The season of the worst bug bites is among us once again. If you live near water or simply in a moist climate, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. 

It becomes almost torture to spend a few minutes outdoors, and can make a cookout quickly move indoors. Even wearing socks over bug bitten legs can be absolutely miserable. Mosquitoes are everywhere and they are relentless. Here are a few ideas to prevent further attacks and treat your itchy bites.

Prevention

-      Citronella is an excellent “stay away” smell for most bugs, including mosquitoes. Try getting tiki torches and lining them around your front porch or simply place candles around the areas you like to be in while outdoors. You can also use citronella oil on your skin, though this may not work quite as well.

-      Vanilla oil or lemon balm can be rubbed into exposed skin during outdoor activities. Both of these oils are natural insect repellent and also smell nice. You could add a bit to a spray bottle of water and spritz yourself and the area around you while outside. Cedar is also a mosquito repellent and has a nice aroma. Try adding any of these essential oils to a spray bottle and spritzing yourself and your clothes with it. Garlic oil is the strongest and is best to use in heavy mosquito areas.

-      As cliché as it sounds, keep away the bloodsuckers by eating more garlic. The garlic will make you smell less appetizing and repel your mosquito friends better than just about anything natural. Also, try wearing light colored clothing. Dark colors attract mosquitoes the most.

Treatment

Since moving to Louisiana, I have tried many treatment options for mosquito bites and after much trial and error have found a few that actually seem to work pretty well. Next time you’re faced with a plethora of nasty bites, try these itch proof ideas.

-      Don’t scratch the bite! Try slapping it or applying pressure to it. Itching will only make it worse. I’ve found that apply pressure works quite well in diminishing the itchiness of the site.

-      Immediately wash the bite with hot water and a rough sponge. My Mother always used to do this when I was a child and it work like magic.

-      Place ice on the bite wound and hold it there until the area is numb. It helps ease the swelling and snuff out the itch before it has a chance to begin.

-      Aloe Vera from an actual plant is also wonderful at soothing itchy skin. The bottle or tube version often comes with an enormous amount of other ingredients so it’s best to use the real thing when you can.