sloane46

Tiger Balm is fantastic stops the itch instantly...not sure if you can get it in Aus but if you can do

NikiL

I found Lavender Oil good for stopping them itching, but for prevention when I was getting eaten alive my Dad told me what helped him when he lived in Africa. Worked for him & worked a treat for me (stopped sandfly bites too). Sounds vile, but actually isn't (honest)

A close of garlic, peeled, not chopped in any way and swallowed whole will stop the little buggers munching. As long as the actual clove isn't sliced into at all your breath won't smell, don't chop the base off or anything.

Like I said, it sounds vile, but actually isn't, and I promise it works.

NikiL

Should have said, its a clove a day. Keeps you healthy too

chris and farideh

How about my breath, nobody would come near me.

NikiL

Seriously, as long as you swallow it whole, your breath doesn't pong. You just have to make sure you don't cut the damned thing at all before you swallow it.

I was really sceptical at first and spent days asking if I reeked of garlic, but kept being told it didn't, and people were still ok with being near me so I guess theywere tellign the truth

chris and farideh

mmmm, I will try it, but I wait until my OH goes back to work on Monday, he is away until Friday.
My kids would let me know, if they move out.

NikiL

Not too sure if you want your breath to smell or not then

hopefuls

hi
we were told to take vit b
or marmite,
and also get citronella they dont like the smell.
hope the go soon you can get sting relief from a pharmacy

alipally

Sometimes you just can't avoid being eaten alive.
DEET is the best repellent on the market and the only one effective in malarial areas of the world... you can buy 60% DEET online, but you probably only need 20% in effect as you're not fighting malaria in Australia!

I find that I have to take anti histamine prophalaxis to stop the itching and swelling and problems... When I go off on hols I start taking Certirizine everyday the week before and keep taking it for a week after.
That way, if they do bit it doesn't bother me.

johnnyyt

Hi,
the website for the Autan active insect repellent is ' www.autan.co.uk ' and it is made by Bayer.
There is a link on the site to order online and an international link.

Johnnyyt

snappy

It sounds like sand fly bites if they are blistering. Is it like a little bubble of fluid on the top? If so the best thing to do is to stay away from long grassy areas, sandy soil around first thing in the morning and from about 4pm until it gets dark. If you do go out make sure you are covered up as in long trousers, long sleeved top and ankles are covered.

I get bitten badly and more importantly react badly. Try not to itch them and pop the bubble as it will make them worse. I use tiger balm to stop the itching and the lavender oil is also a good one to use. The other one I find stops the itching is Rescue Remedy. I find the stop itch stuff horrible to use as it leaves a white powder once it dries and makes my skin itch more at that point.

Once I ended up with my leg so swollen from bites that I needed antibiotics to sort it out as the bites had infected my leg - very painful and basically not nice!

If I find I have scratched a bite I also put on some Betiodine (SP???) to ensure they don't get infected...best to do this before you go to bed as you will be covered in brown blotches from it

Hubbies swears by a Vaseline and Phenyle mix given to him by a true blue Aussie, although Phenyle is a wheelie bin cleaner so I personally thought it was a bit too much!

The other mixture was a mix of detol, citronella and baby oil then smothered all over it does stop mozzies but the sand flies don't seem that bothered.

The Avon skin so soft option is a good one to use and I personally love the smell of it.

But the only one that seemed to stop sand flies in their track was the vitamin B. At one caravan park everyone was getting hammered by the sand flies apart from one bloke that was on these supplements.

You do actually start to get used to the mozzie bites once you have lived in an area for a while or at least they do still bite you but they seem to go a lot faster.

So from one sufferer of bites to another good luck

TJUK

I believe you can get odourless garlic tabs. Well you can here. Or is it the odour that puts them off!!

NikiL

From what I can gather the garlic in your blood makes it taste vile to them, thats why they won't go near you.

Even if you don't smell of garlic to people, you do to the biting beasties

smee

Wonder if it works with vampires also.

NikiL