Hi

I guess it was sandflies that savaged us when we were eating a meal by the river in Port Douglas recently, are they what we call midges? Tiny things that you don't really see but eat you alive?

I had sprayed my legs liberally with Bushmans before the meal but for some reason forgot the rest of my body! My legs were bite free but my arms and neck were obviously very tasty, the rest of the family had refused to put any spray on at all and their legs in particular were bitten very badly, my son had several infected bites, probably because he scratched them so much.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is the Bushmans obviously worked, just be more generous next time. I also took a daily dose of anithistmines as I have an allergic reaction from the combination of sun and sunscreen, and had to up my dose as I was bitten by a jellyfish as well!

Ah, yes, now I remember why we chose Tassie to live

Smacking bites hard rather than scratching them..... feels much better.

I hate the itch of mossie bites....the somewhat blissful feeling of scratching them has no end.......bit like masturbation without the big 'O' PMSL

sorry....too much wine

i've been taking "mega b" vitamins for a while now and haven't had a bite since,i used to get terrible reactions to mozzie bites but all good now!!!

You can buy antihistamine as a cream too. My son has allergies so Ive always had some in the cupboard.
I realised it takes the itch out and stops it swelling and getting worse.

Can buy it over the counter at your local chemist or on prescription.

Gems

Thanks I didn't know that. It's weird how sometimes a bite affects you differently by apparently the same kind of insect. So may have to keep some handy at all times.

I actually thought I got bitten by some unspecified spider at work last year, such was the reaction. Must have been a weird reaction to a mossie though.... hurt a lot.

Antihistamine would definitely have fixed it, didnt have any on me at the time though.

Ha ha, Jan4kids, you made me laugh! Know what you mean about the blissful relief when you itch the bites.
Didn't know you could get anithistimines as a cream so will try that.
Found mozzie patchs (like nicotine patchs) and mozzie bracelets (like friendship bracelets) in the chemist yesterday - anyone tried these? Any good?

To stop the itching, forget about all the lotions and potions, get yourself a mosquito clicker. I was a bit dubious at first, but they actually do work. You just need to click the affected spot about 10-12 times, and the itching more or less stops straight away. You can pick them up at any camping/outdoor outlets, i.e. anaconda, BCF or possibly even Bunnings.

http://www.mosquitoclick.com/

Not exactly mozzies, but there is only one thing which repels the ferocious Midges in the highlands of Scotland, and that's Avon Skin So Soft dry oil body spray (original fragrance).

Seriously, even some of the outdoor shops stock it! I have tried it and it does work - smells okay as well. Might be worth trying, maybe you could get somebody to send some over? It only costs about £5.

These midges are in a different league.

Nothing will stop them if there are a lot about. They usually bite you unside the house....even if you are in bed.

If you can find anything to stop them then you need to wear in 24/7.

we used to use 'Skin so soft' in the UK but it will not deter these little bastards.

G

ooops

Scratching, rubbing or even touching seems to release more of the toxins. The best results I had were to seriously challenge myself not to touch them. If that fails then calamine, or animine from the chemist helps a lot

Were in Qld and when i last tried to get antihistamine cream over the counter i was told its not available here (Qld/Australia?) so my rellies brought some over for us....

Yeah I suggested that ealrier - it works for me

I dont know about preventing them, they seem to love me whatever I do. But once they are there, try tiger balm. When I was travelling in SE Asia, I was absolutely covered in bites, everyday I would have between 10 and 15 more bites, my OH was amazed - he didnt get a single one! No antihistamine seemed to work either and eventually a lovely Thai girl in boots said it would work, and in desperation I tried it. It does burn for a a few seconds when you put it on but it stops the itch almost straight away. And one of those jars lasts forever!

And don't scratch!

Run really fast waving your arms in the air, works for me.