It just occurred to me that possibly not
everyone knows of the different ways to stop the irritating itch of
mosquito bites that often lead to copious amounts of scratching and possibly bleeding. The little bastards already have enough of your blood, no need to lose more (not that they really take a whole lot, unless you've been
swarmed). Scratching mosquito bites can lead to
infection, however good it feels, so it's a bad idea.
It's best to
avoid them in the first place, but not always possible. Apparently
vitamin B1 consumption can assist here, especially in small children. The body tends to produce a scent mosquitoes hate when enough of the vitamin is taken. I imagine there are other
herbal concotions to try, as well. Avoidance is also good because aside from making you itchy, they carry
diseases, some very dangerous (like
malaria). This isn't a huge cause for concern in some areas, though. Some people are
allergic to mosquito bites and will suffer much swelling and other assorted badness. There is some talk of being able to build a resistance to the bites, but I'm not too entirely sure about it so I'll
leave that alone.
There are tons of those
bug repellant lotions and liquids but you have to be very careful with them, some (most) contain
chemicals that the skin can absorb. This is especially important where
children are concerned, bug repellant can make them very sick. (Read instructions and usage guidelines carefully.)
However, if it's too late and you've already got a nice swollen bite begging you to scratch it, there are a few things to do (more to come here):
- Calomine lotion, or any lotion/cream on the market. It's used for many different itchy bites (and for poison ivy contact too, I think). Some contains stuff that counteracts allergic reactions to a point, too. There are some you can buy that contain antibiotics as well, to help prevent infection.
- Toothpaste. A little bit of toothpaste smeared over the bite will stop the itchy feeling quite well for most people. (This is what I usually do.)
If you're allergic to mosquito bites,
Benadryl, an over the counter
allergy medication might be of help (at least it's over the counter here). Benadryl is just what most use, I believe, there are
many others.
Also of note, it's the mosquitoes that don't make an annoying little buzzing noise that you have to
worry about. The
silent ones are the ones that bite (the females), at least this is what I've been told.