I’ve been attacked by a colony of niknik. And it was serious.
Niknik or sand mites are tiny (almost microscopic) creatures that
can be found on sandy shores and they survive through decaying plants (including mangroves
and seaweeds). Niknik bites are similar to mosquito bites but differ in the
gravity of the itching and swelling.
I’ve been bitten once or twice (in Puerto Princesa, Palawan) years back
and I just left it as it was ‘coz it posed no harm or whatsoever. My very first encounter
was not that disturbing so leaving it that way was quite ok.
And then two months ago, I was attacked by a colony of niknik from my recent trip to
Punta Sebaring in Bugsuk Island (Balabac, Palawan). I was checking out the shore and its blindingly white sand when I noticed some bite marks on my
limbs. I was checking it out for about a minute and noticed that the nikniks
feasted on my upper thigh area. And then I remembered my first encounter with them and
forgot about the marks and carried on with the trip.
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i.hate.niknik |
After the trip, I scurried over the net to check out some effective
means to alleviate the itch and to heal the nasty bite marks. I also heeded some advice from my friends and
got these great responses;
Try tea tree oil. At
wag kamutin! - Nina
Naku! Ganyan nangyari
sa office mate ko as in nagpa-doctor siya with medication. – Jerik
My derma gave me
Dermovate ointment when I had it. Don’t use sulphur soap!
Apply mo yung ointment twice a day. It will be gone in 3-4 days promise. Apply
it in circular motion para ma-absorb ng skin. – Nix
Put honey or virgin
coconut oil. Kapag nag-dry na, buy pear then rub sa areas para di magpeklat. – James
Huwag kamutin… - Cecile
Tea tree oil muna pag
dry na use “hiruscar”. – Shugah
I’m really glad to have some very helpful friends but I researched some more
and found some cheap and effective ways to deal with the situation. First thing was to stop scratching it and just rub it lightly to ease the irritation
caused by the itch.
I found out Elinor’s site to be the most helpful of all. First things
first, the bite marks should be dried up for it to heal completely, afterwards,
the nitty gritty part of taking care of the dark marks on the skin was next.
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Fresh Guava leaves |
After the bites were all dried up, it will surely leave some dark marks on the affected area. I have a two-step process in dealing with this problem. First is to put some fresh calamansi on the affected area 5-10 minutes before bath. After bath, put some considerable amount of Sebo De Macho on every mark to moisturize it.
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Apply it on the affected area 5-10 minutes before bath. |
![]() |
Nangangamoy sebo de macho na ang kwarto ko! |
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After two months of religiously following the calamansi-sebo de macho tandem |
Niknik pala tawag dyan. Buti di pa naman ako na infest nila. Most of the time meron pero maximum na mga 5 lang.
ReplyDeleteNiknik nga Katherine. Kaloka sila! Haha
Deletei have 45 bites now
DeleteOh no! I hope it's all healed now...
DeleteWhat if po mga 5 months na yung marks beacuse of niknik? Are calamansi and sebo de macho still effective? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI think so. It may still lighten the scars :)
Deletevery helpful to. last year around january ng magkaroon ako nito, wala akong makuhang helpful tips online. even wiki doesnt show the word niknik. hahah
ReplyDeleteSame here. Wala din ako nabasa online kaya gumawa ako ng sarili kong ganap. Hehe
DeleteWaah grabe yung mga kagat ng niknik sakin from Calaguas! Feb this year pa yun at grabe yung iniwan na scars! Pinabayaan ko lang kasi. Ma try nga yan sebo de macho at calamansi. Thanks for this Carla! :)
ReplyDeleteGo Milet! :)
DeleteI had niknik bites when were hiking to Mt.Pulag via Akiki trail.
ReplyDeleteAfter a week makati pa rin pero nag dry na and maraming dark marks na retain.
Dapat careful na next time, wear long sleeves and apply insect repellent lotion.
Always bring medicine (antihistamine, ibuprofen, ointment, etc).
Thanks for this info.
Thanks too for the tips :)
Deletegnat po english ng niknik. hehe. nakuha ko lang sa net. :)
ReplyDeleteOohhhh. Thanks Shervin for that info :)
Deleteyan ang pinaka kalaban ko sa buhay! sobrang nakakairritate ang bites ng mga yan!!
