Horse flied - Damnable things

[Tony]

So, i've got nailed, one got me through a glove two days ago and today it's hard to move my thumb, i got one on the leg the other day but i think i got him off quick enough so that's not come tup too bad but I knew this one was going to be a pain, had ice packs on it regularly right form the start, antihistamine cream and piriten (sp)
Shelly gets nailed by one and it does nothing, I on the other hand....

Anyone got any good treatments for horse fly bites? or some good deterrents?

 

[TeeDee]

Ouch! Not sure if it would do the trick but I'd be interested in experimenting on you if you're game , would you consider apply a Plantain Poultice for the sake of science?

 

[John Fenna]

Wow Boss - you kind of "over react" to some things don't you!
The wretched Horse Flies are more than plentiful this year so I guess you are going to have to either find a good repellent (Fiona's stuff is pretty good - so is the "Incognito" system) or go around in a full suit of 16oz canvas - long trousers, gloves mask et al!
I have been had 4 times this year already - but all I get is a hard lump about 5mm across that stops itching after a couple of days...
There is another little beggar that goes for me (ain't worked out which it is yet) that goes for sweat line bites - sock line, waistline, watchstrap, hat etc and those bites itch so badly that I always end up scratching them bloody - not pretty!

 

[Macaroon]

I react as badly as that to the little buggers, but for a couple of years now I've used Fiona's Stupidly Simple stuff and for the first time since I was a kid I've had one bite so far this year and only two for the whole of last.

I can't speak highly enough of the stuff, and there's now one with an SPF 15 as well which I've been using for a few weeks and seems to work just as well.....Review coming up on the new one.

 

[Tony]

to the right of my hand in that picture there's a parcel from Fiona full of stupidly simple stuff, just got to start using it now

its the itching that gets me the most, the tight skin isn't so bad, it's just one of those things, but boy does it itch, the only thing that alleviates it is ice cold or a damn good scratch, which I know is bad...

 

[Tony]

Ouch! Not sure if it would do the trick but I'd be interested in experimenting on you if you're game , would you consider apply a Plantain Poultice for the sake of science?

Yeah, no problem, I'll go out later and find some and make up the poultice...

 

[GGTBod]

You folks who feed yourselves to flying critters need to up your garlic intake, i've always eaten a lot but this year i really focused on adding a lot of it to nearly every meal for the healthy heart benefits and now even the midges hardly pay me any notice. Tony that hand looks like a brutal reaction

 

[Toddy]

I take the anti-histamines and ibuprofen. That reduces the swelling and helps ease the itch. I also use Eurax cream on the area and that really stops the itch.

It's a triple whammy on the blasted thing. Stop the reaction, reduce the swelling and stop the itch….that makes you scratch that kicks off the swelling and itch again.

I have to carry an epi-pen for the damned clegs these days, just in case a bite really goes nuts
Horrid filthy things are these biting flies.

I hope it settles quickly for you Boss.

atb,
Mary

 

[Countryman]

Tony, welcome to my world. Funnily enough Horse Flies like horses. Go figure.

Our field camp out weekend before last saw me in shorts and I took a dozen or so bites to the legs that came up like half marbles and one the next day had red veins running to the bite site. Ugly and itchy!

I don't swell up like you and clearly you are sensitive to this and need to be mindful and keep the Antihistamines handy.

I bought 12 boxes of Loratadine from Chemists4u for £10.27 delivered last month. Same stuff unbranded as Claratyn but way cheaper. You can get unbranded versions of all the better known brands such as Piriton too (Citirazine) and a selection is useful.

Avoidance includes keeping an area free of fresh manure which they seem to use for moisture.

We spray the horses with Citronella Oil. We use citronella out in Greece too for mozzies in the form of candles or incense sticks so I would suspect that spraying it on your clothes or making a Smokey Joe would have the same affect. (Subject to local regs) Failing that go for Jungle Formula or something with a high concentration of DEET.

Wife swears to an Avon product called Skin So Soft which seems to keep them off her.

Stay safe.


