What is the best working bug repellant?

[Laura Cook]

We need to get some and quick! My middle child gets humongous red welts everytime he gets bit by a mosquito! Twice now we have had to take him to the doctor because the bite gets very swollen, red and he runs a fever because it gets infected. The doctor prescribes antibiotics and it gets better. The best course would be to try and prevent the bites altogether, but I can't exactly keep the poor kid shut in the house 24/7! If you have found something that works great please let me know!

[hsbaby]

My dd reacts the same way. OFF has been the worst!! It's like it's made of water!! We use Repel...it is high in Deet content (the family version is 23 percent or so). I wish I could use something with less chemicals, but it just doesn't work for her. She also swells up and has even gotten staph infections from scratching at them.

[tinag]

http://altmedicine.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=altmedicine&cdn=health&tm=5&gps=769_383_1676_849&f=00&su=p284.9.336.ip_p726.8.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.repel.com/ProductCategories/Insectrepellents/LemonEucalyptus/

 

They had a man put his arm in with mosquitoes and he got bit, then put the repellent on and they landed on his arm but didn't bite.

Edited June 5, 2010 by tinag

[myfatherslily]

My DS gets huge mosquito bites, too, though thankfully none have gotten infected yet. His get huge, itchy, and uncomfortable a day or so after he gets bitten. All last summer we used Avon bug repellent and it worked really when, as long as we actually remembered to use it! I ordered some more for this summer. Doesn't contain DEET.

[Baseball mom]

Ds is the same way. Bite, swelling and very hot to touch. Been to the dr. several times over it too. Now as soon as I notice a bite starting to swell I give him benadryal. Several doses later he is better.

 

I don't like using the chemicals but don't like the other either. So he gets sprayed down everytime he goes out, especially early morning and late afternoon (middle of day he is pretty good unless mowing).

 

We use OFF Active (sweat resistant) and then just the regular CUTTER.

 

You may now this so please don't be offended. It took me a little while to remember this. It is a good idea to keep a spare can in the car so if you are out and run into mosquitoes. We were out with friends and stopped near the lake to let the kids explore and pick up cool rocks. Ds and I ended up in the car waiting. There wasn't alot of mosquitoes but what was there was just swarming ds.

[Wheres Toto]

We use the Avon bug repellent with the Picaridin. It works really well even out camping in the woods. Younger dd gets a lot of bites but so far we've been lucky enough to avoid infections. I do put benedryl cream on her bites to help stop the itching.

[MyThreeSons]

Avon's Skin So Soft works well. You can use the regular lotion. We had friends who were missionaries in Papua New Guinea and they swore by the stuff to keep off the bugs in the jungles there.

 

Once a bite has happened, if you quickly apply a paste made of water and meat tenderizer, it will draw out the venom and keep the swelling and itching to a minimum. An ER Dr once told us about this -- I used to carry a small packet of meat tenderizer in a foil packet or zip lock sanwich baggie when I went hiking. In a pinch, spit works in place of the water. Icky, I know, but it's better than the alternative.

 

BTW, I was at the ER because I'd fallen asleep on a dock on a lake, and woke up with my arm swollen from mosquito bites so that it was as wide as my hand all the way from my wrist to my elbow. The dr gave me an injection of antihistamine. I remember him saying "This might make you sleepy." The next thing I knew it was 13 hours later, LOL.

[VA6336]

My kids and I all get bitten by mosquitoes all year long! We've tried Avon, we've tried spray with Picardin, we've tried bracelets and necklaces, we've tried Citronella of all sorts. The only thing that works for us is DEET. Hourly application of 7% works, but we usually stick with much higher percentages so I don't have to catch all three each hour. Long sleeves and leggings certainly help keep the amount of chemical down, but it's just so dang hot down here it's impractical. The bugs love us so much that they bite our eyelids. :001_huh:

 

Baseball mom, I finally figured out to keep an extra bottle in the van just last month! Good luck bzymama23 finding what works for your child. I have heard that there are lines of outdoor clothing made with some kind of bug repellent on them and are designed for hot weather. I think it's time for me to look into them!

[newbie]

Avon's Skin So Soft works well. You can use the regular lotion. We had friends who were missionaries in Papua New Guinea and they swore by the stuff to keep off the bugs in the jungles there.

 

Once a bite has happened, if you quickly apply a paste made of water and meat tenderizer, it will draw out the venom and keep the swelling and itching to a minimum. An ER Dr once told us about this -- I used to carry a small packet of meat tenderizer in a foil packet or zip lock sanwich baggie when I went hiking. In a pinch, spit works in place of the water. Icky, I know, but it's better than the alternative.

 

BTW, I was at the ER because I'd fallen asleep on a dock on a lake, and woke up with my arm swollen from mosquito bites so that it was as wide as my hand all the way from my wrist to my elbow. The dr gave me an injection of antihistamine. I remember him saying "This might make you sleepy." The next thing I knew it was 13 hours later, LOL.

 

Not to hijack but does SSS work on ticks? That would be awesome.

[MyThreeSons]

When I was in high school, my foster sister would get eaten up -- especially by grass fleas -- when the rest of us weren't touched by them. My mom casually mentioned it to our neighborhood pharmacist, who said it sounded like she had a particular vitamin deficiency (I think it was one of the B's). Soon after my mom started her on a supplement, she stopped getting bitten.

[MyThreeSons]

Not to hijack but does SSS work on ticks? That would be awesome.

 

I don't know. sorry.

[Bambam]

We tried one made by a local homeschooling mother. It has catnip in it. It worked for the mosquitoes here in the Houston area. We were not able to continue it though as the smell caused my dh problems with his asthma.

 

Here is a link to the Science Daily article about catnip as an effective mosquito repellent.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010828075659.htm

[rafiki]

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[Tap]

Once a bite has happened, if you quickly apply a paste made of water and meat tenderizer, it will draw out the venom and keep the swelling and itching to a minimum. An ER Dr once told us about this -- I used to carry a small packet of meat tenderizer in a foil packet or zip lock sanwich baggie when I went hiking. In a pinch, spit works in place of the water. Icky, I know, but it's better than the alternative.

 

 

 

This is correct (for bee stings too) but it isn't a 'drawing' paste. When an insect stings you, they inject protein into the victim. That is what the victim reacts to. By applying meat tenderizer, it breaks down that protein for the victim, neutralizing the protein and thus minimizing the negative effects. Meat tenderizer has papain in it (a papaya based enzyme) and that is the magic of the treatment. It doesn't matter what liquid you use, as long as there is papain in the tenderizer. This will only work for a short period of time, after the body absorbs the protein, as there is nothing left a the site for it to work on.

[Matryoshka]

We use Repel...it is high in Deet content (the family version is 23 percent or so). I wish I could use something with less chemicals, but it just doesn't work for her.

 

Repel (same brand) also makes a repellent that's 100% natural (no DEET) and very, very effective (CDC tested up to 6 hours). It's called Repel Lemon Eucalyptus.