ReplyDeleteTotoo yan!
DeleteArgh! Just got back from Punta Sebaring and I got feasted by niknik too & fire ants. Will do this.
ReplyDeleteArrgh. I hate nik nik! :(
Deletethanks sa info. gf ko nagka gnito nung nag boracay kame we thought allergy lng til snbi ng ksama nya sa work na niknik then i searched it and found ur page. thank you for the info
ReplyDeleteNo worries Abdel! :)
DeleteIt's been a week now since I encoutered this very tiny insects. It gave me this very itchy marks. At first I thought I was punished by an entity, because I was noisy at an area the locals considered enchanted, or maybe this was an alergic reaction because after ten years I had taken alcohol again. Then I saw your article. Now it was clear.. Thanks for the info..
ReplyDeleteIt's been a week now since I encoutered this very tiny insects. It gave me this very itchy marks. At first I thought I was punished by an entity, because I was noisy at an area the locals considered enchanted, or maybe this was an alergic reaction because after ten years I had taken alcohol again. Then I saw your article. Now it was clear.. Thanks for the info..
ReplyDeleteNo worries John. Hope you're all okay now :)
DeleteHuhu meron akong gnito ngaun super kati at nagsusugat n kakakamot ko. 3weeks n akong may gnito. I hope effevtive sa akin ung tips mo. Dlawa na ung gngamit kong anti irritation and scratching products pero pag dting ng gabi sobrang kati pdin. :( nakakaiyak s sobrang kati at hapdi aftereards. :'( thanks s info
ReplyDeleteHello Jhoanne. It's itchy talaga lalo na sa first few weeks. Pigilan mo lang sarili mo sa pag kamot para hindi mag mark :)
DeleteIs it normal na pag may gumagaling may panibago nnamang pantal? At reddish tlga sya pag nasobrahan s kamot para syang namuong dugo ang kulay.
ReplyDeleteOh. Dapat wag mo siya kamutin Jhoanne kasi baka mainfect...
DeleteI hate niknik i supper now all my feet arms even my body meon..sobrang kati at ng tutubig...Grrrr
ReplyDeleteSuper stressful nga yang niknik na yan :(
DeleteHello po ako now meron kagat ng niknik sobrang kati alam mo un sarap kamutin di ko pala alam nakalat sya pag kinakamot.salamat sa advice kung paano mawala.
DeleteHello po ako now meron kagat ng niknik sobrang kati alam mo un sarap kamutin di ko pala alam nakalat sya pag kinakamot.salamat sa advice kung paano mawala.
DeleteNo worries!
Deletethanks for this info. muntik na ko magpunta sa derma at magpa consult. buti nakita ko to. will definitely try this kase mas gusto ko pa rin ang natural remedies. balitaan kita what happened when I tried this. thanks thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes please. Balitaan mo ako ha? :)
Deletehi. na-encounter ko rin ang mga niknik n yn s palawan. i have bites all over my body, i can say more than a 100. its been 2 weeks and until now kumakati p rin cya... and because sobrang kati nya, in the beginning di ko naiwasang mag scratch and almost all my bites ng dark marks n. just wondering, mga ilang months bago totally nawala ung mga dark marks? thanks.
ReplyDeleteYung sakin mga 1 month bago natanggal. Basta lagi ko sinusunod yung regimen na nakasulat :)
DeleteHi can i ask kamusta na ung peklat na naiwan sa skin mo kasi ako almost 3months na ang itim pa din nung scar nya
DeleteHi can i ask kamusta na ung peklat na naiwan sa skin mo kasi ako almost 3months na ang itim pa din nung scar nya
DeleteClear na skin ko eh. Depende ata sa part na kinagat. Or sa skin type.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi.right now i have niknik bites all over my body i get it 2days ago from talaudyong beach Palawan. Buti nabasa ko tong article na mo.it helps.thanks a lot.😊
ReplyDeleteNo worries Janice!
