Bay on the Atlantic coast, we thought that the constant breeze might help. WRONG! Even the staff were saying that this year was one of the worst they could remember. Everyone staying there got bitten to a greater or lesser extent despite many diferent insect repellants, bugmats in the rooms and mozzie coils being lit every evening in the bar and restaurant areas.
We found that initially Jungle Formula and Autan lotions seemed merely to be the appetiser! We then bought some Off! from the nearest pharmacy - and that certainly helped to reduce the incidence of bites, although the little b*****s always seem to manage to find the one little tiny place you've missed!
Towards the end of our stay, things improved - but whether there were fewer wee beasties, or whether they had just got sick of us, I'm not too sure.
Anyway - to anyone going out in the near future, go prepared with sprays rather that lotions, an inest in Off! if you have real problems.
, and I am trying to work out if we need to get more repellent than we would usually take with us. (I am allergic to some of the repellents as well as certain types of insect bite! 
