The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apply Heat
Posted by What Worked For Me (Bev Hills, Usa) on 07/14/2011
★★★★★
Ok I was in soo much pain with itchy flea bites that just got worse after the first day, red inflamed and extremely itchy. I came here and tried a few of the solutions. clear nail polish, nail polish remover, tea tree oil, camphor, deep heat (linement, which worked but only for an hour or so), tiger balm and lime. NOTHING worked...
then I thought oh what the hell and I tried the making an X through each bite with my fingernail then I put a very hot water bottle on each bite (the back of a spoon dipped in very hot water will work too) and wouldnt u know instant relief, they stopped itching straight away. A realy inflamed one I did twice, just held the hot water bottle on it for 2 mins, two times and yep im all good now. I highly recommend this.
Apply Heat
Posted by Wahine23 (Orange County, Ca) on 03/01/2015
★★★★★
I am so excited that I found this simple solution. I am very sensitive to bites and for whatever reason, fleas find me once a year and I do not own any pets.
Long story short, I suffered from 10 bites from fleas and they run up and down on my stomach onto my lower chest area. This itchiness was unbearable until I found that applying heat worked like a charm.
I heat up my tin bottle that I use at the gym using a pot of hot water over the stove. It gets really hot, so be careful. When it heats up enough or cools down, just apply on the bites. I don't burn my self, I just leave it on for a second and work my way through each bite. Worked like a charm, never had the urge to scratch it again. I do this once a day before going to bed. Apply more if you have a severe case.
When you are desperate, this is a very simple solution. Those anti-histamine cremes did not work for me.
Clear Nail Polish for Chigger Bites
Posted by Geneva (Paragould, Ar.) on 06/27/2011
★★★★★
I paint the chigger bites with clear nail polish. It kills the chigger and the pain goes away. Hope this help you.
Chigger Bite Remedies
Posted by Lou (Tyler, Tx) on 05/24/2015
To stop itchy bites, I use a lotion called Sarna. I think I bought it at Walgreen's or CVS. Also, Amazon sells a cream containing sulphur. That may work as I saw it on another post about sulpher.
Limes
Posted by Soaring Eagle (Encinitas, Ca.) on 04/18/2011
★★★★★
I was in the Yucatan, Mexico and in the jungle I was attacked by hundreds or thousands of Mosquitos. All night I scratched but my feet were the worst. I spent the entire next day thinking like an American and tried to find a Pharmacy, but when I went back to where I was staying, after the locals got over cracking up at my bloody and swollen size 13 feet, they took me to the local market and we stocked up on LIMES!!! . CUT THEM IN HALF, SQUEEZE THE JUICE ON THE BITES, TAKE THE LIME ITSELF AND RUB IT ON THE BITES, and it will take away the itching and swelling. Also works on spider bites!!! . Take care.
Limes
Posted by Tm (Brisbane, Qld) on 04/19/2011
Thanks for the tip about Limes for Mosquito bites. I will definitely try that. Also, my friend was surfing in Papa New Guinea and hit a coral reef which completely cut up his back. One of the local surfers rubbed lime on it, which my friend said hurt like hell, but he didn't get an infection.
Ragweed
Posted by Lou Thomas (Milwaukee, Wis.) on 10/06/2010
Just heard on public radio of using rag weed on mosquito bites ---reportedly causes welts to disappear.
Lavender Oil
Posted by Sp (Nashville, Tn) on 06/04/2010
★★★★★
Lavender essential oil works great to relieve the itchiness of mosquito bites. Dab a drop directly on the area and a few minutes later the itchiness is gone. It gets rid of the swelling also.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Gramma (Raymond, Alberta, Canada) on 09/13/2009
★★★★★
My husband and I use coconut oil as a rub for aches and pains. Hubby had his right shoulder replaced 10 years ago and coconut oil keeps him pain free. I need back surgery but am too old so I use coconut oil to relieve pain. We also use it to rub arthritic knees, hips, elbows and hands. We were in Majuro for 18 months five years ago and were introduced to coconut oil by the natives when I stepped onto a red ant pile and was severely bitten all over my legs. Instant relief from coconut oil. We don't measure, we just scoop out a little and rub it on. It has to be 100% pure coconut oil to work.