DeleteGlad I found ur page po, nag puerto galera kami 2wks ago and until now super pantal kami and nangangati everyday! Thanks for this
ReplyDeleteNo worries! :)
DeleteHello morning.. Right now meron po ako ngyun ng kagat ng mga niknik na yan.. D ko alam bkit parang kagatin ako ng mga insect d ko na tlga alam ggawin.. Nan dito po ako ngyun sa Hong Kong papunta ako ng school pag uwi ko grabe sobrang dami ko pong kgat buong binti ko at paa ko.. Sobrang kati po nia tlga.. D pa nga po gumahling ung sa sa hita ko meron na nmn sa mga paa.. D ko na po tlga alam ggawin ko.. Sa pinas d nmn po ako nkkagat ng mga gnyan.. Dito sa hongkong grabe dami dito.. Pki tulungn nmn po ako salamat..
ReplyDeleteIf it's really irritating then you could probably visit a dermatologist there in Hong Kong :(
DeleteThank you, Blissful Guro, for your sound advice. I've had my niknik since July 2016 from Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Sebo de macho by itself didn't work. But I'll try it now with calamansi before baths. The niknik year was a real ordeal. One of those who replied to your blog said s/he got niknik from Boracay? OMG! I'll be going there next month! I guess I'll wear leggings all the time. Don't want to experience nik-nik a second time. Your blog is a real blessing to all who have experienced being attacked by sand mites. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much and hoping for a niknik-free vacation in Boracay :)
Deleteapply po ng baby oil sa katawan pag pupunta sa mga niknik infested na lugar,the best po kesa sa mga insect repellent. may mga bites din po ako nangyari few days ago pero na lessen dahil sa naglalagay po ako ng baby oil.i'll try the calamansi and sebo de macho for the marks. thank you.
ReplyDeleteOhh. Thanks for the tip Dyen. Will try the baby oil next time for that nasty nik nik :)
DeleteHi. I would just like to ask kung saan po kayang lugar near manila na infested ng niknik? Yung thesis po kasi namin is determining a way to kill those insects. Need po namin ay yung swarms talaga to test if our study is effective. Your answer would help us a lot. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI think you should start where mangroves are (kung san man meron near Manila). Kasi andun ang mga nik nik :)
DeleteSkin poh 1month na pwede pa poh ba ang calamansi at sebo de macho.
DeletePwede pa yan chase :)
DeleteHi meron din po akong kagat ng niknik I got it last nov 1 at mt. Maranat effective pa ba yan kalamansi at sebo de macho nag dry na siya pero biglang kumakati after nun nagsasariwa na naman yung sugat sobrang kati talaga.
ReplyDeleteYep. It will still be effective Anne :)
DeleteHi! I'm suffering it from yesterday when i was at Camia Bay Resort (Puerto Princesa) sobrang itchy talaga. Lumalaki yung marks pag kinakamot ko sya.( hindi ko kasi maiwasan na kamutan dahil sa sobrang kati. ������ at d ako makatulog ngayon. Mga mentol na linagay ko pero wala pa rin sobrang kati talaga. Haaaaaixt. ����
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm suffering it from yesterday when i was at Camia Bay Resort (Puerto Princesa) sobrang itchy talaga. Lumalaki yung marks pag kinakamot ko sya.( hindi ko kasi maiwasan na kamutan dahil sa sobrang kati. ������ at d ako makatulog ngayon. Mga mentol na linagay ko pero wala pa rin sobrang kati talaga. Haaaaaixt. ����
ReplyDeleteNo menthol! Tiis tiis lang :(
DeleteHello! Some of my bites are about to dry up, some dried up na but sometimes itchy parin. Can i apply calamansi and sebo de macho already?
ReplyDeletepag dry na pwede na. mag may sugat pa wag muna sebo de macho kahit kalamansi lang, nakakarelieve din yun ng kati.
