Sob! Sob! I am being eaten alive! Anyone know what could be doing it?

[pinkbubble]

I am in The South of France.

I have been bitten many many times. I have been using citronella oil plus jungle formula.

My legs look as thou I have chicken pox.

On the weekend I had approx 20, today I lost count at 40 new ones and that was just on one leg. I reckon I must have been bitten at least 70 times.

I am not just being bitten at night, but am pretty sure during the day too.

My list of offenders are as follows:-

Mosquitoes
Fleas(we are in a mobile home)
Ants(they are pretty big here)

Can anyone else think of anything else.

I am so miserable I just want to go home!

tiny little spiders?
horse flies?

Little tiny red bites which look a bit like chicken pox sounds like fleas. Mosquito bites are usually bigger, with a definite centre and sometimes a ring around them too. Fleas won't be put off by citronella or Jungle Formula either, which would also make me suspect them.

Do you know if anyone has had pets in your mobile home in the last few years? Fleas can lie dormant for ages.

Try getting hold of some flea spray to treat your home. If nothing else it will rule out fleas if the bites continue.

They are not that little, they start off fairly small, but I have one that is huge, probably 8cm across and 5cm wide. That is my worst! It was one from the last crop, that had almost disappeared but has now flared up big time.

Went to a pharmacy earlier and all she could give me was 0.5% cortisone cream - which hasn't really helped.

Have no idea if animals were in here before us.

Just think its a bit odd that the rest of the family have had a few bites but not that many.

was going to say fleas as well, especially if it's just (or mainly) on your legs

Mainly on legs (ankles) but have a fair few around my neck and on my arms, only 2 on my stomach and none on my back, 3 in my armpit! (yuk) Just goes to show they are not fussy! Also a good few on my elbows - OW!

oof - full sympathies - I've a bitey thread going too. You def win hands down in the being eaten alive stakes though. It sounds utterly miserable.
I've heard b vits make you less attractive - dunno how long they take to work though.

Think mine is harvest mites - maybe worth googling them?

Thanks OYBBK. I have tied lots of different things -
Regular showers so I am not hot and sweaty (which is really difficult when the temp can reach 35 C)

Eaten lots of garlic (was told that midgies didn't like the taste of garlic)

Citronella by the bucket loads

Jungle formula - til it ran out tonight!

This paint on thingy after you have a bite - Hmm what can I say about that! !!!!

I am at mo sitting in a very hot mobile home not daring to even have a window or door open!

I do have insect repellant on in here, not that I am convinced they are doing any good.

They are just so horrid aren't they! If only they didn't itch so much!

Have no idea how to ask for Vit B in France thou!

Have you been on the beach? We got bitten by little sand flea things downther years ago.

We did go on the beach but that was Sunday! Don't think they would just start biting us do you? I do hope not!

We did go to a fun fair last night, but didn't notice many bites when we got back, these are bites that seemed to have popped out over the day! Honestly they seem to come from nowhere - literally. I suddenly had one come up on my right hand, now I am right handed, think I would have noticed it earlier if it had been there!

Pinkbubble - I'm sorry to say that it sounds like fleas to me. We had them in the house earlier this year . No idea how they got there as we don't have pets.

On me, they would start off as small red lumps and then rapidly expand to large red, slightly raised patches. Often there would be a group close together which would all join up. They itched like buggery!

We had to get the council flea man out to treat it. Thank god it worked and we are now flea free.

Have you managed to see any? The fleas I saw were just tiny black elongated dots. They moved unbelievably quickly, biting as they ran around my skin! The worst thing was when one got into my bra and bit me 9 times. I looked very elegant, walking around scratching my nipple!

No have not seen any at all. I have become very nervous thou thinking that something is on me all the time.
I made DH go and check the car out earlier and spray lots of pesticide thing in it! I think they are everywhere!

Littlefish, as far as I can tell although some of them are fairly close, I wouldn't really call them clumped.

bed bugs?

take the sheets off and check round the edge of the mattress for little black things

Oh please no - don't suggest that! Don't want to sound that I am ignoring that comment but I would rather go down the route that I had three quarter length trousers on and thats why they are round my ankles inparticular! Why they are in my arm pit, I have no idea!

Ok will do, but it will have to be in the morning now as DH has already turned in! He would so not be happy if I disturbed him!

One very sleepless night for me I can see!

good luck!

Poor you. No idea what's causing it but as a mum to a very distraught ds who got stung by a bee today, you have my every sympathy. Hope you've stocked up on antihistamine and put ice on the bites.

Heated - Cold beer bottles! (does that count!)