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[ged]

I feel your pain Tony, they do similar things to me. Forty years ago, one put me in hospital with a life-threatening infection.

What gloves were they that they got you through? I find leather stops them pretty well but you have to be careful about the gaps.

 

[Goatboy]

Ouch Tony looks a sore ain.

Have you tried the wee piezo electric clickers to alleviate the pain and swelling?

Cost a couple of quid and you.place on the bite, give a couple of clicks and the mini shock (doesn't hurt - honest) takes away the pain and itch so stopping you clawing at it.

Have a look in the travel section where they stock "Go" accessories. Works for me.

Heal well and fast boss.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Dave]

I use citronella oil mixed with water in a little spray on everything from the inside of tarps to the dog, to my skin and hat and it seems to work well.

Cheapest source of good stuff I found was here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/100ml-Citronella-Pure-Essential-Oil/dp/B00BBUF404

 

[Tony]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I'll arm myself a little better.

gloves weren't anything special, building gloves so a elastic mesh on the back and rubber front and fingers, got me through the mesh, I had them on while ai was painting with some awful silicone based proofer.

they never used to bother me much until about 5 years ago, I've always been nailed by mosquitoes, midges etc and reacted to them with a local itch that would drive me mad but the last while horse flies really get me, especially when they're around a joint, luckily this one isn't too bad, it's saw, itchy and skin is tight but I've got mostly free movement (other than tight skin)

I've ordered a few things that have been suggested and we'll see how the summer goes, the Moot site's usually good, I've only been nailed a couple of times in all the years of going there.

 

[Mike313]

Some useful information on this thread. I tend to get bitten a lot more than my partner - in fact got a sting/bite on my arm this morning - and I keep some Zirtek antihistamine tablets handy in case I get a particularly bad reaction. Rubbing vinegar on the string/bite immediately also helps, more practical if you are stung at home/in the garden rather than out walking obviously

 

[Countryman]

Zirtek is a Citirizine based product too.

Zirtek is expensively branded and Citirizine about the same cost quoted from Chemist4u.

Is oil of citronella likely to contribute to the development of cancer?
The potential of oil of citronella to cause cancer has not been studied. However, studies have shown that oil of citronella does not alter or damage genes. Geraniol, a major component of oil of citronella, has been observed in several studies to reduce the growth of some cancers. In another study, large doses of some minor components of oil of citronella were fed to rodents five times per week for two years. There was no evidence of increased cancer rates. However, methyleugenol, a minor component of oil of citronella, is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It has caused the development of tumors in mice.


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[tombear]

Gawd, that take me back! Last one of those that got me I was positive some little scrag had sniped me with a air rifle it hurt so much and so suddenly. I was hitching back in the early 90s so it was hours before I got to where I could get some antihistamines, since then I carry pills and cream, So my thumb and closest 2 fingers swelled up and took 3 days to go down.

if the biters are bad I create my own smoke scream with a pipe. Works remarkably well but the side effects may be worse than the problem...

I'm going to start carrying a not that little venom extractor syringe thing I've had for years as for some reasons I seam to react worse to normal bites worse than I used to. See if that works.

just like this one but a foul green colour

http://www.moontrail.com/accessrs/a-emerg/venom_extractor.html

i hope you mend soonest!

ATB

Tom

 

[Swallow]

Wow Boss - you kind of "over react" to some things don't you!

Reactions and body chemistry can be controlled/reprogrammed with hypnosis?

 

[TeeDee]

Just asking, did you try the Plantain as an immediate attempt to stop the itching?

 

[Tommyd345]

Ok so I've found,
Marmite. Marmite is awesome, eat it, keep it with you when you go out!

If you get bitten make an X with your nail ontop of the main bite spot, stops it from itching don't know how it will do with your swollen hand! But MARMITE!!!

 

[didicoy]

When I kept horses. Some old gypsies recommended that we grab a handful of Elder leaves. Screw them up in the palm of your hand and rub the necks of the horse from their driving collar to their chinstrap. This deters the horsefly from pestering the horse around that area. We would stink from the extracted chemicals, but funny enough never got bit ourselves. Give it a try.