DeleteYep. That's right! :)
DeleteYung niknik umaattack sila sa malilong na lugar, sa dark places. di sila nakakakagat sa direct sunlight. Insect repellant is not enough sometimes. Pag madami talagang nangangagat try to use vinegar naobserve ko na nakakarepel siya gayundin nakakatanggal ng kati sa mga infected parts. Better to use long sleeves or long pants/pajamas sa lugar na madami nito gayundin sa pag tulog. Di kasi gaanong ramdam ang kagat ng niknik. Sa scars and marks, nakakatulong talaga ang calamansi before bath at sebo de macho. Sa sugat ng kagat naman linisin niyo ng disenfectant like Hydrogen Peroxide or Iodine Povidine (wag alcohol kasi nagcacause ito ng irritation). Boiled guava leaves is good also.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Rafael! :)
DeleteWas looking for niknik remedy when i found your site. Just want to share my own experience i got a loooot of bites form this insect as well i couldnt sleep scratching my legs. I got it in el nido nacpan beach i think..and throughout my stay it got worst..i went to the derma and she gave me antihistamine and also dermovate for the insect bites..BUT when i applied it i was shocked the following day that all the marks turned dark red to almost maroon i was so scared that it will never get back to normal so i stopped it at once and used GIGA TEA TREE CREAM instead and it worked wonders to my some bites are almost gone in less than a week..some still there but now really really light..hopibg that in leass than 2 weeks everythibg is gone..just sharing my own experience as well to help others.. i apply it 2 to 3x a day..but i think the antihistamine helped a lot in the itch but it made me feel sleepy the whooole day
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you for the info! :)
DeleteHi sir where did u buy guga tea tree cream
DeleteAtlast i found this page!
ReplyDeleteI hate this feeling of itchyness until now im suffering... Huhu
I encountered this pest in school...
I already saw it.
It hops at hnd basta basta namamatay yung pinisa ko na sya kala ko patay na yun alive pa din pla...
Oh no! Baka may mangroves sa school ninyo. :(
DeleteI'm suffering now dahil said niknik n kumkgat s akin. Dto lng nman ako s haus di lamok kumkgat kundi niknik.. ilng beses ko n dn nhuli at nkpatay ng niknik. Mas mliit p sya kesa sa Langgam, at Ang bilis lumipad kpag pptyin o tirisin kn.
ReplyDeleteHi! That's sad. Maybe you should put insect repellent na lang? :)
DeleteI've been bitten by these nasty niknik last summer, it's been six months pero sariwa padin, I've been to three dermatologists, tried countless brands of oinment and steroidal cream but none of them worked. I even tried guava leaves, wala parin. Sobrang sugat sugat at sira na legs ko. :( I need help, di na ko makapag-apply sa airline dahil dito :(
ReplyDeletesame here, it's been 3 months for me. tried Dermovate, then calamansi and sebo de macho and guava leaves too. peklat na sya. dark brown. any tips on what to put? minsan makati parin.
DeleteOmg!!! I think same tayo! It’s been 5 months for me and di pa rin magaling yung sakin. They were red then bumpy until nagtutubig na sya ngayon. Whenever some of it seems to be healed and get flat, nagbubump ulit after a few days :( :( the creams dermatologists gave me don’t seem to be working.
DeleteUmabot ng 5 months? :(
DeleteI will try this method. I've been to balabac, palawan also and now I'm suffering from the bites of niknik. I can't even have a good sleep because of the itchiness.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you'll be okay soon, Joy.
Deleteano po kayang magandang insect reffelant? tnx
ReplyDeleteNever tried it yet at the beach but I heard Off is okay :)
Deletemeron po akp mga kagat ngaun ng niknik npaka kati grabe
ReplyDeleteHow is it now?
Deleteung old scars po ba matatanggal ren???
ReplyDeleteNever tried it sa old scar eh. Pero no harm in trying naman. :)
DeleteHello pwede bang mangitlog ang niknik sa skin mo?
ReplyDeleteNo idea about this...
Deletegood thing I read this from thursday until now I have niknik bites as of now its it's getting dark but not that itchy thanks for more info I'll try calamansi and sebo de macho
ReplyDeleteHow is it now? :)
DeleteGot bitten in Punta Sebaring last week and the itch started 3 days after. I've heaps of nasty bites around my legs. Tried both BL and Calmoseptine but they seem to be not working. I tried bayabas leaves and they helped a bit. I discovered heating the itchy parts with a hair dryer. With as much heat that I could tolerate and the itch is gone!
ReplyDeleteHow is it now? :)
DeleteHello im sufferring niknik galing kminRimblon since yearly nman umuuwi kmi doon but firstime kung ma experience yung ganitong.. Sobrang kati at nagtutubig pa.. Thanks sa info naway makatulong ito sa akin.. God bless you more..
