How To Get Rid of Biting Flies At The Beach

This page is an expert guide on getting rid of biting flies at the beach using the products and methods suggested by our experienced pest control specialists. Follow this guide and use the recommended products. We guarantee you will not have biting flies messing up your day at the beach.

Are you tired of worrying about biting insects at the beach? You decide to hit the beach after long, stressful work days and have a good time with your family or friends--then bugs come out!

The beach is supposed to be a refuge from stress and a place to enjoy, be close to nature, and engage in the delights of surfing, snorkeling, sunbathing, and making sandcastles with the young ones.

The last thing you want is to be bitten and infected and for your vacation to come to a bitter end. The reality of renting or owning a waterfront property is that no-see-ums, biting flies, and mosquitos can cause you to run for the hills.

In this guide, you will learn about the various biting flies that may venture upon a beach and invade your relaxing time and how to get rid of them using our suggested insecticide products.

Identification

The bites you may experience while lounging at the beach are usually the work of little pests known by various names, such as horse flies, midges, or No-See-Ums. These hard-to-detect bugs can bite your flesh and drink blood, reminding you of mosquito bites.

But these flies are worse parasites than mosquitoes because once they bite you, they can leave a huge, painful, and itchy scar. Depending on their intensity, their scars can last for days and usually look like big bumps.

You want to be wary of these biting flies at the beach because their bite and saliva are full of allergens that can cause bumps on the skin, fever virus, or Carrison’s disease. You would find them in brown colors with green, compound eyes, hairy head, thorax, and legs. They come out in swarms when humid and are drawn to movement.

Biting flies can also sense the carbon dioxide we give off and the lactic acid our body naturally emits. They become inactive in cold weather because the cold kills them and dehydrates the eggs. They prefer to settle in moist environments, such as roads, cracks, and walls.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed which biting fly you are dealing with, you can move on to inspection. During this phase, you will need to pinpoint the areas where the biting flies are gathering. This will help you determine where to focus insecticide treatment.

Where To Look

Biting flies frequent the beach where there is moisture or lots of activity that attracts them. They often wait near marshes or wooded areas along the beach. 

What To Look For

If you live on a beach with tall dune grass or woodlands, look for fly infestations. If you stay at a beach house, they may congregate near windows.

Treatment

Treating flying pests can be tricky at the beach since it's a public property. If you are in close quarters with others, it may not be wise to apply insecticides or even be allowed.

However, if you own private beach property, you may have some options to control biting flies.

Step 1: Use Viper RTU Insecticide

Viper RTU is a ready-to-use insecticide that contains permethrin, is safe to apply, and has a country-fresh scent.

Viper RTU comes with a convenient spraying attachment that you can use to spray around your beach house property on surfaces, door frames, and around the property's perimeter as a barrier spray. Just ensure that when spraying, you are at least 10 feet away from any water source.

Step 2: Use Stryker 100 via Tri-Jet Fogger

The Tri-Jet Fogger is a great product to use if you have a private beach property. It fogs your yard and property to control flies, mosquitos, and other flying insects all season long. Stryker 100 is a pyrethrum-based mosquito fogging concentrate we highly recommend. It can also kill or repel other flying pests like the ones we've mentioned.

If you own the area, you can use a fogger and pyrethrin fogging material to control the issue. The Tri-Jet Fogger is easy to use: simply pour in the appropriate amount of water and Stryker 100 fogging concentrate (the label states to use 4 oz per acre for fogging applications), close the lid, and you're ready to fog.

Set the fogger near the area you want to fog or hold it and direct the fog to a specific location. Biting flies die or leave the area quickly. Wait for the product to dissipate (30 minutes to an hour), and then you can enter the treated area and enjoy yourself, as the biting flies will keep you away for the duration of your stay at the beach.

Prevention

If you don't own a beach property yet are dealing with biting flies, these alternatives can help you enjoy your time near the water:

Wear light colors

Biting flies are drawn to dark colors, so make sure that you wear and pack light-colored clothing for the beach. Dark colors would invite a swarm of flies to attack you. Also, choose clothes that keep your arms and legs covered as well.

Apply repelling lotion

Consult your physician for appropriate lotions that could keep the flies away. Check ingredients to make sure that you are not allergic to them. Usually, these lotions would have to be reapplied after around 5 hours. There are also repellent sprays you can utilize.

Keep disinfectants

Keep medicines and herbs just in case anyone happens to get bitten by a sand gnat. If you plan to stay longer, curative creams could help contain the clot, prevent the infestation from worsening, and reduce pain, swelling, and itching.

Suck them up

Usually, people keep small, customized vacuum cleaners for their cars and short holidays. You might consider keeping one if you plan to spend a few days at the beach. This way, when you find flies in your house, swat them and vacuum them up. Keep the food covered so that flies don’t land on them. Either use insecticides on them or swat them if they get into the house. Then, repellent or insecticide sprays should be used in rooms to keep the other flies from coming in. Keep the young ones away from flies as they may have low tolerance or immunity to bear the bite or infestation.

Key Takeaways

What are Biting Flies?

• Biting flies, such as horse flies, no-see-ums, midges, and others, can ruin a fun day at the beach with their painful and itchy bites.

How to Get Rid of Biting Flies

• If you own a private beach property, you can apply Viper RTU to keep the pests away or fog the beachside area with Stryker 100 using a Tri-Jet Fogger. 

Preventing Biting Fly Reinfestation at the Beach

• If you're on public beach property, a combination of repellent lotions, staying away from woody areas with tall grass, and wearing light colors will lessen the chances of bites.