Originally Posted by
luxtrvlwrks
I was at Machu Picchu a week ago and the sand flies (fleas?) were intense. I didn't realize I was getting bit until it was too late. They were primarily in the main part of the park, where there are sandy areas. I didn't have issues with them or with mosquitoes the day we hiked to the Sun Gate.
Long pants would also help. I was wearing capris and got far more bites than my husband who was wearing full length pants.
When we got to Cuzco after MP we could tell who had already been by the presence of bites around their ankles.
When I went to MP there were no biting insects (February). Still, what bit you are certainly no sandflies. When they bite, you immediately find out, it hurts right at the moment they start spiting/injecting their saliva. Also, in spite of their name, you don;t necessarily find them at sandy places. A common "biter" of your legs during the day are mosquitoes of the genus Aedes.
Originally Posted by A1pax
I have done more research and found a product called mosi guard (containing no DEET, but a eucalyptus oil) which some claimed to be effective. So, I am going to give it try for our Peru trip next year. We are not going to do the Inca trail or trek.
There's nothing better than DEET to repel insects, everything else is much, much weaker. DEET is, in effect, not toxic to humans (it is to fish, though), it stinks (i.e. it also repels... humans) and it dissolves certain plastics, so beware of paint on your chair.
PS I'm a vector biologist.