ReplyDeleteSo how is it now? :)
DeleteHello im jenn from Antipolo.. Right now im suffering this niknik bites.. Galing kming Rimblon province yearly we went there but na shock ako bkit ngayon nagkarion ako ng gnito.. Dahil sobrang kati na nagtutubig pa.. Hindi maiwasang kmutin.. Thats why nag search ako and i read your tips.. Thank you so much nawa mkatulong itong recommended na remedy.. Thanks and God bless you more..
ReplyDeleteSo how is it now? :)
DeleteNakaka stress yang niknik na yan bigla nlng sumulpot sa bahay namen.. nawawala ng ilang months then babalik n nmn. Hnd pa nkka recover balat ko s dark marks n iniwan taz babalik n nmm sila.. kht nka pajama at mejas nko take note nkakagat parin mga paa ko. Pero pinag tataka ko mga ksama ko nmn s bahah hindi. Ako tlga pnka pinapapak nkaka stress mas gugustuhin ko pang surot kesa s niknik n yan npka hirap hulihin ksi tumatalon sila at npka liit anyway ang ginagamot ko lng ay katinko pra s kati at natutuyo agad sya naiiwasan ung pamamaga nya
ReplyDeleteHi Van! Ang alam ko kasi ang nik nik eh malapit sa mangroves nakatira. Hindi kaya ibang insekto yan?
Deletethank you po sa tips kung pano ma cure tung kagat ng niknik from Palawan po ,,naligo kami sa Prestine Beach grabe ang dami talaga at super itchy kapag gabe na (time check) 4:40AM maygad talaga! sana po malunasan nato tnx for the info GOD BLESS PO
ReplyDeleteHow is it now? :)
DeleteI have this insect bites since february 2019, until now the bites are still there. I went to different derma and gave me different treatments like topical steriods, tacros, etc.. After one week it will flattened then after another week the bites will appear again. And worse, its so itchy.. I'm suffering from this bites for almost 10months now and any medicine that my derma gave to me did not work. Does any one experienced the same?
ReplyDeleteI will now try the guava leaves and calamansi with cebo demacho..
That's sad... How is it now? :)
DeleteKagagaling lang nmin El Nido Palawan grabe Ang Dami Kung kagat sobrang Kati
ReplyDeleteButi ako pang ung anak at Asawa ko walang kagat 🙏
How is it now? :)
DeleteSome people are just really drawn to niknik bites, while some aren’t. I’ve noticed from my 2 kids, one gets bitten so much kahit sandali lang na-expose kawawa talaga, there was one summer day 2 pa lang tadtad na sya ng bites.
ReplyDeleteAwwww. Parang sa lamok din pala. May mas kinakagat...
DeleteYung kati nya ang sarap kamutin hahahah pero the best dyan virgin coconut oil niknik proof ka na
ReplyDeleteAh talaga? VCO? Thanks for the tip :)
Deleteoh my.. meron din akong kagat neto last week lang dito din sa puerto princesa.. kakastress ang kati at ang marks antagal pang mawala.... I will try this remedy. thank you for sharing this memssssh
ReplyDeleteMarami rin niknik talaga sa Palawan. Huhu.
DeleteNaku kkastress tlga mga niknik bgla nlang din ngkaroon sa bahay nmin grabe ang kati khit sa pagtulog nhhrapan aq kakakamot qng ano ano na pnapahid q wag lng aq makagat at di cla nmamatay sa katol at sa baygon
ReplyDeleteNakaka stress talaga yan. May malapit ba na mangroves sa bahay ninyo? :(
DeleteMay creek po ksi dto mlapit sa amin daluyan ng tubig bka doon nanggaling at bgla lng din ngkaroon dto wla nman to dti gusto ko mlaman qng paano cla mapaalis ksi khit anong gwin qng gamot qng maya maya kkgatin ka din grabe tlgang kati
DeleteSad naman. May cases naman na nadala sa bahay ang nik nik from beach. Makati po talaga yan. Mag off lotion na lang po siguro parati para makaiwas...
Delete