Horsefly bite treatment

[PaulG]

that one really made me lol.

 

 

Theres supposed to be some Avon moisturiser that all bitey barstewards (the proper collective term) really hate and refuse to come near, plus it makes you smell like flowers which is nice.

 

 

Just googled and its Avon skin so soft, so good even the Marines use it when guarding Trident bases. For the biters not the soft skin properties I presume.

Well you live and you learn...

I'm allergic to DEET, which is used in most common mossie repelllants. Brings me out in lumps within minutes of contact with the stuff.

I'll try the Avon jallop. Seems to be very effective. Not quite as good as DEET against mossies, but pretty good, nonetheless.

Scientific study here:

http://www.bcmj.org/article/mosquito-repellent-effectiveness-placebo-controlled-trial-comparing-95-deet-avon-skin-so-sof

Edited July 22, 2016 by PaulG

[Bobbybass]

I got bitten on my foot last year and the foot is still swollen!

Avon skin so soft works - not just cleggs but mozzies and midgies as well.

 

At least I haven't been bitten this year - YET!

 

From someone who got bitten on the foot...and assumed it was a fly..make sure it wasn't a tick bite !!!

[starman]

I got bitten on my foot last year and the foot is still swollen!

Avon skin so soft works - not just cleggs but mozzies and midgies as well.

 

At least I haven't been bitten this year - YET!

I was just about to recommend Avon Skin So Soft too - I read in a book about walking the Pennine Way that all the farmers and forestry workers in Northumberland swear by it.

[haggis]

Skin so soft is a great deterrent and I have found some on board so I smell nice today :-). The after Bite pen is for treating the bite.

Haggis

[Sarahr]

Avon skin so soft also works for midges, fishermen in Scotland use it! Jungle formula insect repellant is also very good prevention is always better than cure.

[jim and pat dalton]

We can vouch for skin soft here too

​But if you get a bite (I'm terrible at remembering to put it on) pick up some Common Plantain leafs from your nearest patch of grass (wife wife always keeps some to hand), wash it then crush then rub it into the bite and the itching will be gone quite quickly.


The reason the horsefly bites you is that it needs to have mammalian blood in order to breed apparently

[gazza]

We can vouch for skin soft here too

 

​But if you get a bite (I'm terrible at remembering to put it on) pick up some Common Plantain leafs from your nearest patch of grass (wife wife always keeps some to hand), wash it then crush then rub it into the bite and the itching will be gone quite quickly.

 

 

The reason the horsefly bites you is that it needs to have mammalian blood in order to breed apparently

I suppose it's an equivalent of several beers and a couple of bottles of wine for humans

[Jerra]

pick up some Common Plantain leafs from your nearest patch of grass (wife wife always keeps some to hand), wash it then crush then rub it into the bite and the itching will be gone quite quickly.

I am assuming that by Common Plantain you mean what I grew up calling "Rat Tail plantain" the one with the big round leaves and long "rat tail" flower rather than the Ribwort Plantain with narrow leaves and dark "bobble" of a flower with a ring of white stamens.

[Phil Ambrose]

Update on my bite, this morning the only sign is now a bit of a lump under the skin but no irritation.

Phil

[twbm]

The reason the horsefly bites you is that it needs to have mammalian blood in order to breed apparently

 

Who'd a thought we had that in common?

[tree monkey]

I am assuming that by Common Plantain you mean what I grew up calling "Rat Tail plantain" the one with the big round leaves and long "rat tail" flower rather than the Ribwort Plantain with narrow leaves and dark "bobble" of a flower with a ring of white stamens.

Both are same family and will have similar effects, although I have never heard of this use before

I imagine Docks would help as they contain a anti histamine, which is why it helps with nettle stings

[Pykebird]

Another vote for Avon, sss we also use it on the horses.

[Jerra]

Both are same family and will have similar effects, although I have never heard of this use before

I imagine Docks would help as they contain a anti histamine, which is why it helps with nettle stings

I was aware they are both from the genus Plantago but wasn't sure if he meant any plantain or specifically Plantago major.

[tree monkey]

I was aware they are both from the genus Plantago but wasn't sure if he meant any plantain or specifically Plantago major.

Ok but all I was suggesting is theres unlikely to be any differences in effectiveness, seeing as there both in the same genus and I think ability to hybridize.

