Bug bites result in itchy welts that you shouldn’t scratch, even though you really want to! Such welts appear when the saliva injected by a mosquito, bee, or ant causes a histamine response. Here’s how to prevent bites and treat them too.
Essential Oil Remedy to Ward Off Insects
To ward away insects, try this herbal insect repellent:
2 ounces (60 ml) almond oil
5 drops essential oil of eucalyptus
5 drops essential oil of lavender
5 drops essential oil of tea tree
5 drops essential oil of citronella
5 drops essential oil of rosemary
Mix together and apply liberally, avoiding the eyes and mucus membranes.
To create a more bug-free environment, consider diffusing essential oils of citronella, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, rosemary, and tea tree. You can also make a room spray by combining water with a few drops of the oil. Hanging a bouquet of dried tomato plant leaves in the room also wards off insects. Perhaps some insects just don’t like the aroma.
Here are a few ideas to keep bugs from finding you an easy target:
• When heading out, tuck in your hair and shirts and socks so bugs have less access to your skin.
• The best colors to wear are white, tan, and light green, which are less attractive to bugs.
• Avoid floral prints (you don’t want to look like a flower), loose clothing, the color blue (the preferred color of mosquitoes), hair spray, perfumes (you don’t want to smell like a flower either), sandals, and shiny jewelry (which can also attract attention from the bug world).
GOOD TO KNOW!
Taking 3 or 4 garlic capsules a day will also make you an unappetizing host. 100 mg (50 for kids) of vitamin B complex taken orally creates a smell that many bugs don’t like. Taking homeopathic Staphysagria also may prevent you being bitten. Essential oils such as cedarwood, citronella, lavender, and tea tree can be applied topically to pulse points such as the wrists, behind the knees, and behind the ears every hour or so.
FOR ANT BITES
You can treat ant bites topically with any of the following:
• Apple cider vinegar (or a paste of baking soda and apple cider vinegar)
• Green clay
• Cucumber juice (or just rub a slice of cucumber over the area)
• Essential oil of lavender
All of these will help neutralize any venom and dry up the itching and stinging chemicals left by the ants.
FOR BEE STINGS
Remove the stinger by dragging the edge of your fingernail or a credit card across it. Wash the area with soap and water. Make a paste by adding water or vinegar to meat tenderizer, which is made from papain, the enzyme derived from papaya. This helps break down the inflammatory properties of the venom. Baking soda mixed with water and applied directly to the stung area also provides relief.
WHEN TO SEE YOUR M.D.
For some, insect bites have the potential to be dangerous. Watch for skin flushing, severe coughing, wheezing, anxiety, blurred vision, and vomiting. Rush to the nearest emergency room if you or others experience any of these symptoms when bitten.
GOOD TO GROW!
Include aromatic plants such as artemesia, lavender, or rosemary in your garden. You can rub them on your body to prevent insect bites!
Take a dropperful of echinacea several times during the day to reduce swelling. Taking 100 mg of bromelain (an enzyme derived from pineapple) and quercetin (a flavonoid with anti-inflammatory activity) orally every 4 hours will also help reduce inflammation.
Skip This!
Stay off of meat and spicy, oily, and heavy-protein foods. You want your body to focus its energy on healing, not breaking down foods that are difficult to digest. Avoid sugar too as sugar provides food for bacteria.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Insects are attracted to people who eat lots of bananas, so curb your banana intake. Alcohol consumption causes blood vessel dilation, thus making you more desirable for mosquitoes.
Homeopathic Apis is ideal for stings that are swollen. Take 4 pellets under the tongue 4 times a day. If you have some vitamin C handy, take about 1,000 mg to reduce swelling.
If you are allergic to bee stings, carry an emergency kit with you or seek medical attention immediately.
FOR BLACK FLY BITES
Apply tea tree oil, lavender essential oil, or witch hazel to bites by dabbing a few drops from the bottle with your fingers. You can also apply a paste of powdered charcoal. Just open a capsule or two and mix with enough water or apple cider vinegar to get it to stick. All of these substances help relieve pain and itching due to their anti-inflammatory actions.
FOR CATERPILLAR/CENTIPEDE BITES
Brush off a caterpillar or centipede in the direction they are traveling or irritating hairs may remain in your skin. Apply essential oil of lavender to the bite as needed. Echinacea tincture can be used topically and internally. Repeat these treatments three or four times daily until you have relief.
Cures from Grandma’s Kitchen
If you’ve been bitten by a bug, soak in a bathtub with 1 cup (235 ml) apple cider vinegar or 1 pound (455 g) baking soda. (Use half as much for children.) Or try adding 1 gallon (3.8 L) peppermint tea or 1/2 cup (235 ml) of sea salt.
FOR MOSQUITO BITES
Wash the bitten area and apply three to five drops essential oil of lavender or some apple cider vinegar. Apply ice. Other helpful things to apply topically include mud, plantain leaf poultice, witch hazel, lemon juice, and baking soda mixed with enough apple cider vinegar to make a paste and moistened with vitamin C powder. Essential oils that can be applied directly to a bite include peppermint, lavender, and tea tree.
FOR TICKS
When removing a tick, use disinfected tweezers, grab the tick as close to the head as possible, and pull straight out. Wash the bite area and your hands well with antiseptic soap, dry and then apply a few drops of Echinacea 3 times daily.
FOR WASP STINGS
For wasp stings, apply apple cider vinegar, damp tea leaves, garlic, an onion or potato poultice, and baking soda as a paste. Take homeopathic Vespa 30x internally. Taking 1,000 mb of vitamin C and 100 mg of panothenic acid for 3 or 4 hours helps provide a natural antihistamine effect, thus reducing swelling.
This Preventing Insect Bites and Easing Itch article is taken from :
The Country Almanac of Home Remedies - Brigitte Mars
