7 Home Remedies for Damn Itchy Bug and Mosquito Bites

Thats whats in After Bite, hee hee. +

Prevention should be the first step before you cause drawing no-see-ums, bees, flies, etc. to share you and your drinks.

Best remedy. Works every time. Heat a spoon (tap hot water is good enough) and apply to bite. Heat breaks down the protein injected by the mossie. Aussie mossies are deadly. Yes, they CAN kill you.

I googled mosquito bite remedies- and your post was the third result. I am so glad I picked it! Firstly because I did have cheap toothpaste and so Ill be able to sleep tonight and enjoy China in the morning. And second, I loved your writing and cant wait to read more. Thanks for the help and the entertainment!

Wait Are you telling us NOT to drink margaritas? (unsubscribes)

Also, I had never heard of chiggers, so I looked them up. WHAT THE HELL, SUSAN? Im not sleeping tonight.

My grandmother used to slather toothpaste all over our bug bites when I was younger. I used to think it was weird but it always worked!

Pretty cool that 4 years later your site shows up.

I took a photo of my bug-bitten ankle thinking it would be impressive, but instead it looks disappointingly normal, so I now seem like a huge wuss. Behold:

I do the same thing! When I was a kid I used to do the X and then apply spit. Always worked, couldnt understand why my friends would look at me funny when i d suggest it or do it.

I am apparently the only person who didnt know about the sand flies at Machu Picchu before my trip, so I didnt bring bug spray. Luckily for me, I am also extremely allergic to most bug bites, so I got to enjoy reminders of my trip all over my arms (I believe there were 17 bites) for months as they turned from bumps to scabs to scars and finally disappeared. I hope your recovery is easier!

Also googled help for mosquito bites! Love your sense of humorsent it on to a young friend, a traveler!

Just a dab of toothpaste (preferably the cheap, white, pasty kind) can help relieve itching of bites. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and ingredients like baking soda and menthol help to relieve the irritation. And you obviously have toothpaste with you on your trip, RIGHT?

Avon dry oil spray is a fairly good repellent. the bugs might land on your skin but then fly away as I think they dont like the feel of the oil.

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Ha ha ha I live in Alaska and there are SO MANY MOSQUITOS! Its not all snow and ice up here as you may think. So yes, one will find you. Along with a hundred more. I was just outside for ten minutes and got bit eight times.

It absolutely shocked me that this worked, because Ive always sucked at biology and dont understand the human body. But takingan antihistamine pill can relieve itching for hours it blocks your bodys reaction to the bite, which caused the irritation in the first place. Just half a Benadryl tab worked for me for hours.

I know this is going to be odd because its 3 years after the original article, but I live in Alaska and god damn it if I dont have a line of freakin bug bites down my leg and across my ankle. Theyre our state bird, dontcha know.

Mylanta..yes, Mylanta! Rub it and the pain, itchy will go away in 2 minutes.

Im testingon one I put alcohol and the other Tea Tree Oil. Think the Oil is the winner!

I felt no small measure of sadness when I returned home and found that these bug bites are indeed the only souvenirs I have from our visit to the Inca ruins. Still, Im not sad to see them go. If, like me, you cant deal with mosquito bites (or any bug bite that leaves you itching and stinging), and often find yourself on the road with no drugstore in sight, here are my home remedies and cures for getting a little bit of relief. (And obviously, if you have a more severe reaction than just itching, GO TO THE DOCTOR. Duh.)

Unless you scratch them, they last longer than 3 days

For what to do when someone has a more serious reaction, check out theMayo Clinics first aid guide to insect bites and stings. And as a preventative measure in the future, avoid bananas and perfume (for the record, Bananas and Perfume would be a great band name). Bugs are attracted to your skin when youve applied perfumes, hair sprays, and gels. Ditto for when youve eaten bananas. So try to hold off on doing either. Iknow.There go my weekend plans, too.

Try preparation H. I put it on my granddaughter and it worked.

Baking soda and water. make a paste. works great or so my lil guy tells me

Ive been at a hotel, sleeping with the spiders Im assuming, and woke up with 10-15 bites only elbow and upper arm. Its was a sting & then a ache and now a swollen, inflamed, mess from spider HELL. Ive been at this hyper spastic itching for almost 24 hours now.