[haggis]

After a day of swollen ankle and knee I resorted to sitting with my feet in a basin of cold water

Bliss!!

Got an After Bite pen at the pharmacy in Alrewas so all is well.

[Troyboy]

Avon skin so soft, it failed me this year whilst in Thetford the massive mosquitos ignored it but normally it's bomb proo

Is there a particular Skin so soft product that keeps them away ? The reason I ask is the latest Avon brochure number 13 lists a number of Skin so soft products as follows :-

 

Supreme nourishment creamy body wash,

In shower moisturising body lotion

Ultra moisturising body lotion

Foaming shower oil

Body butter

Dry oil body spray

Creamy body wash

Babassu oil body lotion and cream for firming and restoring to smooth and tighten your skin

Jojoba oil bath oil and body butter intensely conditioning and hydrating for normal skin

Argan oil ultra moisturising body lotion softening for dry skin

Macadamia oil deeply nourishing for very dry skin.

There are also products for shaving and hair removal

 

Can anyone advise me which one to order as the Avon lady calls next week and after a week on the Nene providing starter ,main course and sweet to biting insects I'm ready to give this a go ?

[haggis]

It used to be the woodland fresh flavour but just looked at the current stuff which worked yesterday and it says original +jojoba. It is the dry oil spray

Haggis

Edited July 23, 2016 by haggis

[Troyboy]

It used to be the woodland fresh flavour but just looked at the current stuff which worked yesterday and it says original +jojoba. It is the dry oil spray

Haggis

Thanks for the prompt response . The latest brochure has Dry oil spray in +aragan at £1-99 for 150ml. Cannot see it in jojoba but I'll have another look . I didn't realise the Avon brochure had so many pages [204].

I wonder just how important the right aroma is to the biting insects

[mross]

These 'zappers' really work and so convenient and quick!

[Harpur Hill]

Just back from a Caribbean holiday.

 

I'm allergic to mozzie bites & usually get big red itchy lumps that last for weeks & often get infected. This year there is the added attraction of Zika virus so have been extra careful.

 

I used 95% DEET during the day and ASSS in the evening, I can't stand the stink of DEET whilst eating/drinking. Most evenings involved socialising/drinking at an outside bar.

No mozzie bites at all, both ankles bitten by sand flies on one occasion, treated with After Bite pen - no problem.

 

HH

[magnetman]

When I was a boy we had ponies and there were horseflies about. My mother was very strict that if you ever saw a horsefly on someone or yourself you must quickly slap it with your hand and kill it. This did result in some awkward situations but they do need dealing with.

One of my sisters once had a massive swelling from a bite and one day a visitor had one on his back, jumped into the swimming pool (yes we had a pool too ) but it was still there when he surfaced.

 

Persistent they were.

[Phil Ambrose]

 

From someone who got bitten on the foot...and assumed it was a fly..make sure it wasn't a tick bite !!!

Ticks are a whole different ball game, the Tick attaches and anchors itself with it's mouth parts and proceeds to gorge on blood. You won't feel it bite and may not notice it but the little buggers swell up till full of blood and may or may not just drop off.

You have to be careful when extracting them that you do not leave the mouth parts buried under the skin (this is not a good thing)

Tick bite fever can result, flu like symptoms plus hallucinations make it a nasty condition.

Phil

Edited July 23, 2016 by Phil Ambrose

[gazza]

These 'zappers' really work and so convenient and quick!

So does this http://www.theexecutioner.co.uk/html/

 

Strangely addictive sending them to their doom

[tree monkey]

Ticks are a whole different ball game, the Tick attaches and anchors itself with it's mouth parts and proceeds to gorge on blood. You won't feel it bite and may not notice it but the little buggers swell up till full of blood and may or may not just drop off.

You have to be careful when extracting them that you do not leave the mouth parts buried under the skin (this is not a good thing)

Tick bite fever can result, flu like symptoms plus hallucinations make it a nasty condition.

Phil

Working in the lakes I became very familiar with ticks and very adept at removing the things, chap I worked with got one right on the end of his man bits, couldnt bring himself to remove it and walked funny for a few days before it dropped off

[magnetman]

Nasty

 

Ticks can carry Lyme Disease which is definitely something to avoid !

I assume it was the tick that 'dropped off'

Edited July 23, 2016 by magnetman