Insect bites

[Humpy D]

Has anyone else suffered really badly this year from insect bites?

About 6 weeks ago I was playing golf in the evening and must have been bitten 10 times on each ankle. And despite using a cream from the chemist they are still raised lumps and some are itchy. I am using calomine lotion now in the evening to ease the itching but have stopped the cream as it said only use for 2-3 days.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

No... I tend to walk the dog with my wife... She's a fantastic sacrificial anode

Mostly bite free this year.

[Evoluzione]

We've just moved here so having nothing to compare with, but the local farmer says it's much worse this year and is likely due to the weather.
As global warming continues it'll get worse too.
I ordered a midge net yesterday so I can carry on working outside it's that bad, I noticed the most popular one is out of stock at most places which says something.

[Wildfire]

I don't usually get bitten, but I was out on the motorbike and stopped in the countryside for a bit of food etc. Came back with bites on my neck and arms they are still there a week later.

[rallye101]

Humpy D said:

Has anyone else suffered really badly this year from insect bites?

About 6 weeks ago I was playing golf in the evening and must have been bitten 10 times on each ankle. And despite using a cream from the chemist they are still raised lumps and some are itchy. I am using calomine lotion now in the evening to ease the itching but have stopped the cream as it said only use for 2-3 days.

I react badly to Mozzie bites, I find using the back of a spoon that's been left in the hottest water you can take, hold on the bite for 10 seconds and it will neutralise the bite and stop the itching. Don't bother with creams now..

[Humpy D]

rallye101 said:

Humpy D said:

Has anyone else suffered really badly this year from insect bites?

About 6 weeks ago I was playing golf in the evening and must have been bitten 10 times on each ankle. And despite using a cream from the chemist they are still raised lumps and some are itchy. I am using calomine lotion now in the evening to ease the itching but have stopped the cream as it said only use for 2-3 days.

I react badly to Mozzie bites, I find using the back of a spoon that's been left in the hottest water you can take, hold on the bite for 10 seconds and it will neutralise the bite and stop the itching. Don't bother with creams now..

I'll give this a go but is there a medical reason for this? Or are you just replacing the itching with a 3rd degree burn!

[Mexican cuties]

husbands swelling was so bad from a bite on his wrist saw the pharmacist, they advised keep taking a hay fever tablet, ice pack and cortisone cream - finally did the trick

[anonymous-user]

Insects do seem to find me tasty. I’ll get bites when people sat next to me are left alone.

There is only one product that works, that is Eurax HC (or a generic version if that exists). You’ll need to ask for it over the counter. All the other creams do basically nothing.

[anonymous-user]

Mexican cuties said:

husbands swelling was so bad from a bite on his wrist saw the pharmacist, they advised keep taking a hay fever tablet, ice pack and cortisone cream - finally did the trick

Hay fever tablet is a good idea, presumably chlorphenamine? Should reduce swelling and redness and knock you out for a good nights sleep too.

[ElectricSoup]

It's been worse here than I can remember form previous years, Berks/Oxon border. My Mrs had a particularly bad mass mozzie attack early in the summer and needed antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. I had some on my feet and ankles this weekend just gone, and I was wearing shoes and socks at the time, so they were determined bds. One even got me between two toes. Rather fed up with it now, winter can't come quickly enough.

[rallye101]

Humpy D said:

I'll give this a go but is there a medical reason for this? Or are you just replacing the itching with a 3rd degree burn!

Heat breaks down the protein they inject that causes the itch, obviously don't boil a kettle! The hot water tap is fine, repeat if required

[bonerp]

get a zap-it from Amazon. Works a treat! I got munched by mozzies a lot by local harbour walking the dog and this helps a lot.

[David A]

Humpy D said:

rallye101 said:

Humpy D said:

Has anyone else suffered really badly this year from insect bites?

About 6 weeks ago I was playing golf in the evening and must have been bitten 10 times on each ankle. And despite using a cream from the chemist they are still raised lumps and some are itchy. I am using calomine lotion now in the evening to ease the itching but have stopped the cream as it said only use for 2-3 days.

I react badly to Mozzie bites, I find using the back of a spoon that's been left in the hottest water you can take, hold on the bite for 10 seconds and it will neutralise the bite and stop the itching. Don't bother with creams now..

I'll give this a go but is there a medical reason for this? Or are you just replacing the itching with a 3rd degree burn!

Or the gadget version https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B089GRH43R/ref...

I'm one of those people that get bitten and then they itch like hell on earth. No cream, zapper, anti histamine, anything has worked other than the thing above. Its 6 seconds of "holy crap that burns" but then the itch either stops for good or at least stops for many hours. So good I've ordered another as a spare. Trust me these are worth the money and the few seconds of pain for long term relief from the itching.

[mike9009]

Hi

My wife seems to attract bites but usually when we are camping in France.

This year she has some really nasty bites in the UK. (Isle of Wight) Some are really painful and swollen to about three inch diameter. Plus a load of smaller bites too.

So definitely seems worse this year in the UK.

Luckily I don't suffer........

Mike

[Rob_125]

I suffer really badly from bites, they love me and I get bad reactions. I did some research a while back. Apparently the marines use Avon skin so soft. It's not sold as a repellant, but from experience it has been the best product I have used.
It's an oily spray product, it does smell, but not offensive.

I ride mountain bikes so am regularly in the woods, horse fly bite can cause me mega swelling and for my skin to break/leak horrible fluid.

Edited by Rob_125 on Thursday 23 September 07:41

[phil4]

I've been bitten a couple of times this year, once just above the elbow on the back of my arm, and once just above my knee on the back of the leg. Not much itching, but wow did the areas swell up massively. Took about a week and half to go back down.

[GilletteFan]

A nice warm compression bandage will relieve itchiness. If you have any skin on show, bites will be concentrated there and all the toxins will form to create blisters. I think at this point you will need some antihistamines.

Please keep exposed skin to a minimum and apply insect repellant. If you do get bitten, use a suction device to draw out the toxins.

[otolith]

After doing some work in the garden the weekend before last, I counted 27 mosquito bites on my legs and ankles. They're still itching like hell. I killed a couple that I saw, but they were clearly having a good munch on my legs.

[carinatauk]

This year has been bad and there seems to be a lot of bitey things around.

I hardly ever get bitten by mozzies, my real enemy is horseflies and they are in abundance this year!

But this year for some reason, I been bitten by mosquitos quite a few times. Lots around, dosed all the drain and potential breeding areas but to no avail.

What I have been doing is leaving the fan rotating at night but it's getting cooler now so I went and bought one of those plugs thingies from Boots turn it on when I got to bed and no issues since.