Did you read the label? Ammonia could be dangerous to your health. I know I have asthma and I cant breathe when I smell the fumes.

I just put a big X on the bite with my fingernail and it stops itching for good. Best home remedy ever!

I take massive doses of B complex. they dont like the way you smell so they dont bite.

Good God, if anything can ruin a good trip, its pesky insects. Scott and I spent three weeks in Guatemala and Honduras a couple years back, and a combination of noceums and sand flies pretty much spoiled our entire trip!

I clicked on this site looking for some more home remedies in dealing with those wretched mosquito bites that are still swollen, itchy, and irritating, 4 days later.

Im a couple of years late with this but the bugs are still biting so I figure it is still current. The reason a mosquito/bug bite itches is because of the saliva they inject as part of sticking it to you. If you get to it quickly enough adding your saliva dilutes it and draws it out, at least partially, and makes it itch less. Been doing the same thing as you for years and it works.

You should know that the main ingredient in After Bite is Ammonia. Reminds me of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie where the dad used Windex for every malady.

Im just stating that margaritas will not cure bug bites. But the salt on the rim might.

One particularly brave member of their crew managed to fly up my pant leg, like a insect equivalent ofHiram Bingham, and made it up to my knee before I squashed him with a slap. I hope he finds solace in the insect afterlife knowing that his earthly remains will be a part of my jeans forever, or at least until I wash them.

I also googled mosquito bites and yours was the third one down. Lots of hits you got! I dont have to take a trip anywhere to get these lousy bites. Right now, Im have my wrists up in the air typing this as my palms are all red, swollen and of course itching so bad Im wondering if I can get to sleep. The bites seem to be symmetric. If I get a bite on my left wrist, I will always get another bite on my right wrist, same with ankles, arms, anywhere. Coincidence?

Just started reading your blog not too long ago and I love it! I especially loved this post and felt the urge to comment. I, too, am a victim of the infamous mosquito and quarter sized welts from their bites. I just moved and am now living in Charleston, SC where there is a mosquito infestation. So, thanks for the tips. Folks, at work, were starting to wonder why I scratch my legs so often!

Hello Fellow BLOOD TYPE Os! Haha! WE ARE the Blood Type the mosquitoes PREFER! TY for the aspirin remedy!

Had no idea of the bananna thingrarely have them but my daughter in law had many left from a sponsored run with brkfst afterso gave me at least 8. Had two banannas today and while sitting on my patio this eveningtwo bites! And I hardly ever get bitesthe banannas!

Looks like chiggers. Apply clear nail polish & it will seal off the oxygen. Itching should stop in few hours. May have to treat again in few days when seal breaks.

You know me well. Yes, there are make out photos. How could there not be?

Im so grateful, no amount of insurance or medical attention could have rushed this kind of relief this fast. ICE IS THE BEST, fastest, complete way to relief Ive found to be true. And your right, Id never would have thought ice of all things was such a life saver regarding INSECT BITES & EXTREME REACTIONS. Thanks again!!!! Bonnie

I hate to tell you this but mosquito bites usually only last about 3 days anyway ?

My bites are golf ball size. I microwave a damp washcloth for 30 secs and apply with clenched teeth to the bites. It kills the itch of nosees and skeeters for 2 days.

I live in Canada and the Mosquitos here are crazy nice reading all theses tips sorta laughed when I saw the one with the making an x with your finger nail alot of us here do that ? Im gonna try a bunch of these

did you know mosquitos are drawn to o blood type and other skin factors? i always wondered why i was the only one in a group of people getting eaten alive! im trying the aspirin remedy and taking benedryl. thank you!

The cropping on this photo is excellent. You can see neither my hairy legs nor my wonky toe. Huzzah!

Not only do the bugs stink, the humidity, for me, caused severe pulmonary issues. Florida has the highest percent of pulmonary related deaths caused by high humidity.

injury, but about 10 minutes of applying an ice pack will give you an hour or more of itch-free relief. Its glorious.

