Jerseygirl

For bites/stings/sunburn/burns I use Solarcaine lotion...not the spray or gel you usually see in stores. I usually bring it back from the UK but it's available on line.

http://well.ca/products/solarcaine-m...5209f5d925ed8d

meauxna

"They" say that more B-12 (ie take a suppliment) is supposed to help, more garlic in your diet.. I've tried it all. The bites get so hot & itchy, like you say, sometimes I wake up scratching in my sleep. In the tropics, this opens a whole host of other problems.
I'll look in my magic medicine drawer and see if there's anything that worked last time that I've just forgotten.

The euc oil does best for me; mix with water and suspend with a drop or two of glycerin. I'm not a huge fan of this sort of thing, but can you treat your lawn at all? Eliminate *any* still water (old plant pots, stored items etc). I also keep a couple of those big bucket sized citronella candles going under the table outside when we're out all evening.

MrEmjoy

I use an amonia based thing from walgreens, works great, also Off works fine for me, loose clothing also helps

SpaceProg

We used to have lots of mosquitoes around, but since a family of barn swallows moved in under the eve of our house and continued to return year after year, we've had nary a problem with the bugs.
I think on the net there are tips and items to invite barn swallows to nest either near or even on your house.

There's also bats for nighttime, but I'm not sure how you 'attract' them other than live near the woods or old structures and caves where they sleep in the day.

Rete

I found that a dot of baking soda mixed with water does the trick for me. Also white vinegar which is good for sunburn as well.

Jan Alaska

I use white vinegar on the bites, not so many mosquitos up here as in Michigan but they still manage to find me.

Kate2112

B-12 tablets, Marmite sandwich, my husband who wont eat Martmite uses Olbas oil on the bites - works wonders

AdobePinon

DEET is the only thing that has ever worked for me. Fortunately I live in New Mexico these days.

BTW, you don't want any of the 90+% ones that are basically undiluted solvent. You want something in the 20-40% range in a creme. That keeps the DEET on the surface of the skin so you don't need as much. FWIW, citrus oils also dissolve plastic when they're used at 90+% concentrations.

MsElui

usually if anyone is going to be bitten its me. This year however - they are taking chunks out of my husband and ignoring me totally. I am wondering if its down to the fenugreek tablets I am taking (working like marmite/b12 etc to make you taste nasty to bugs). Im taking for 'nursing' but i would imagine its pretty harmless for most people to take. might be worth a try.

Optimus Prime

"Afterbite" is bloody amazing. Stops the itch/pain/scratch instantly.

The Horticulturalist

Hmm, afterbite, I'll need to try that.

MsElui, I know that times when I've eaten a lot of garlic and gone out in the evenings they haven't touched me, maybe I should try some kind of supplement, I don't want to be stinking of it either though!

Bill_S

LOL... the 90% stuff is my favorite... strong enough to dissolve the paint from the label on the bottle.

AdobePinon

To my knowledge, they've never shown any detrimental health effects (other than the one guy who immersed himself in a whole bath tub of the stuff), but it's just unpleasant to deal with that concentration. Goes straight through your skin and out in your piss. The creme-based DEET makes it all so unnecessary.

Arizona Wurzel

Try Listerene and put it in a spray bottle and spray it on yourself.

tonrob

I find that getting drunk is a great way to avoid the unpleasant sensation of mosquitoes biting you if you're sitting outside on a summer's evening.

Edit: Thought I'd add that you actually need to stay drunk for two weeks to avoid discomfort altogether.