Insect bites

[juliancoll]

Originally Posted by Angie and Robert

Tested J&Cs lighted fag antidote (OK more fool me). If anything 2 days later I still have a itchy red bite ,which is much more trouble than the others I received that night and which I treated with Allergan. They have all gone.
So road tested and it has failed dismally, was it a "joke " I now wonder, and I was silly enough to fall for it?
A

Absolutely not a joke - I would never encourage someone to do something like that if it didn't work. I have done this on myself a thousand times and although I accept it did not work on one or two bites from the thousands I have received over the years - it has worked very well on all the others since I was taught this method by a local in Jamaica. I am plagued by bites even if protected from head to foot, sprayed up and smelling like a brothel, nothing stops the little blighters from biting me and nothing is worse than the itch. I can only think you did not hold the heat close enough or long enough, but it certainly wasn't a joke. Sorry it didn't work for you.

[rosie A]

Originally Posted by Frederick3

My wife is very susceptible to insect bites in the spring, summer and fall. Are there any natural products to help prevent this problem? We live in Le Marche.

Try SOS Pelle (Dr Ciccarelli). Natural ingredients (no antihistamines) and we use it for all sorts of skin irritations.

[myabruzzohome]

Aloe Vera gel is very effective for any itchy inflammed area and is very gentle if like me you are also prone to skin allegies and hives.

Holland and Barrett have an offer £2.49 instead of £5 so ask your uk friends to stock up for you!

Marmite is supposed to work like vitamin b tabs but in Africa I found them useless!

[Noble]

Italy, Australia and Africa. Hairy men and delicate women in our family have all tested and found it works so why not google mosi-guard, as I have just done and get some as it works and is gentle. But I will try to buy the SOS Pelle here in Italy to see if it is as good.

[Noble]

If you are bitten the itch can be cured almost instantly with a cream in a tube, from the Farmacia, it's called FARGAN. It smells of lavender!

[Penny]

I tried the Avon "skin so soft" and got thoroughly bitten. Maybe it is good for midges and English gnats but I don't think anyone had told the Italian mozzies it is supposed to work on them!

I've used the clcker in the UK when I've been bitten and it works a treat. I bought one here in SELF (DIY store in Piediripa). It was with all the outdoor candles etc. I have seen them in a ferramenta shop, I can't remember where, but again it was with the citronella candles etc.

My husband got bitten/stung by what we think was a scorpion yesterday and had been really unwell with flu-like symptoms and muscle & joint ache near where he was attacked. I gave him anti-histamine and he is lot better today. Unfortunately he didn't see what got him so we can only assume it was a scorpion that had sneaked into his t-shirt and was still there when he put it on.

Has anyone else been stung? If so, what were the symptoms? I'm a bit concerned that he is allergic to them or is this kind of reaction normal?

[Angie and Robert]

Hope your husband is feeling better today Penny, I think it is difficult to guage what a normal reaction might be, Robert was stung by a scorpion, and said that for him it was like a small wasp sting, which itched a bit and was then fine. But for others there may be a much more serious reaction.I understand that centepedes can also cause a strong reaction and have seen some pretty large ones here. Will concentrate the mind and shake out shoes and clothing before I put them on.
What I did get stung by and what did leave a lumpy painful reminder for a few days was a small black fly type thing that seems to inhabit the orto but is not found up on the terrace, heaven knows what that might be.
A

[Nielo]

Skin so soft works for me and if I have missed a bit and get bitten, I dab the bite with cotton wool soaked in ammonia (bottles of it sold in most supermarkets). My OH was stung by a hornet on the eyelid and treated immediately with Antisan cream and a Piriton tablet. The swelling went down quickly but apparently it still hurt like ***k!

[Stella]

In my experience, the worst bites are from tarfani (horse flies), vicious creatures with jaws that are designed to lacerate the flesh to obtain maximum blood. A steroid cream gives relief, but I found that I gradually developed an immunity and the bites that caused extreme swelling, infection and pain for a week at first, subsided in their effect. What I don't yet know is whether said immunity carries over from one season to the next or whether I have to start the process again this year. Horse flies prey on dark-coloured moving objects, preferably horses or cows. But, as I have learned, a runner in dark coloured tights seems very attractive to them. And the tights are no impediment to their jaws.

[jepsonclough]

I have found skin so soft works well & is suitable for small children & babies (unlike many products) - we used it when the children were young & we were in SE Asia & they got no bites form mosquitos. Need the original fragrance though - not the new ones (it's in a bluey green bottle). You also need to be careful getting out of the bath as it makes it VERY slippery. Haven't tried the body oil sprays but they probably work the same way.
Bath Oil is currently on offer on Avon website.

Chris