I have been miserable for days with bug bites. I finally made a paste out of rubbing alcohol and salt and though it didnt take the itch away completely, it was tolerable. I have been a nervous wreck over these bug bites and to finally have some relief was amazing. I have tried everything from witch hazel to lavender with little relief. Thank you for your list of ideas!

Why the lack of at home medicines that normally are available. We are in the middle of a huge move. We should have stayed in the local park, my skin might have faired better. Ha, ha, ha, ha!!

I even use one at work to keep other peoples germs from my coffee mug. The web site is

Odor and smells seems to be the attraction for bothersome bugs, so by having any drink container completely covered helps by not advertising it. Ever run from a Bee or Wasp?

For chiggers, try a baking soda bath. For noseeums, try a hot bath with 1 qt. of white vinegar.

I use After Bite. It is literally the only thing that works for mosquito bites for me. Cortisone 10 and Calamine lotion do not work on bug bites for me, as well as chicken pox.

By the way, hope you had fun in Peru. I went there in 2007 and there is just something magical about Machu Picchu. Peru was, by far, one of my favorite trips. Cant wait to read your posts about it.

Not only does it sound crazy- it is crazy. Sure fire way to get infections. Hopefully you might be lucky enough to get.

ohhh my goddd i thought i was the only one that reacted like that to mosquitos! my husband thinks there is something seriously wrong with me, like medically (not just in my head). and they find me wherever i am. i could be in freaking alaska, and a goddamn mosquito will find me and bite me, even if i am layered in a goose down parka and there is a meaty animal next to me.

But believe me when I tell you that, right up until the second I took this picture, it was covered with red welts from a team of incredibly industrious mosquitoes up in the Peruvian mountains. I had literally 2 inches of leg showing between my the bottom of my cuffed jeans and the top of my ankle socks, and they went for it. Yes, I realize that cropped jeans dont necessarily look good on someone with my frame (i.e., short, pear-shaped). Perhaps the little jerks that bit me were just fashionistas trying to teach me a lesson.

Hi Im back! Forgive the lag in blogging. I blame Peru. That place is magical.

Oh man, has no one mentioned Ammonia? Best itch relief ever!! I spent a summer in Guatemala and bought a bottle at a hardware store (the only place I could find it) when my Itch Stick ran out. Saved my life. Seriously. Those bugs were awful!

Also drenching the area in white vinegar helps relieve the itch (ok so you dont actually have to drench the site, you can just rub some on)

No ones mentioned it so far so,,,, Aloe Vera gel. Either use the plant and use the sticky stuff inside. 1 stem can last for days in the fridge. Or you can buy the gel in tubes. Either works. Relieves instantly for a while Needs reapplying as necessary. Love it.

Buy my book and I promise Ill never ask you for anything again.

Tea tree oil is great.it stinks but it works great!

I did put on some rubbing alcohol, but no help. I was thinking of mixing up some concoction but Im dead tired and need to work tomorrow. My housemate never gets bitten. He takes coumadin to thin his blood, wonder if there is a connection there? There is a dog in this house, but hes been treated for fleas. Housemate wants to bomb my bedroom with a pesticide while Im away for the weekend. I guess I better remove anything that I dont want that stuff getting into and maybe strip bed even though I just washed all my linens tonight.

Ah, no, I saw the little mongrels that bit me. Run of the mill mosquitoes. Nothing interesting.

I am sitting here on my iPad at 2:30 AM after waking up an hour and a half ago with burning legs. I pretty much look like I have chicken pox on every imaginable spot in my body. And I put repellent on! Next time I go camping Im cooking before dark. Anyway, the ice idea works great but I wish I had something more flexible than a frozen drink bottle :/

It never ever occurred to me to apply an ice-pack to a bug bite, but it totally works. Granted, youll seem a bit melodramatic, hoisting your poor red limb up onto a table as though you had a

Sigh.I pray for sleep. To top it off, Im itching from psoriasis of the scalp and a brand new yeast infection. What fun. How do you spell relief?

