To ask what you use to stop yourself being bitten to death?

[HappySonHappyMum]

Every year I get bitten or stung by horrible little flying insects. I'm determined this year to find something that stops my wrists and ankles being bitten to death. They swell, they get infected - bugs just love me. Does anyone have something or do something that really works they could tell me about?

I use Boots Soltan suncream with insect repellent and if I'm out in the evening I use aftersun with repellent. I have been using it for a few years now and it is very effective, I get bitten loads if I don't have it on. I tried Avon so soft last year but found I still got some bites.

I'm the same. Tried all of the above. Some people just give off a smell attractive to insects. I think there was a Springwatch section about it, women are more prone than men.

Take dh. They always go for him rather than me.
If he ever remembers to put on anti-midge I will be very put out.

Avon Skin So Soft... preferably the green one.
Went to Scotland a few years back and almost every post office, bakers, deli and village shop sold it.
It really works!

So many of these ideas just don’t work for us.
Avon so soft is rubbish now , anthisan does sod all for itchiness and Deet is terrible .
We have been bitten for years as we live near woods and I’ve tried practically everything.
We even thought about a mozzie net over dd’s bed .
But thankfully the ones I mentioned work really well, it’s just remembering to put it on every night !

Avon Skin So Soft spray.

www.avon.uk.com/product/5072/skin-so-soft-original-dry-oil-spray-150ml?ticket=Oy9kZXNrdG9wLXNlYXJjaC9zZWFyY2gtcmVzdWx0cy9wcm9kdWN0LWxpc3Q7Iztwcm9kdWN0X2tleTs1MDcyX1VLOzUwNzItNTIyMTM7T0JKRUNUSVZFJDtOT05FOk5PTkU7ODI7

If you are seriously allergic it's unlikely anything OTC will help much. I take antihistamines daily for allergies but they don't help much and definitely do nothing for bits. My GP said Anthisan is useless for serious allergies.
I get bitten by anything flying and usually need antibiotics/a visit to A&E every summer to stop my reaction developing into cellulitis. Avoidance is best. I don't go in the garden in the evening and in late summer only go out mornings. I keep covered up in the garden.

These are good against mozzies...

Smidge!! Definitely works in the dales, lakes and Scotland. It doesn't taste to great so be careful you don't bite your nails after rubbing it in!
Doesn't sting like the DEET ones if you have any cuts.

My cunning trick is to sit next to someone who's more magnetic to the little demons than I am. DP, thankfully, is such a thing.

Anything with IR3535 in it works for me - more pleasant than deet

I’ve got olive skin. I don’t get bitten as much as my paler friends.

So it’s melatonin or flying things are just attracted to white because it’s brighter.

Not a scientist.

Garlic tablets for bees, wasps and mosquitoes, possibly other insects too.

I use Smidge. It seems to work well.

I never used to get bitten. Since having kids I'm apparently very tasty indeed and the bites always swell hugely.

If you really are a midge magnet nine of the woo suggestions will work. DH is a midge magnet and has to cover every inch of exposed skin with indect repellant every time he steps ouside at this time of year. Anything containing DEET will work. He also uses Autan, which works just as well.

Extra vitamins, garlic, beer, marmite, Avon stuff, citronella etc just doesn't work for him.

I suspect people who say that these things work for them just aren't as attractive to flying biting insects as hey think they are.

I use rose geranium oil on the dog to keep ticks away, never spotted one since our horrifying trip to the isle of Rhum, which is swarming with the bastards, without the oil.
We use life systems highest DEET content for us.

Avon skin so soft. Godsend. Cover any exposed skin. I've not bit bitten after applying.

Odourless garlic capsules. One a day. Take about a week to become effective so we start them about mid April and then every day until end September. I only get an odd rate bite these days.

Smidge might not taste good but I think it smells a bit like CK1

Smidge

Trek sensitive and smidge both have 20% picaridin as the active ingredient - works for us in our mozzy infested garden! Also - i bought an insectocutor thing for the kitchen for £30 from amazin and it helps massively.

Vitamin B12 year round and I stopped getting bitten. Dh sprays repelant with DEET in on the cuffs of his socks and on his baseball hat and that seems to work well for him.

Amazon, obvs

Troels if DH just put deet on his socks and hat he would get bitten everywhere else. He is a walking buffet for biting insects, and if he leaves even a square inch of arm free of insect repellent he will get bitten there.

I would suggest that you and your DH are more of a walking amuse bouche to biting insects than a walking buffet

Insects aren't interested in me BTW.

Incognito spray is aromatherapy based and is amazing although not much good In the sun it has citrus oils in and it can burn,
But they have sticks you can burn and they helps massively x