Clear Tape
Posted by Doug (Show Low, Az) on 09/01/2009
Even better for mosquito bites is vitamin B1. Insects hate the smell it makes your skin have. although it is not noticeable to humans.
Clear Tape
Posted by Connie (Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA) on 09/02/2009
Do you apply it or ingest it?
EC: Typically you would ingest it.
Clear Tape
Posted by Paula (London, England and Poitiers, France) on 09/04/2009
I tried B1 for insect bites but it did not agree with me. The most incredible treatment for them that I've EVER used is fresh lemon juice it immediately removes the pain and itching. If the bite is big you may have to reapply but it works amazingly on other spots and cuts etc.as well. i found that oil pulling with olive oil seems to stop one being bitten.
Clear Tape
Posted by Dara (Cork, Ireland) on 07/01/2012
What is clear tape? Is that like Sellotape or Scotch tape, I don't know what you call it in the States? The clear sticky strips for sticking things to the wall for example?
EC: Yes, what people seem to be talking about in this home remedy is any sort of see-through, plastic-like tape. It would go by many names and come in different qualities, but any kind of tape made out of polypropylene or cellophane should do the trick.
Cucumber
Posted by Lindar (Treorchy, Rhondda Wales Uk) on 08/02/2009
★★★★★
CUECUMER FOR INSECT BITES! My 10 year lod woke up to find 2 gnat/mozzie bites on her ankle this morning. She put Ttiger Balm on it and it worked well, but hours later while we were out they started to really itech and irritate. Needless to say I didn't have anything on me. BUT we did have the remains of our picnic salad. In desperation I told her to rub it with a piece of Cuecumber, to keep her occupied more than anything. Well it worked a treat, and now several hours later it stil doesn't itch and the swelling has gone down!
Cucumber
Posted by Ranjana (Arlington, Tx) on 07/11/2010
★★★★★
I got bitten by something all over my arms. Sprayed Benadryl, did not control the itching and swelling. Looked up this post and dabbed all the bites with a cucumber slice, immediate relief. Thanks.
Cucumber
Posted by Raffia (Texas) on 06/09/2014
Cucumber worked for me last week, but this time is isn't helping at all. From one (chigger?) bite on my ankle, most of my foot is swollen and red, with a kind of thick part around the bite. Skin is also kind of bumpy, almost a rash. Maddening. Have tried hot water just now. Tried ice earlier. Also echinacea. Also aspirin. Now to read through the rest of the pages!!
Salt
Posted by Connie (Manitowoc, Wisconsin) on 08/02/2009
★★★★★
Try rubbing salt into a mosquito bite, just ordinary table salt. I tried it on a new itchy bite I thought was from a mosquito; the bite was gone the next day. Mosquito bites usually last days on me.
Salt
Posted by Martha (Waxhaw, Nc) on 05/14/2012
I recently had a bite on my neck that started itching so bad I could hardly stand it. I thought it was a spider bite but was not sure. I went online and read about spider bites and it said to use Baking Soda, made into a paste. I tried it and it helped so much. The next day it had started trying to dry up. I still do not know what bite I had, but whatever it was the BS seemed to work.
Salt
Posted by Imran (London, Uk) on 10/04/2012
★★★★★
I had maybe 6-8 mosquito bites on my feet and ankles it was so itchy it was becoming unbareable so I got normal cooking salt rubbed it in for about 1 mins on my slightly wet feet in the tub and immediately started feeling relief... Also as a side benefit it made my feet smooth not that I cared but something I noticed main thing was my itchyness was GONE!
Iodine
Posted by Susan (Northern, IL) on 11/02/2008
★★★★★
When I get bites, they swell and itch horribly. After trying lots of tricks over my lifetime, I just discovered that iodine works great. I have the kind w/o additives, but storebought would be OK for this purpose. Recently tried this on bites I'd scratched open, and it took the itch away quickly. Didn't scar as bad as usual, also.