OMG, Bless you all for information that is currently working like a Pro. As I type this, calmly, I have a dollar tree ice pack on and wrapped again with a towel. (the kind that comes with a material cover for, not a hard sided pack, A GEL PACK Thank God.) I used the salt and water remedy and for all intensive purposes.THE ICE WORKED SO FAST, I dont even know if it helped. Benedryl here I come & hopefully my boyfriend can rest as peacefully as Im predicting

GARLIC .. simply cut one piece and rub its juice on the bite. It will prevent the itching 80-90% and if its still there the next day, repeat it again and that should be it .. you wont have it the 3rd day GUARANTEED !!

Lots of sites suggest making a paste with regular old salt and some water and applying it to bug bites to relieve sting. While Ive never tried this technique, I suspect it works: as I kid, I remember that going to beach and swimming in the ocean was always a great relief after a group of bugs had dined upon me.

Thats a breeding ground for infection- plus the fact that it does not work period. Stop with your trolling.

Sprays and stuff work some what, however most bugs are attracted to open drink containers then to your body.

I started with making Xs and Zs with my fingernail, then rubbing alcohol.

Oh my blasted %^+* bug bites! I live in Naples FL where noseeums and mosquitoes thrive year round. I picked up 3 moss when driving on The Alley and rolled the window down at the toll gate. Swarms outside!

Im telling u I hought I was the only one wth this problem I battle wth my skin everyday of my life if its not a mossie bite its me scratching myself open 2 the point where I bleed,annoys my bf 2da max! Ive sufferd wth this eversince childhood. 2day I sit wth plenty of dark marks on my body as a whole..alover I meanit,wish mosquitos hated me I thought 2 myself @ 1 point it must be my delicious blood that attracts them! I refer 2 mossies as my wors enemy!!! Because it itches so badly tht It comes to the point where I become unsocialble.I thank u once again for all the useful advice.cindy

I dont blame you, I have lived and grew up right outside New Orleans my whole life and even with normal lungs I can hardly breathe during the most humid months of the year. I fantasize about out west and the dry climates!! I love the south but the humidity is a monstrosity!!!

That is beyond funny. I probably would have fainted had you actually recognized me, so its for the best. ? I loved Peru cant wait to go back!

Your tips are good however, theres the same lame perp who keeps claiming to use spit and their fingernail..nuff said about that moronic fallacy. :O

I eat a banana every morning, so I guess I will stop doing that and switch to strawberries or grapes.

I take a small tube of hydrocortisone with me wherever I go. Most of the time it never gets used, but when I actually need it, I feel absolutely brilliant for having dragged it with me. It relieves the itch and redness, and works on all manner of skin irritations, allergic reactions, and bites. Ive also been known to dab it on zits at night to relieve redness.

Instead of popping the pills, grind them up into a powder, add a drop of two of water to make a paste, and apply it to your bug bites. Leave it on overnight and wash off in the morning. Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory, and it works even topically (this also is great for big red zits. Apply the paste to red spots at night, and wash off in the morning. Hope no one sees you in the interim).

Love Peru too but I mustve gone off season bc didnt have a prob with bugs or bites. But I freaking LOVE bananas and perfume and I cant give them up! Think Mosquitos really like my blood Probably bc my glucose is high!

After my trip to Tunica MS, I came home with numerous mosquito bites. I found some Triple Antibiotic Ointment in my medicine cabinet, put some on and the itch stopped almost immediately. Got lots of good tips from your blog. Will try some of them also. Thanks

I will try the suggested remedies. My son has nasty noseeum scars which are 5 years old.and literall Still itched for 3 years!

The mosquitos in AK are huge and terrible this year! My kids are covered with bites even AFTER I have dosed them with bug spray!

Where were you with this advice last month when my feet and ankles were covered in mosquito bites in Las Vegas? I definitely would have tried toothpaste or ice had I known. The irony is that when I did finally get my hands on some Benadryl, I didnt want to take it, because you shouldnt drink alcohol and take Benadryl at the same time. I was like, But..Im in Vegas. Im supposed to drink. ?

Actually, I read about the spit on several sites. Look it up.

Aveeno Anti-itch saved my sanity after an ill-fated outing of twilight golf resulted in 67 mosquito bites (you bet I counted them!)

They make topical aspirin cream, Aspercreme. Good stuff.

