bitten !!!

Go to the chemist.

I've been bitten to bits on my left leg and arm. I've resorted to Sudocrem and have found it very soothing.

Germolene has some sort of anaesthetic element to it, and is soothing. I have also used coconut oil on bites and that worked. I suppose it depends what has bitten you! Hope you get some relief soon!

Hydrocortisone cream is good. I've got some called Onctose.
Try Lloyds pharmacy.

I scoffed when I read on here to put tiger balm on bites, couldn't believe it would work but as we had a pot I tried it and bugger me it only worked. Give it a go you might be surprised.

Try taking an antihistamine tablet as well as antihistamine cream, that the help no end.

Depends what’s bitten or stung you really, most of the above methods work and are worth trying as is bicarbonate of soda reduces the acid in the sting but do watch for any red lines my daughter got bitten by some unknown insect you could barely see the bite but within a few hours had a climbing red line she ended up on two lots of very strong anti biotics

Zap it! www.amazon.co.uk/Zap-Mosquito-Insect-Relief-Device/dp/B000KU74K4?tag=gransnetforum-21

You can buy them in Boots and outdoor shops, too. They really work.

Two years ago, I got really badly bitten by midges, and their bites always make time itch like mad, sometimes for months. Because of the sheer number of bites on that occasion, and the fact that a lot of them were blistering, I went to the pharmacy. Over a couple of weeks, I spent a fortune trying one 'remedy' after another, but none of them helped me in the slightest.

I hope you have more luck, travelsafar - it might depend what has bitten you and how your own skin reacts to it.

If it’s been bothering you for some time, don’t rule out a doctor visit. You might be having a bad reaction. Did antihistamines help at all?

Vinegar

I have loads of bites and continue to be bitten - the chemist said rather primly, I thought, that 'prevention is better than cure'.
Too late and I don't want to smother myself in insect repellent, even a natural one, every time I venture out.

I find that Anthisan is probably the best, but it needs applying three or four times a day at first. Boots sold me a bite relief cream, but its hydrocortisone and I'm reluctant to use it.

I used to use Fucidin, which is an anti-biotic cream but it is no longer available off-prescription. That, combined with taking an anti-histamine tablet at night will help if all else fails It was the only thing that gave relief when I got really bad sandfly bites.

I use tea tree oil

Be careful with tea tree oil - wonderful stuff but I don't think it should be used neat on the skin.

If you happen to have an aloe vera plant, break a piece off. Split it down middle and apply to the bite. Rub gently so the watery sap goes all over the area. It was very soothing on my horse fly bite

I'm with Jalima, Anthisan works for me. I get bittten to death by anything that's feeling peckish!

For the last eight years, I have been bitten to death by what I think, from researching it, are harvest mites. They climb aboard while I am gardening, then work their way to parts of my body where the clothing is tight ((knicker lines, waistline, bra-line) before biting me. The bright red, itchy spots appear from 12 - 24 hours later, and other than showering and changing my clothes every time I come in from the garden (difficult when I am in and out of the garden all day long!), I haven't found a cure, so if anyone else has, I would love to hear it.

Anthisan works well for me. I once applied it immediately to a wasp sting and felt nothing from then onwards.

For a quick fix for insect bites use a little antibacterial hand gel.

Probably not a scientific method, but with really itchy bites I prick the centre with a pin to make it bleed and try to squeeze out the nasty stuff. Antiseptic afterwards.
MamaCaz harvest mites - they are the worst for itching! We used to have a lot of those and that's when I started pin pricking.

muffinthemoo have tried antihistaminne tab but to no avail. The area around the bite seems to be getting bigger and hard, feel like a lump now. I will pop to the chemist tomorrow and see if they can suggest something. Thanks for all the tips everyone.

That's interesting, Fennel. How quickly does the itching subside after pricking and applying antiseptic?

I dread gardening in August when the harvest mites (known here as berry-bugs) are about. Usually I do accidentally more or less what Fennel does, but not as hygienically - more like scratching like a frantic mutt until the top is off them. After that they start to gradually cool down.

This year I had at least twenty after a short spell of deadheading. I did a bit better than usual. I had bought something called "After Bite" which has a sort of felt tip at the end of a tube with something sloshing around in it that smells like ammonia. If you can rub that on as soon as possible, the itch vanishes at once. You do have to repeat it when they start up again, and if you have scratched off the top it stings when it touches. Antihistamine tablets help too, plus Anthisan cream as a back-up.
Amazon has After Bite

Tiger Balm.

Tiger Balm is OK but, if desperate, antihistamine tablets are the only answer.

I got told off by DH today for frantically scratching my leg ….. we were out at the time and I had no Anthisan with me. In fact, it's started itching again now, is it psychological?