Our Story
They say that necessity is the mother of invention and in our case it is especially true. Shorty after making the move from Michigan to Florida in 1992, I discovered that even paradise has its pests.
I have always been an outdoor enthusiast, so I was used to threats from nuisance insects like mosquitoes and flies but was completely unprepared for the invisible threat found on the coast in the south, the noseeum.
I spent a beautiful evening, on the beach, taking part in a guided shell tour at dusk. While this seemed harmless enough, I was totally unaware that I was in fact under attack. It was later that same night when my struggle began. I woke up in the middle of the night itching uncontrollably. Being new to the area, I asked around and quickly found out that had just had my first encounter with the most challenging of all the nuisance insects, the noseeum. Aptly named, because I never saw them coming. I was defenseless.
For the next 18 years, I tried every natural formula on the market, with no success. I slathered on gooey lotions and oils as a protective barrier and I got bit a little less, but then I also had a layer of drowned bugs on my skin and was in need of an immediate shower. The problem was so bad that I finally broke down and tried DEET. As a self proclaimed “Tree Hugger,” using poison went against everything I believe in, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and once again, the noseeums seemed unaffected.
That was it, the last straw. I decided that something had to be done and if nothing on the market would work, I would put something on the market that would. That was the day in 2010 that Velmaxxx Enterprises, Inc. was founded. I worked with a naturopath and studied the natural repulsion properties of plants and their essential oils and tested formulations in the most treacherous of wildlife refuges and nature preserves, until the perfect formula was created.
No No-See-Um was developed and carefully formulated to protect both you and your family as well as the environment. With a light botanical scent and non greasy spray made of 100% natural ingredients, you, your kids and your pets, can all enjoy the outdoors again.
Caroline Semerjian
Owner/Developer