Well, this is going to sound pretty creepy BUT I live in Lima and was walking home from work on Tuesday when I thought I saw you and you husband. I couldnt figure out where I recognized you from until it was too late to say something!! Craziness. Glad you enjoyed Peru, I am on my way to Machu Picchu next week!

You are full of it. Stop the trolling.

Benadryl also makes an insect bite spray that I SWEAR by. It will make the whole area sticky, but relieves itch more or less instantly.

Oh, please have you read my blog? That is so not gross compared to some of the stuff Ive written about. Really. ?

This is a remedy that i have been using myself .. it works great for me and my whole family LIKE MAGIC ?

Just got back from a job fair in Houston last night. Next to convention center and parking lot is a beautiful park with a water feature which is the perfect breeding ground for flies, Mosquitos and carriers if West Nile and Peibably Ebola. Im in my suit scratching my feet and ankles like a crack head during my interviews. Couldnt sleep last night for the twenty mosquito bites I have so googled for some home remedies.

This may sound crazy but my mosquito bite relief comes from immediately applying spit to the area. I know, I know, grossbut has always worked for me.

Put that margarita down. That is so NOT what I meant. If you have rubbing alcohol (or any liquid that contains a high content of alcohol, like mouthwash or, hell, vodka) dab a little on the bug-bites. It should relieve the itching and will disinfect the bite (helping to prevent infection).

Good blog. The soothing effect of Lavender Oil also be the best home remedies to treat heat rashes.

I am a skeeter magnet. others may have nothing i will be swarmed. I have been that way since I can remember. I also dont just itch I i become a dancing bear tearing at them until they bleed an still keep after them. What my mother used on me was baking soda and water. I have learned that adding salt to that also helps as it draws the skeeter wiz out of you lowering the effect of the action. I recall 2003-4 where they were s think a window fan drawing air in with a window screen had so many of them I had to hose down the screen for weeks as that were simply that think in Marysville, WA.

Those were somewhat effective. Gonna try ammonia, since I use it for my whites and linens. Then tea tree oil. I have all this stuff you guys/dolls recommended Starting to feel like a witch doctor?

A solid lid is a great way to reduce attracting things, no straws, no sippy lids. One that I found is made in the USA at Pittsburgh Pa works great, just Google drink container protector and youll find a bunch.

And I bet the bites arent the only souvenir you have. You probably have a picture of you and Rand making out at Macchu Pichu too ?

I was bit exactly the same places you show on your pic. On my left foot however, the pesky biters bit me on the top of my foot, as well as my achilles tendon, and both sides of that. UgggI still wake up at night itching, so I get up to put some more anti-itch creams that help for a bit.

Rose water is made from rose petals and roses are one of the best ways to soothe skin irritation. This is because they have astringents in them. Besides this, rose water antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.

And just remember, as annoying as they are,mosquitoes clearly have an important purpo搜索引擎优化n this earth.

His friend visited last year and wound up in the ER with a fever and a record 300+ bites!

Ive loads to tell you about that trip and heck, Im not even done telling you aboutKansasor my trip to Lake Placid, Florida (please try to contain your excitement). But all of that will have to wait, because presently, I want to take a piece of sandpaper or, failing that, a cheese grater, to my ankle. Its covered in bug bites attained atMacchu Pichu, and its positively killing me. While Im blessed to not suffer from allergies (unless, say, I shove my face directly into a cat and breathe in deeply, which Im sure weve all done once or thrice), there is one thing I am severely allergic to: mosquito bites. They usually swell up to the size of a quarter, and have literally woken me from a restful sleep with the sting.

You mean hilarious. That kind of sounded hilarious. Tee hee. Meaty animals.

thank you so much. you are very funny, too!

Prep H works on zits too. If it can shrink a roid it can do a zit, a bite, almost anything. And the nail X really does work instantly.

Loved your blog! Top result for me on a google search whilst holidaying in Scotland! The only thing I had was Olbas Oil and it did take away the sting for a few hours!

i swear, the aspirin paste works like a charm! (like in less than 1 min.! i tried toothpaste, hydrocortisone cream. The Hydrocortisone cream was ok but the aspirin paste worked longer hours. Thanks! Very informative site.


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