quercus

I'm being bitten to death (well, to a red lumpy blob anyway) everytime I go outside. Also we have teeny flying bitey things that come through the screen, so nowhere's safe.

Any suggestions for a solution gratefully received.
Q

Glasgowlass

Is it Mozzies? I get eaten alive and they do get in through the screens.
I can only suggest insect repellant on yourself and maybe give the screen a spay with surface spray??Other than that if i see one I squash it.

ridds

Could be midgies / sandflies if you are near water (okay, I know gympie isn't on the coast but you do get them in inland creeks at times). They are a right b*astard to deal with - try not to scratch the bites as they can get infected and end up hanging around for weeks. Try sandalwood or citronella candles outside - this generally helps. Also get hold of an aloe vera plant - aloe vera juice / pulp straight onto a bite will generally fix it very quickly and relieves the sting / itch. You can cut off a section of the plant stem, wrap in cling film and keep in the fridge for a few days, just taking a thin slice off the end each time you have a new bite.

I'm very prone to being bitten (I think I should hire myself out at parties so noone else gets bitten) - insect repellent helps but doesn't always do the trick.

Brisbane bound

I get eaten alive too and react very badly. I use the roll-on Rid now and so far so good but if I forget and am unprotected for just a few minutes, I'm attacked. We have a Mortein plug in for indoors and burn citronella candles outside. I've been bitten through my stockings when waiting outside work for my lift home. I made the mistake of spraying Rid all over me (when dressed) and Rid actually faded my stockings in patches. It rots away certain fabrics and rubber apparently.
Anyway, since using the roll on I haven't had a single bite..........

abertawe

Try taking vitamin B1 500mg available from any good health store. I use this and it seems to do the trick for me. Mozzies generally spread the word when I arrive in a hot country and would be bitten alive, but now the worst I have had after taking B1 is one bite which I didn't react to at all and it was gone within a couple of days. It takes around 2 weeks to get the B1 into your system, but it's worth it.

edie209

I dont know if its any help but the first time I went to Bali I was the main attraction for anything that bites and I got bitten to pieces. When I came home a friend who was in the army told me to drink tonic water as it has quinin (think thats how you spell it) well next year we went to Bali again we were there just over 3 weeks and I got bit once.

BTW its great excuse to have a few V&Ts

ridds

Taking vitamin B1 apparently helps as well, as does increasing your intake of garlic.

Billabong

Drink a sh**load of Gin & Tonic. There is quinine in the tonic that mozzies don't like.

Well, thats my excuse anyway

Pinkie

My OH is a bitey thing magnet too. I go without spray to try and give them incentive to leave him alone but they really don't like him (or don't like me, whichever way you look at it).

Anyway we met a lovely lady from Fleetwood (UK) working on Rottnest Island who had the same problem and she recommended antihistamines to take the itch away and any associated lumps and bumps and that's worked marvels. He seems to have been bitten less too since then but could be coincidence, or could be he's a secret G&T drinker

quercus

An interesting bunch of replies, thanks everyone for the input.

We have a dam here, and do have a few mozzies, but there are so many guppies in the water I think they get most of the larvae. The bites I have been getting lately are mainly on ankle and lower leg, so I suspect they are ground or foliage living things. They leave actual blisters that itch like mad and are quite disfiguring.

The aloe vera tip is very useful. We have loads of it in the yard, and now I know why it was probably planted. It's very soothing. I can hardly believe all the gel inside one leaf, and it comes out just like it does from a bottle! ( I mean it looks and feels the same. not that it pours!) Cheaper than anti-histamine too, and works almost immediately. Tea tree oil helps the infected ones I've found.

The tonic thing is interesting. I had heard that quinine was added to tonic water in the tropics, as it is/was curative for malaria. I hadn't heard that it actually prevents the bites. Quinine was what Samuel Hahnemann was preparing when he discovered homeopathy, btw. Too much of it can actually give you the symptoms of malaria. Not that i've tried it. Anyway, I should definately stock up on the G&T's.

I'm going to get some vitamin B1 as well, and some Rid roll-on. The Citronella and Sandalwood candles sound lovely for the bbq area, though not practical for going out to pick the vegies in the evening. OH also thought about spraying the screens for the little bitey thingies, but we have an awful lot of screens. Probably worth a try though. I sometimes wonder about the plug in insecticides and sprays. How toxic are they? I don't like to think we're all breathing in toxic fumes.

Well, cheers everyone. I have a few weapons to fight back with now. Thanks again!