Mozzie bites/cheaper form of relief

[Bushwhacker]

I've seen products that use a piezo electric spark to give relief from bites and prevent build up of histamines. They range from £6 - £10 in price.

What about using the piezo electronic ignition units from cheapo cigarette lighters?
These lighters cost less than a quid would it work?

 

[bob_the_bomb]

I recommend Tiger Balm. Apart from anything else, you dont need to plug it in!

 

[Andy2112]

I recommend Tiger Balm. Apart from anything else, you dont need to plug it in!

3 small jars in a pack from the poundshop . Smells lovely.....

 

[Bushwhacker]

I recommend Tiger Balm. Apart from anything else, you dont need to plug it in!

You don't need to plug them in, it's a piezo ignition.
You must have seen the cheapo cigarette lighters with the electronic ignition before.

 

[wilekayote]

You can also put heat on the bite eg using hot coffee cup (as hot as you can stand). Ive tried it and it works a treat, the itch stops completely and doesn't come back.

Cant remember where I heard it, could well have been on another thread

 

[gzornenplat]

The piezo-electric units in lighters put out between 20,000 and 40,000 volts (at very low amperage
so it won't kill you ) and a raw PE unit will hurt! (I used to work in the labs for Ronson's).

I don't know how the pain-killer ones work or what they use, but I would suspect that they either
use low-power units, or effectively step it down by, maybe, sending the zap into a largish mass
of metal.

They do work, though, according to my parents - for many types of pain.

An antihistamine spray works for me as long as you have the will-power not to scratch for a
minute while the irritation goes away.

 

[Nagual]

You can also put heat on the bite eg using hot coffee cup (as hot as you can stand). Ive tried it and it works a treat, the itch stops completely and doesn't come back.

Cant remember where I heard it, could well have been on another thread

Used to use ciggie ends when I was doing a couple of tours in Cyprus. I think the heat neutralises the toxin, maybe a bit like heat does to nettle toxin?

 

[Mabinogion]

those zappers do work. you give about 2 or 3 zaps and it reduces the pain for a long time, i thinks it just numbs the area to stop scratching and speed up the healing. it's a good little piece. i picked mine up from home bargains for about £3 i think, the cheapest i've found anywhere.

Alex

 

[Armleywhite]

I buy a cracking Citronella cream off a chap on ebay. Have used it in Sri Lanka, Gambia, Egypt and never even been bitten. I'm either very lucky or the cream is the best ever.

 

[Dano]

I find witch hazel stops itching from stings and bites, you can get it in a gel or in a solid stick form although the stick thingy is poorly designed IMHO

 

[HillBill]

I buy a cracking Citronella cream off a chap on ebay. Have used it in Sri Lanka, Gambia, Egypt and never even been bitten. I'm either very lucky or the cream is the best ever.

I find that insects just won't bite certain people. I am one of them. We get fleas in the house with the pets, out of 5 of us i'm the only one who doesn't look tasty. Same with midges and mozzies. Never been bit by anything. I spent 2 years in the jungle and a year in the desert. Everyone was bitten to hell and back, barring me and a mongolian bloke. Hornets wouldn't sting me either.

I have been stung by a wasp once though 50ft up a ladder, it landed on the ladder where my hand landed a second later. That wasn't too nice.

 

[WhichDoctor]

I find that insects just won't bite certain people. I am one of them. We get fleas in the house with the pets, out of 5 of us i'm the only one who doesn't look tasty. Same with midges and mozzies. Never been bit by anything. I spent 2 years in the jungle and a year in the desert. Everyone was bitten to hell and back, barring me and a mongolian bloke. Hornets wouldn't sting me either.

I have a friend like that, on camping holidays in wales everyone would get bitten to death and he wouldn't have a single one.

As for the electric bite zappers we have one and id does sort of work. It gives you a little shock and then if you don't scratch it again the pain sort of goes away for half an hour or so. I reckon the cheap lighters would do very much the same thing, maybe give you more of a shock but they mite be more effective for it.

As for other bite treatments, I seem to remember someone at the Midlands Meet I went to last year recommended putting clear nail varnish over bites. Something about stopping the air getting to them. I haven't tried that as yet but I will sometime. On the same lines I've seen gadgets in the shops recently that seem to work the same way by having a little rubber sucker that goes on the bite and then has the air squeezed out of it by a plastic gadget. I would feel to much of a twit with little rubber nipples all over me to use it though .

 

[Melonfish]

me an my mum share that gene, corfu to wales and scotland and i never get bit by mozzies or midges. sis is similar if i can remember right. my dad on the other hand ends up looking like the elephant man....
the only thing that'll bite me today (and flippin enjoy it) is horsefly's. i HATE horsefly's i've had my whole hand swell up cause of those blighters before now its not fun. other then that tho nothing else likes the taste of me

 

[hiraeth]

i have one of the zapper gadgets and it works really well, also found that it works on nettle stings aswell.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Ok, I think we've establlished that the actual zapper gadgets work.
Now back to the original question, "Would the piezo ignitions from cigarette lighters work?"

