We're doing the Tabyana Beach day excursion for our last port of call in Roatan.  I've heard some horrific stories about the sand fleas on the beaches in Roatan.  Since I'm highly allergic to almost any type of bug bite, naturally this is a bit of a concern for me.

Has anyone had experience with sand fleas on the Tabyana Beach?  Would using bug spray help?

Thanks!

Hi Liz,

I was at Tabayana back in October of last year and it was absolutely awesome. NO bugs at all that I saw. I don't know if it's different at other times in the year. You might want to take some bug spray just to be safe. Enjoy your cruise!

Liz O:

Has anyone had experience with sand fleas on the Tabyana Beach?  Would using bug spray help?

Apparently you don't know what a sand flea is.

It's about the size of a june bug [~3/4"] and it burrows into the sand and eats mites and other critters smaller than it is.  It is eaten by shore birds and crabs.  They have absolutely zero interest in biting you, and if they were to bite you, you should call the newspapers at once, because you'd be the first.  You might get a book deal out of it.

rwilymz:

Apparently you don't know what a sand flea is.

It's about the size of a june bug [~3/4"] and it burrows into the sand and eats mites and other critters smaller than it is.  It is eaten by shore birds and crabs.  They have absolutely zero interest in biting you, and if they were to bite you, you should call the newspapers at once, because you'd be the first.  You might get a book deal out of it.

Thanks for the acerbic and somewhat incorrect response.  There is more than one creature known as a "sand flea" and the one you refer to is only one of them.

I was in Roatan in February, long after my post.  There are indeed "sand fleas" there, albeit in small numbers.  My husband and I received several bites that appeared the next day that itched for several weeks.  Whether bug spray would have helped or not is debatable.

You might wish to consult Stanford University, as it has already published information on sand flea bites.  http://www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2001/tungiasis/biology.html

No book deals there.

Liz O:

Thanks for the acerbic and somewhat incorrect response.  There is more than one creature known as a "sand flea" and the one you refer to is only one of them.

The one you refer to is not properly called a sand flea.  Although it does have the benefit of being an actual flea.

But you're welcome. 

hmmm, i got bit by a bug in honduras last year, really bad, sent me to the hospital- don't know what it was. . . . .