Aspirin
Posted by Star (Stamford, Ct) on 08/04/2009
★★★★★
I get beaten by mosquito quite often even with insect repellent. I have bad reaction to mosquito bites, the area will swell up and get very itchy, it will take weeks to calm down and leave a mark on my skin. My doctor prescribed me with cortisone and it speed up the healing process. In an outdoor BBQ last week, I got 2 bites and as usual had bad reactions. I applied the prescribed cortisone, it gave me some relief on the itch for a short while and it did not calm down the swelling. I remembered reading about the aspirin remedy last week and decided to try it. It worked right away when I rubbed it onto the swelling spots, it calmed the itchiness and I can see the inflammation starting to heal, I left it on overnight and they were much better the next morning. I told my doctor about it, she said you need to be sure that you are not allergic to aspirin and be carefully if you have anemia. Thank you for sharing the remedy, I now have a speedy way to clam the bites!
Dishwashing Detergent, Garlic, Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 03/29/2008 490 posts
★★★★★
Hi Tracy,
I have a couple of suggestions for your mosquito problems. I have read (but haven't checked out) that using a shallow white dish, fill it with water, add a few drops of Joy liquid dishwashing detergent. The one giving that hint said it kills the mosquitos, usually within 10 - 12 feet of getting a drink from it. Makes you wonder how safe it is to eat from dishes washed in it, doesn't it?
Another great bug repellant that doesn't kill them, cook with lots of garlic, it makes you less tasty to mosquitoes, ticks and chiggers.This does work- I went from averaging 15 to 25 tick bites per day to none at all last year. I have started filling empty gel caps with garlic powder and taking 2 or 3 of them each day, however your kids probably won't like them that way but probably won't object to garlic cooked in the food.
Another one that works for my family - Put about 1-2 cups ACV to the kids bathwater each day, or even rub them down with straight ACV (careful around the eyes as even the fumes can make them burn) and let them dry off before dressing and going outside. This even works against those dratted brown flies in Florida (August) that look like our black house flies but are brown and love to bite you. This only works as long as the vinegar is on - if they play in water, or otherwise wash the vinegar off, you'll have to reapply the vinegar.
Mud, Garlic or Charcoal
Posted by Michelle (Lamora, Mexico) on 03/06/2008
★★★★★
Mud has always worked for ant, bee, etc. bites. We have lots of pesky insects where I live and applying a bit of mud on the bite takes the poison out and helps the sting to go away and helps the bite to heal faster. also cut garlic clove in half and applying it directly to the bite helps as good as mud. also we use charcoal. take some internally and rub it on the bite.
Ya we've had a lot of experience
ACV + Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Michael (Westchester NY) on 08/15/2019
★★★★★
Recently had this bug bite on the top of my foot ankle. Not sure what kind of bug, but it itched for 4 to 5 days. My mistake was to scratch it which made it worse and turned it into a bright red dime size mark.
After reading some remarks on this site I did the following. Washed the area with warm soap and water, applied apple cider vinegar with paper towel let dry for 30 min. more ACV then applied Tea Tree Oil with Qtip and sprinkled some foot powder on top of the TT Oil. I started this 1 hour before bedtime. In the morning the itch was gone and the red mark turned dark reddish brown. I think this helped the healing process.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by My2cents (Sc) on 07/30/2016
★★★★★
Apple cider vinegar is the BEST mosquito bite cure there is. Take a cotton ball or a piece of a paper towel and tear off a small bit, soak it in apple cider vinegar and place it on the bite for maybe 5 minutes. No more mosquito bite!
Aspirin
Posted by Jodi (Wisconsin) on 07/07/2016
★★★★★
Try using aspirin dissolved in apple cider vinegar for insect bites. I have bad reactions to bug bites and it works for me.
White Bread and Milk Poultice
Posted by Elise (Stoneham, Qc Canada) on 06/29/2015
★★★★★
Dip a piece of white bread without the crust in a saucer with milk in it. Place it on the area that a bug stung you. Leave it on for till the bread becomes soggy replace it with another piece of bread. Keep on doing this for 5 to 10 min.
An Indian woman did this to me when I was bit by a big black bug on my lip while fishing in the woods.
Let me tell you, it works.