 

[dwardo]

Ok, I think we've establlished that the actual zapper gadgets work.
Now back to the original question, "Would the piezo ignitions from cigarette lighters work?"

Give it a try and let us know how you get on, only a few months till they are out again.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Give it a try and let us know how you get on, only a few months till they are out again.

Lol, I was waiting for that.
Just wondered if anybody knew anything about the science behind the whole thing.

 

[HillBill]

The effect is that it inhibits the histamine build-up under the skin; this relieves the discomfort and urge to scratch, which in turn ensures that a bite doesn’t become inflamed or septic

Here are some other remedies i pulled off a site.

Household Items To Relieve Itching

Rub a bar of soap over the itch. I just tried this (Ivory soap) and the relief was near instant. I used a dry bar of soap directly on the skin, but I also have notes that you can spritz bite with water and then run bar of soap over area–or use a wet bar of soap.
Place a piece of scotch tape on the bite; or dab rubbing alcohol or ammonia on the bite first then stick on a piece of tape.
Hot water: Take a hot shower, or a hot bath, or apply a hot compress. As hot as you can stand it without burning you.
Ice cube, ice pack or very cold water

Dabbers For Itch Relief
The quicker you can apply one of the remedies below, the faster the relief. These are topical suggestions, apply directly to the bite area.

Nail Polish
Strong tea mixed with rubbing alcohol
Toothpaste (works for me)
Mouthwash
Vinegar (apply directly to bite or take a hot bath with 2 cups of vinegar in the water)
Honey
Underarm deodorant (solid or roll-on) - apply directly to bite area
Rubbing Alcohol
Ammonia
Bleach
Tea: Use a hot tea bag or a cotton ball soaked in hot tea to dab on bite area

Paste Applications
Mix these fresh then apply to bite as soon as possible. The consistency should be nice and thick so it won’t run, yet will still stay in place on the affected area. You could also spritz bite with water then apply grains/powders directly (generously) and rub them in.

Baking Soda & Water (works for me)
Meat Tenderizer & Water
Salt & Water (works for me)
Epsom Salt & Water (could also do this as a foot soak if it’s the ankle/foot area affected)
Tums Tablets: crush and add a few drops of water
Aspirin: crush then add a few drops of water
Aspirin - crush then apply a few drops of rubbing alcohol

Commercial Product Lotions, Creams & Applications
*Apply directly to mosquito bite area.

Calamine Lotion
Benadryl Cream
Orajel
Anbesol
Caladryl
Vicks VapoRub (works for me)
Preparation H (works for me)
Lucas Papaw Ointment
Tiger Balm
Bag Balm
Gold Bond Medicated Cream (or the Gold Bond Medicated Powder)
Mylanta (heartburn relief product)
After Bite

Essential Oils For Itch Relief
Apply full strength directly to bite area. Edit: There are concerns about using essential oils on children and pre-teens, especially repeated use.

Tea Tree Oil
Lavender Oil
Witch Hazel (astringent)
Cedar Oil
Leaf Applications
*Crush the fresh leaves roughly then apply to bite area

Basil
Plantains (Plantago)
Fruity Applications
*Use fresh fruit & apply directly to bite

Lemon Juice
Lemon Slice
Lime Juice
Lime Slice
Banana Peel (rub inside of peel on bite)
Whew! Big List! If I’ve missed your favorite remedy for mosquito bites, please add them below.

Notes
If a remedy doesn’t provide fast relief, don’t despair. Give it another try, sometimes it will take 2 or 3 applications before it kicks in.
The itch from mosquito bites comes from the saliva of the mosquito that it injects into you as it feasts on your blood. There are several dozen different species of mosquitoes and you may react to some species bites more than others.
If large swelling occurs (like welts), contact a doctor or pharmacist for suggestions (especially if it’s a child with a strong reaction). It could be an allergy to the bite. It’s important to watch the throat for swelling and get treatment asap.

 

[Melonfish]

okay freaky youth time, once i did pull one of them apart and zap myself, alright i used it to zap a m8 first but after a short while we found that you can make muscles in your body "jump" by shocking them. its somewhat alarming yet fun if your 15....
anyway long-short i'm not sure they're suitable unless you want to be involuntarily smacking yourself in the face as you try to get rid of mozzie bites.

 

[HillBill]

They aint that bad we used to all zap each other.Similar to a build up of static and touching some metal. Short sharp shock. It makes you jump if you don't expect it. but it is not really painfull. Although if you got someone on the tip of their nose their eyes watered and their face jumped about. Hilarious