Insect repellent ..

Hi,

Not a repellent for plants but for me.

For a year or two been getting the occasional odd lump on just my arms just a small spot size about 3-4mm and seems to have a very small centre , possibly puncture point ? though never felt any initial bite.

The trouble is they itch like mad and last for 3-4 days and only something like Anthisan bite cream seems to have any calming effect.
Even if the top is scratched off only a bit of clear liquid can be squeezed out, but it still continues to itch.

The nearest I can find to such a bite on the web is the common midge, though I do not get the reddening of the skin as many seem to.

Does it sound like anything others have experienced / know of what bug it might be.

Just as important, any good recommendations as to a general bug repellent to apply before going into the greenhouse /garden without smelling the house out !

thanks

 

fleas?

avon skin so soft apparently works wonders as an insect repellent, not tried it myself.

 

Hmmm, ... thanks, ... thats made me wonder..

While we have not pets, both next doors have small lovable dogs that I do give the occasional cuddly pat to, though never heard of their owners suffering such bites, but could be just me being more sensitive ..? though always had dogs and cats etc before leaving the parental home without such problems.

That would also make sense in that its only below the tee shirt arms that I get these spots, not my neck or face or ankles which you would expect from midges etc in the garden.

 

Mozzies or midges ....I can vouch for the Avon bath oil. Only the SkinSoSoft original, though. Jungle formula stuff is effective. Some citronella-based sprays are good and smell a lot more pleasant than deet.

 

I would be surprised if it is fleas - they normally jump only to leg level. Also apparently they prefer female skin (though not exclusively, they're not that fussy). We have horses that suffer from flies near their eyes, and we use Avon skin so soft or my homemade repellent of corn oil mixed with a few drops of citronella oil. Both work on humans too

 

It definitely does work - as long as you remember to put it on

 

As a resident of the west of Scotland, with lifelong experience of midges, I have found that Skin So Soft does not work on the evil little suckers we get up here. Anthisan works a treat at soothing them, but the only thing I have found which deters them from biting is the wipes in the photo, found in B&M Stores. My dad swore that smearing muddy puddle water over your skin would stop them biting, but he had a wicked sense of humour, so I cannot guarantee the truth of this.... if it was a midge bite, I would expect you to get a number of them at a time.

Fleas sound distinctly possible, but I also get something similar which itches like mad for several days. These are horsefly bites and they itch like nobody's business. Nothing soothes them, and I usually take an antihistamine to try to reduce the burning itch.

 

The old fashioned way I use that works to relieve itching is to soak a face cloth or similar in hot water, as hot as you can bare, then hold it on the bite for a couple of minutes. It may itch for a few seconds but then subside. Then repeat it a couple of times and it will draw out the poison and relieve the itching for hours. The bite will also heal more quickly.

 

Thanks all for the helpful input, certainly some good suggestions to follow up on and try out.

Will have to keep a note of touching anyones pets, though will be avoiding doing so rather tactfully as do not want to cause offence .

Will give that a try to stop the itching when I next get a bite, the current ones (3) now just under control.
Reminded me of the other old way my parents used to use, a hot Kaolin Poultice to draw things out, seems its still around, though more for animals.

 

It might be some comfort to know that this delightful creature is what stalks me round the garden. Anything up to 2" long And the worst thing is....you don't know they're on you until they bite. And boy, does the bite last a long time. The price I pay for having unlimited access to WRFYM

 

Grrr!
Horse flies!! I hate, hate, hate them! A bite from them always causes a sever reaction from me, with a raised swelling, and raised temperature. I have been known to use the use of my arm for a couple of days, when I had a bite on my wrist.

 

@Irmemac they sound the same as the ones we get here. Our solution is to mix our own repellent. Is that something that is done in your part of the world? I have recipes, but would need to translate them.

 

I have never considered making my own repellent. Sounds very interesting, and I'd like to try! On a lovely summer evening 7pm onwards can be a no-go time in the garden if there s little breeze.

I'm wondering if citrus, lavender or geranium scents would have any effect. I'd be very interested in trying one of yours, if you are able to translate one (no rush, our midges will be here for months yet). Otherwise I am likely to go around smelling like a right lemon