Mozzy bites, after the event.

[pothunter]

Used greater plantain this evening after reading Fenlanders post, took a while to get full benefit but worked really well.

Controlled experiment, only used it on one leg now wish I had used it on both.

Thanks for the tip Fenlander.

 

[andyn]

Another vote for plantain, a natural antihistimine. worked wonders on a horse fly bite i got on the elbow.

 

[john scrivy]

Just wondered would Dock leaf work it works for nettle sting

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

when you say elder do you mean the juice of the berries or crushed leaves or both?

 

[Bushcraft4life]

Another one for the Tiger Balm, being a martial artist i use it a lot, the mild one is very good but the hot one as i call it works the best, but it honks and then some

Skin so soft is also very good for mozzies and miggies, i was at loch lomond a few days ago and the miggies or however you spell it were out in force, i only got 3 bites on me arms whereas last year with nothingon i looked like i had chicken pox all over again.

 

[commandocal]

I heard DEET is bad stuff? Ive been told to get a lemon juice and dab it on you every hour or so and it keeps the midgie luftwaffe away

 

[steven andrews]

I use Anthisan cream, which does the job.

 

[Nagual]

Back in the day, when I was still in the Army, we used the heat method, only not using hot cups or spoons - far to sensible. We used the burny end of a ciggy, held as close to the bite as possible, it worked every time as long as you got it soon enough. I would imagine this is working in a similar fashion to heating nettles over a fire, where the heat breaks down the toxins.

Another thing to do with mossi's, is while the wee buggers are suckin' streych your skin so they can't escape.. they end up popping. Now the nature lovers out there of course shouldn't do that, however if you want so sick revenge on the blood sucking gits... have fun.

 

[twisted firestarter]

Tea Tree essential oil works for me

 

[Wildpacker]

I've never been bothered by mosquitoes, it's the horse flies that seem to find me attractive and I've not found anything that will keep them away. So I just itch.

 

[alex905]

ice cubes for me. keep it on till you think you might have gotten frost bite . dosent just stop when you regin feeling but it does ware off in about 1/2 to 1 full day. i only use this on big bites as you cant fel the cold as much as on smaller bites.

i think this works in one of two ways, it either damages the nerves ina a very local way, or as frezzing killes cells it might changes the poison enough to make it ineffective. since i can still feel my toes im guessing its the latter.

 

[dwardo]

I use Greater Plantain (Plantago major). Crush a leaf to extract the juice and apply to the bite. Works really effectively to stop bleeding as well!

I have just managed to be able to start spotting greater plantain and was wondering how best to apply it ?

Do i just get few leaves and rub them on or crush and run the juice on ?

Cheers

 

[alpha_centaur]

Your worried about using antihistamines after using DEET????

Anyway try this "itch ease" its made by a guy who lives locally and seems to contain a lot of camomile which i believe helps to stop itching.

http://www.totallyherby.com/

You could also try calomine lotion. Theres also natural anti-histamines available try the healthfood shop.

But as I said I'd be more worried about using DEET, especially if your not anywhere that there's malarial carring mossies.

 

[Templar]

First "stinggoes" is great stuff, as is any of the over the counter Hayfever treatments (all contain antihistamines which you can either take or crush them up and mix with a little saliva or petrolium jelly to make a paste and spread on the site of the bite for relief).

Second to avoid bites in the first place without the chemicals like DEET, dose up on Garlic Oil Caps & Vitamin B for a couple of days before you plan to go out and then take a couple each day to top up, this works great for Mozzies.

Third avoid wearing aftershave and deodorants, this will bring them from miles away, also avoid wearing dark coloured clothing too, the chemical fixers in the dark coloured dyes acts like a homming beacon to them too.

And finally, the greatest attractant to mozzies is our breath, they are attracted to the cabon dioxide we expell buring resperation so I'm affraid we cant do much with this particular problem.

I hope this is useful...
Cheers,

Karl

 

[Variant 13]

I have quite an allergic reaction to most midge and horsefly bites unless I can hit the bite with something fast.

Tiger balm isn't too bad but the unqualified winner for me is the "Click-it". Boots or Cotswolds sell them for a fiver. They work by sending a small electrical current through two prongs which kills the poisons in the bite or sting... Stops the itching as well.

The only thing I've found that absolutely stops the blighters biting is "Rid", though it's now illegal to sell in most countries.


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“I’m living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart.”

 

[philaw]

Another vote for tiger balm. I used it several times a week when I live in a sub-tropical part of china, and it never stopped working for me. Just make sure you put it on as soon as you notice the bite, or it'll be less effective. Keep one of the little push-top tins with you.

 

[andy_e]

Nice tip, never thought of trying that - got a tub of tiger balm somewhere, will stow it for my next summer outing. Only sometimes have a reaction but is bu@@er when it happens.