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Insect Bites

18 years ago

Every year I get bitten by insects, but this year it has been worse than ever. I have more than 200 bites all over my body, but I don't know what is biting me, and I don't know how to prevent it.Yesterday I spent a few hours in the garden covered in Vic Vapour Rub as I was told that the insects hated the smell... but it didnt work for me...My bites are red, itchy and sore. What can I do? This happens from about mid July till about the 2nd week in September.Is there anyone out there who has the same problem? Lots of people I know get bitten, but not to the same extent as me.Can anyone help? This is really getting me down and I am reluctant to go out even though I have loads to do out there.

Marigold.

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Comments (6)

vetivert8
18 years ago
A good soother for insect bites is lavender oil (English not spike) and it can also be used as a repellent.

Another soother is aloe vera gel - but be sure to check that you're not allergic to it by trying it on a small patch first.

Melaleuca tea-tree oil can also be used.

DO NOT, never, no, use rue leaves as a repellent. On some people it combines with sunshine to provide long term misery. It's not worth finding out if you're one of them.

Look for a sunblocker with insect repellent. Something to keep the sandflies and mozzies at bay. It doesn't take a bottleful to give relief, either. Ask at the chemist's - particularly if you have allergies or sensitive skin.
GardenGerald
18 years ago
Try Neem Oil Insect Repellent. This contains Neem oil, Eucalyptus oil, Coconut oil and Citronella and seems to work very well for people when everything else fails. Neem oil is extracted from Neem trees. For more info try www.the.neem.people.com

Best wishes

Gerald.
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The gnats you saw are likely fungus gnats as you suspect but they aren't your problem, they don't bite. The adults are completely harmless to anything at all, its their larvae in the potting medium that can present damage, by feeding on plants fine roots. Tricks for ridding your kitchen of fruit flies like the vinegar don't work for fungus gnats as you've seen. The adults have very brief little lives, its the breeding cycle you need to stop. Get some form of one of the BTi products (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelenis). The subspecies is important, its specific to mosquito and gnat larvae. Gnatrol, Knock out Gnats, others, or in a pinch buy a package of mosquito dunks, drop a dunk in a container of water, let it sit overnight and use that water on your normal watering schedule for container plants, each time you water, for at least three weeks. It takes a while to break the breeding cycle but be patient, it will eliminate the gnats so be consistent. And the BTi is non toxic to you, your home, pets, birds, harmful only to mosquito and gnat larvae. I don't know what's biting you, it's not fungus gnats. Their larvae stay in the potting medium, either in the bag or your pots, and they aren't causing your itching either. Whether there was something else in that bag, or if the timing was completely coincidental, I couldn't say....
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I did not expect the pharmacist to be a doctor. I know better than that. I only wanted a recommendation on an ointment that would reduce the itching. I showed him the marks and he offered me his opinion. I quite understand the difference in the two fields. However, I give a lot of credit to pharmacists for having a broad knowledge of the medical field, not only the medicine he/she dispenses. My uncle was a pharmacist so I know first hand. Believe me, they are there for consultation in you want, but would refer you to your family doctor in a second if he felt the slightest need for it.
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jan_515
18 years ago
I can sympathise because I always used to get bitten by mosquitos on foreign holidays. Try eating marmite or taking vitamin b complex tablets daily. A friend suggested these to me and I haven't been bitten for several years now. I think both these substances somehow make us less attractive to insects
vetivert8
18 years ago
Agree on the vit B - 1, 2, and 6. Good old Marmite!
GardenGerald
18 years ago
I also agree with the old fashioned idea of vitamin b complex and Marmite, sadly no longer recommended, only as an organic birth control, who wants to make love to a slice of Marmite !!!
The odour builds up within the body and is slowly released over a full 24 hour period.The more you eat, the more you smell.

Best wishes,
Gerald.
Marianne018
18 years ago
I am oversensitive to all bug bites and commercial repellants with DEET as the active ingredient do work. No, it is not absolutely harmless but it is the only effective option for me especially as it also repels ticks. TBE and Lyme disease are rampant here so we have no choice.

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