Porrujas or Chitres

One thing all people coming to the caribe side of Costa Rica or Panama should be ready for is the porrujas (the name in Costa Rica) or the chitres(Panama's name), which is a biting no-see-'um, very small black horrible thing, which leaves a very itchy bump behind.  They are so small that they float through the screens, so there is no way to keep them out.  The Off! 40% Deet seems to keep them from landing on us.  I am using Hilands homeopathic tabs, for bee stings and insect bites for relieving the itching (worked in 15 min. for me) but did not work on the kids.  Our anti-histamine anti-itch cream worked a bit for Teresa and Leo, as did just plain old witch hazel.  Only problem is that you are constantly re-applying those creams or the lotion, whereas the homeopathy seemed to work for me up to several hours.

Be prepared.  We were, but not for all things, I guess.