Why You Should Never Fall Asleep in Your Hammock at Twilight in Panama

I’ve been asked a few times if the mosquitos are bad in Panama.  I can honestly say no, we have not experienced one mosquito bite here.  Some mosquitos in Panama carry the Dengue Virus and the local governments are very good about keeping standing water under control.   They will drain and spray any larvae so we’ve experienced very few mosquitos in our area.  Good right?  Wrong!  We had to contend with the dreaded Chitra or Sand Fly.  You could also call them No Seeums, Gnats, Biting Midges, Sand Fleas or just plain annoying.

Chitra bites are itchier than mosquito bites and the more you scratch the worse they itch.  The bug is only about one eighth of an inch in size but the reaction to the bite can leave red weals one to two inches big.   Chitras find their victims from the carbon dioxide we exhale and some people have very bad reactions to the acid that these little nuisances inject into us through their hollow snouts.  We’ve noticed that the bites that have healed take a little longer to tan so it seems that there is some scarring that happens if you’ve been scratching a lot.  I’ve even had bites on the bottoms of my feet.  The lesson learned; don’t fall asleep in el hamaca during the bad times of day.

Chitras live and breed in sand.  The closer you live to the ocean the worse they are and in Panama they are worse on the Caribbean side than the Pacific side.  As we see the water from our house it’s about two kilometres so Chitras are moderate here.  They are really bad at our friend’s homes that live near the beach.  Chitras like to attack at sunrise or sunset.  Wouldn’t you know my two favorite times of day?  They will also start biting on those humid grey days and are worse when there is no wind.  But they are out every day.  During estación seca they shouldn’t be so bad in our area.

If winds are calm in our area or we’re out closer to the ocean when it starts getting dark we make sure that we’re wearing long pants so our ankles and legs don’t get chewed.  Another good preventive measure is to spray something with DEET in it like OFF!  We like the Active – Sweat Resistant type but  a few people will use Deep Woods.  I’ve also found that baby oil or coconut oil also keeps the bites down.  The Chitras get stuck in the oil (kind of gross I know) and they can’t get through it to bite.  The only thing about this method is that you have to keep reapplying it but although it does keep your skin nice and soft.  I’ve also heard that Avon’s Skin So Soft bath oil works as does citronella lotions.  We have screens on all our windows and ours have a small enough mesh that the Chitras can’t get through.  Dusty and El Gordo have discovered that they must close their windows in their new casa before dusk because the little buggers are so small they can get through the screens.  Some people will also use mosquito nets over their beds to keep the biters at bay.

People with lowered immune systems or those who are especially adventurous and like to get a bit off the beaten path and into the rain forest around the Caribbean should be especially careful to protect themselves against Chitra bites.  Some Chitras will carry Leishmaniasis.  This is a parasitic disease spread by bites from infected Chitras. The type found in Panama shows up as persistent, itchy skin sores.  It’s also best not to scratch the bites to avoid infection.

When we do have bites that are driving us crazy we try not to scratch but sometimes it’s just impossible.  We use a cream the spousal unit got from the doctor in Canada when he had some infected sand flea bites from our trip to the Cook Islands in January.  Unfortunately we had dinner at a beach restaurant one night where the fleas had a fantastic time dining on our feet.  The spousal unit kept scratching the top of one foot with the other and when we returned home shortly after it was quite clear one foot was infected.  The cream we have has Fusidic acid to help with healing and seems to help with the itch.  Once used up we’ll likely go to the farmacia to get something with Crotamiton or hydrocortisone in it for anti-itching.  We’ve also tried Calamine Lotion which does give some relief but isn’t the best.

So remember; don’t fall asleep in your hamaca later in the day without a mosquito net over top of it, use a repellent or thick oil to prevent bites, or cover yourself up at night so you don’t become a Chitra buffet!