The pits of all travel bugs
TSETSE flies are one of Africa’s nasties. We used to be told about them at school, along with anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria. Because tsetses can cause sleeping sickness in humans they are feared, and travellers go to great lengths to avoid them.
Last time we were in Zambia and Zimbabwe, in August 2013, we managed to escape being bitten by both tsetses and mozzies – the latter chiefly because it was the end of winter so there was little standing water for them to breed. Tsetses, on the other hand, were prolific; especially among mopane trees in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley.
They have a strange but predictable behaviour. They bite during the day, a painful one I’m told, like a horse fly in South Africa, and they usually live around cattle or wild animals, particularly herds of buffalo, on which they feed by sucking their blood.
They are attracted by movement, and should you drive past a herd of buffalo or chance on a swarm on their own, your vehicle is likely to attract attention, because their instinct is that if it’s moving, it must be edible. You might stop to look at something and soon it will be covered by flies, crawling all over. Should you open a window, they’ll be in in a flash and baying for your blood.
You quickly close windows and hit the panic button because 20 or so tsetses inside the car looking for a bare bit of flesh to bite is not funny. You smack at them, swot them, do what you can to expel them. Using Doom and other insect sprays inside the confines of a closed motor vehicle is not on. You don’t want to asphyxiate yourself.
So you arm yourself with anti-tsetse fly muti, spreading it all over exposed parts of your body before you set off, not when you’re about to be attacked. That’s too late and it only promotes panic among occupants.
So what is the answer then? Straightforward insect repellents don’t work very well. Tsetses laugh at them. An East London surgeon (now retired) wrote an amusing summary on a 4x4 Forum website, with more than a little tongue in cheek.
His first suggestion: Burn elephant dung, but not so wet that the elly nails you when harvesting it.
Tabard/Peaceful Sleep hardly make them sneeze. Dettol and citronella oil together with Tabard cream mixed in a plastic spray bottle is what most game guides and lodges use. Dettol at 20 to 40% is the essential ingredient, but you have to be diligent and spray every two hours or so. Remember they bite through cotton shirts. We sprayed our clothes with Doom, which worked, but is not safe.
Rid, he says, is a highly recommended Australian product, but costs about R200 a can according to websites Chiel visited. “Our travelling companions brought it from the UK,” says Stan, “and it proved the most effective, but also has to be applied often.”
Avon cosmetic products are British. If it does not work, don't worry, we will have our revenge in the Rugby World Cup. Avoid black clothing as it attracts them. Fly a black tee-shirt on the back of your vehicle. Carry lots of Doom in your car and avoid spraying your wife.
Tstetses are also attracted by movement, so sit tight in the day, they disappear in the early evenings. If you see a herd of buffalo, close the car windows quickly.
You can drive with windows open if you stick close to an open game viewing vehicle. Tstetses are more likely to go for passengers sitting on the back.
Once bitten don't be shy to imbibe plenty of alcohol that night, together with antihistamine tablets. Ignore the package insert warning that these tablets and alcohol cause excessive drowsiness. That is exactly what you need to sleep off the itch.
Fresh lion scats you might find on your game drives will also cause tsetses to scatter. “Seriousss!” notes Stan, no doubt with a broad grin. —