Sand fleas are tiny but they can be seen. They are less than 1/8" long. The live in the sand and feed on organic and decaying plant material such as seaweed washed up on the beach. They jump up to 20 inches. They mostly come out in the very early morning hours or at dusk, when it is cooler.
Sand Flea, amphipod crustacean also called sand hopper, beach flea, or beach hopper. The common sand flea is found on the Atlantic coast of the Americas from Canada to Argentina, and also on the coast of Europe. Laterally compressed and less than 1.2 cm (less than 0.5 in) long, they leap by bending the body together and throwing it open with a sudden jerk, springing forward a distance several times the length of the body by means of their body segment, the taillike telson. The chigoe, a true flea, is also called a sand flea.
Chigoe, common name for a burrowing, biting, tropical American flea. It is sometimes also called jigger, jigger flea, or, improperly, chigger, although a chigger is a mite, a different kind of animal pest. Chigoes are smaller than common fleas but otherwise resemble them. The fertile female burrows under the skin of humans and animals and becomes engorged with blood and eggs, causing a painful and sometimes dangerous pea-sized ulcer to form. Chigoes particularly attack the skin of the feet.
Protect yourself by wearing shoes, socks, and long pants after dark or staying off the beach after dark and avoid beach areas that have decaying organic debris. Some say that DEET repels them (main ingredient in most insect repellents such as OFF!). Treat bites as you would any insect bite - clean with soap and water and if necessary, apply an antibiotic/antiseptic ointment. Hydrocortizone (such as Cortaid) or a mild Ammonium Hydroxide solution (After-Bite product) might help alleviate itching.
I spend all day most every day in the DR on the beaches and have never been bothered by them. Most beaches are cleaned and raked daily of organic debris, where they feed. Mosquitos sometimes get me, but not sand fleas. Mosquito season follows the rains, mostly September - November.
Jim Hinsch
JimHinsch@CSI.COM
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06-17-1999, 07:04 PM
