Phlébotomes en Nouvelle-Zélande : comment camper avec moins de piqûres

Bien choisir son emplacement

Le déplacement de l’air et l’éloignement de l’eau calme peuvent réduire l’activité. Gardez les portes et les moustiquaires fermées avant le déchargement, car un camping-car ouvert devient un piège pour le reste de la nuit.

Portez des manches longues, des chaussettes et des pantalons à l'aube et au crépuscule. Appliquez un répulsif efficace selon son étiquette et réappliquez après une baignade ou une forte pluie.

Gérer l'intérieur

Réparez les trous des moustiquaires avant d’atteindre les camps éloignés et évitez les lumières intérieures vives avec les portes ouvertes. Cuisinez à l’extérieur uniquement lorsque les conditions le permettent, puis rentrez rapidement à l’intérieur.

Ne vaporisez pas d'insecticide autour des aliments, des enfants ou des espaces de couchage non ventilés. Utilisez les produits uniquement là où leurs instructions le permettent.

Traitez les piqûres et surveillez les réactions

Lavez les piqûres, évitez de vous gratter et utilisez un soulagement ordinaire des démangeaisons lorsque cela est approprié. Consulter un médecin en cas de signes d'infection ou de réaction allergique grave.

La pression des phlébotomes change avec le vent, la température et les précipitations. Un parc de vacances exposé à proximité peut être une alternative judicieuse à un beau camping au bord de la rivière.

Where and when they are worst

Sandflies concentrate on the West Coast, throughout Fiordland, around the Catlins and in damp bush near water anywhere in the country. They are worst at dawn and dusk, in still conditions and close to rivers and coast, and they largely disappear in wind, cold and full sun.

The transition can be abrupt. The eastern side of the Haast Pass is close to sandfly-free and the western descent is not, so have repellent accessible in the cab rather than packed away before you cross.

What actually works

Repellents containing DEET or picaridin are the effective options, applied to skin before you leave the vehicle rather than after the first bites. Reapply after swimming or sweating, and cover ankles, wrists and the back of the neck, which is where most bites land.

Physical barriers work better than chemistry. Long sleeves, long trousers and socks in the evening remove most of the problem, and a head net is not an overreaction on the Milford road in summer.

Managing the tent and the vehicle

Check the insect mesh for holes before you travel, because a single tear makes the tent useless against them. Enter and exit quickly, and get in the habit of zipping fully rather than most of the way.

Sandflies follow you into a van and stay. Closing up before dusk rather than after it, and killing the few that got in before you settle, saves a long night. A small battery fan disrupts their flight and helps more than it sounds.

Treating the bites

The reaction is delayed and the itch peaks a day or two later, often lasting a week. Antihistamine cream or tablets help, as does not scratching, which is easier said than done and is what turns a bite into an infected sore.

Some people react far more strongly than others, and reactions can build over a trip rather than settle. Carry treatment with you rather than planning to buy it, because the places where you need it are the places with no pharmacy.

Planning a trip around them

On the West Coast and in Fiordland, choose sites with some exposure to breeze rather than tucked into sheltered bush beside a river. The most beautiful sheltered spot is reliably the worst one, and a slightly windier pitch makes for a far better evening.

Time your outdoor tasks. Setting up camp, cooking and eating are all much easier in the middle of the day or in wind than at dusk, so arriving early is worth more here than almost anywhere else in the country.

Maori tradition holds that Hine-nui-te-po released the namu at Milford to stop people lingering and becoming too enchanted by the place. Having spent an evening there without repellent, the story is hard to argue with.

What does not work

Citronella candles, ultrasonic devices and wristbands are all widely sold and none of them meaningfully reduce bites. Neither does eating garlic or taking vitamin B, despite how often both are recommended.

Spend the money on a proper repellent and long sleeves instead. The things that work are unglamorous and reliable, and the things that do not are the ones sold at the campground shop.

Lieux sur le chemin