to beg you for advice about mosquito bites? Happy to run widdershins around an oak tree banging a saucepan if it will STOP THE ITCH!

[Greensleeves]

Four massive, angry bites on my upper back, and they are driving me MAD. I always react badly to bites anyway and these are really evil. Calamine lotion, antihistamine ointment and antihistamine tablets doing nothing.The itching and burning is in a 4 inch patch around each bite!

If you know of any unguent/folk remedy/anything that will make it stop, please share!

Also loving the use of widdershins!! Can't remember what children's book I used to read it in

When I got bitten in Mexico a US based colleague made up a paste from some steak tenderiser he bought with him (for this purpose) and got me to put it on the bites. By morning they had practically gone. Never found a UK equivalent though.

Make a cross over / through the bite with your fingernail. Try not to think about it / itch. Itching leads to more itching. We have tons of mosquitos here. Next time repellent with the highest Deet content

The Avon stuff is peddled a lot (by Avon reps) but it really doesn’t work on me or anyone I’ve spoken to about it and it always smells foul.

The zap-it clicker things are good, as is After Bite which is a pen type device containing ammonia.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I look like I’ve got chickenpox at the moment. I have no idea how the little critters even got to where I’ve been bitten.

Is it me or does it appear to be more of a problem than usual this year? I’ve not been anywhere exotic - just watering the garden and walking the dog!

Eurax cream really stops the itch plus a dose of Piriton. I react really badly to bites and have tried everything!

Three pages in and no one has said alcohol yet! If you aren't pregnant & don't have a drink problem my advice is get pissed, so you won't feel the itching. Works for me on holiday anyway...

Ibuprofen gel calms the itch first a while.

FOR a while.

Second using prescription steroid cream to fight off the reaction.

I know it doesn’t help for these but get someone to take well focused photos of them so your GP/dermatologist can see that you warrant a prescription steroid in readiness for next time.

Piriton.
Antihistamine cream on bite
Paracetamol and ibuprofen

I take a piriton and use Mopi Dick on the bites - from China, you can get it from Amazon. Stops itching for ages.

Aspivenin

Try Brulidine cream, recommended by my pharmacist, it's an antiseptic and antibacterial cream , cheap to buy over the counter, cleared up two massive infected , swollen and painful mozzie bites I had last year

I react horribly to bites. I once had 136 (yes I counted them) on my legs after I forgot insect repellent in Thailand. The only thing that works for me is to scratch the top off. I’m sure there’ll be folks along warning of infection and scarring and bits dropping off etc, but its never done me any harm, it works and the relief is amazing!

I second the making a cross with the fingernails through the bite.

Put loads of anti histamine cream on it and cover with a big plaster to stop you scratching it then scratch somewhere else on your body when it itches, you are not allowed to touch the plaster. I suffer terribly and am often covered in Plasters

I can recommend the clicker, Skin So Soft, witch hazel (gel or liquid) and aloe vera gel. Also, rubbing lemon balm leaves before you venture outside helps too

1% hydrocortisone cream. It's over the counter in the US, don't know about the UK.

Try Boot’s skin allergy relief cream, it comes in a blue box. You have to ask the pharmacist for it as it’s not out on the general shelves. My mosquito bites are usually hideous and this is the only thing I’ve ever used that has instantly helped them.

I can't believe no one has suggested ANTHISAN cream. Get it over the counter at the chemist, with the active ingredient Mepyramine Maleate.

It is a staple in our house for mosquito bites. Plus Piriton if needed.

Also, wrt to the spoon trick - that works because the heat of the spoon makes all the histamine in the bite activate at once (hurts a bit) and it is used up. Then it takes a couple of hours for more histamine to be made. You can do the same with putting a very hot flannel on a bite. But I've always found that the heat gives quick relief but makes the bite / swelling last longer overall, so it is not really worth it.

I got bitten walking to the CoOp!.Really feel for you ,apparently they seem to like ladies best ,as we smell better than the chaps (apparently)!Try to resist scratching them ( Almost impossible I know!) Good old TCP applied 2 or 3 times per day. also 1 cool bath(NOT cold) just tepid!) I take 1 piriton each night for 2 /3 nights . Seems to settle it down .

My own remedies I invented:
Bonjela numbs the skin
Sellotape. I think a nice tight bit of sellotape stops the skin swelling and keeps it smaller

Bought remedies I love the ammonia pen you can get in boots etc. The sting when you apply it is so intense, feels like the mother of all itching sessions. So nice clean ammonia does your dirty work for you rather than your own grubby fingernails doing it and infecting. Then once the sting does down it numbs it a bit

Given ammonia is alkali and acid is acid, I'm surprised people are saying acid works. Might try it on my next bite just to prove to myself that people are wrong

I was badly bitten a couple of years ago and used to freeze a plastic cup full of water and hold it on the bites til they numbed. My heart goes out to you! They're horrendous.

Cider vinegar works for me just dab it on liberally