Standing water and warm weather creates an ideal environment for mosquitoes. This pest’s bite causes itching, swelling redskin bumps that can drive you crazy. Especially when bitten multiple times.
Mosquito bite’s itching, swelling red bumps are caused by your immune system’s reaction to proteins in mosquitoes saliva. Their sole interest is to suck your blood, and it’s the females doing all that sucking.
After a mosquito bite, your itching bump may appear immediately or a couple of days later. And those swelling red bumps may not disappear for as long as 10 days.
If you’re highly sensitive, a mosquito bite may cause a larger than average area of itching. A rare few can have a serious reaction to mosquito bites, which also causes symptoms of:
This anaphylaxis reaction can be life threatening for some.
What’s might be more troublesome than an itchy mosquito bite, is their ability to transmit serious diseases, such as:
- malaria
- yellow fever
- dengue fever
- West Nile virus
- encephalitis virus
- lymphatic filariasis
Albeit, your risk of contracting these diseases from a mosquito’s bite is low, but it still is not wise to let them loose on your skin to feed.
Symptoms of a mosquito transmitted infection may include:
- rash
- fever
- lethargy
- jaundice
- confusion
- body aches
- swollen glands
- severe headache
- sensitivity to light
- nausea & vomiting
These “post bite” symptoms calls for swift diagnosis and treatment. Hence get with your health care professional ASAP.
Mosquitoes select who to suck via scent, exhaled carbon dioxide and chemicals in sweat. Mosquitoes are more likely to bite:
- men
- type O blood
- overweight folks
In addition, mosquitoes are heat seekers. So forego clothing that absorbs heat.
If you scratch your mosquito bite for relief, your open sores can get infected. The best alternative is to remedy the itching by putting a stop to it.
A couple of common household items to try to stop your itch for relief include application of these remedies, directly applied to your mosquito bite, until itching stops:
- cold pack
- tea tree oil
- lavender oil
- calamine lotion
- Witch Hazel oil
- lemon juice, slice
- hemorrhoid cream
- baking soda paste
- hydrocortisone cream
Taking an antihistamine can also offer a relief remedy to those with multiple bites or strong reactions.
Dusk and dawn are the two high times of the day when female mosquitoes forage for fresh blood. As such, your best strategy is to take away their skin opportunities and/or repel them.
Cover exposed skin with clothing as much as possible. Then apply mosquito repellent to any remaining exposed skin.
Since mosquitoes breed and lay their eggs in standing water, take prevention steps to eliminate this opportunity around your living space. Other unproven methods for controlling mosquitoes are:
- bug zappers
- yellow bug lights
- citronella scented candles
And you might try eating some garlic or onions, or take vitamin B supplements to discover if that repels pesky mosquitoes. Other natural repellents involve:
- sage
- cedar
- rosemary
- pennyroyal
Apply oils to exposed skin to deter mosquitoes. No personal experience, but these methods may work. Nothing to lose, so give it a go.
Finally, scratching your mosquito itch can also leave you with scarring. Keep your skin looking healthy without an itch.
