HELP! bugs......

[Chrissy]

hi!

i am really hoping someone can help me out....been here for a little while, and the only thing making this country unbearable is the bug bites!! the chemist has suggested various solutions to both prevent and treat bug bites, but nothing seems to work (though i am not sure if the language barrier has hindered my ability to obtain the best advice possible.

i have WELL over a hundred bites on my body (mostly arms and legs) and aside from the unsightliness of it, the itching is driving me MAD! i can't sleep at night, and during the day i am scratching as if i have not showered in years! i have scratched my feet and ankles so much, it looks like an army has used those areas for intravenous drug use! i have tried pharmaceutical and natural remedies, and don't keep my windows open. i am at a loss for a solution and loosing my mind.

if anyone can suggest a way to prevent future bites and treat my current ones, i will be forever in your debt!

please help!

[Reyntj]

You might have bed bugs . Are the bites happenimg when u are asleep . I had someting similar in a property i rented in kyrenia.when i slept in one of the bedrooms i would awake with loads of bites that where itchy .i searched all the room but couldnt find anything .i stop sleeping in that room but never got to he nottom of it . Was convinced it was either bed bugs or fleas . Never got to the bottom of as left property . Sounds like something similar id get someone in to fumigte the room for bedbugs and flea. Ir move property like i did !

[corona24]

Hi, maybe you try cortisone cream for the itchiness. first put cologne/alcohol on the bites then the cream. should help somewhat. I use detan plugin with a liquid that keeps the bugs away while sleeping (the ABSOLUTE WORST time to get/feel bites).

[Chrissy]

reyntj - thanks for the reply. it's not bedbugs bc it happens day and night, and starts as soon as the weather heats up. it has happened in various rooms in two different rental properties...plus they start like welts.

corona24 - i have tried another plug-in, so i will try detan as well. i have a cortisone creme, but did not do the alcohol then creme just applied the creme and it helped for the first 10 mins only. i will try your suggestion. i hope something works!!!

[journey1]

On the issue of treatment, its great here we can access a pharmacist and get most help required for minor ailments. However, it must be remembered that when ailments are so severe it is worth a visit to the Dr.
I would say applying cortisone without full diagnosis is not something I would recommend particularly if the skin is broken and potentially liable for infection.
I hope you get help soon and some peace from the misery being caused.
best wishes

[Chrissy]

journey1 - good thinking re the dr. skin broken all over the place from over-entheusiastic scratching! can you recommend an englsh-speaking reliable dr?

[Spud50]

I also get bitten a lot and like previous response I use a plug in (in a liquid form) from VAPE, which I buy in the supermarket. It has a small switch on the plug so you can switch on about 1 hour before you go to bed. I also spray the bedroom and the bed at least once a week. My husband says I go over the top but they never seem to like his tough hide so he rarely gets bitten. I also spray myself in the evening with a mossie spray.

The chemist in Çatalköy is very good and he recommended taking antihistamine tablets and using an antihistamine ointment ointment when they did get through the barriers!

Hope this helps.

[jen]

Teatree essential oil, I mix few drops in shower gels, shampoo, body lotions etc, deters mosquito s and dreaded sand flies. Also wipe around window, doors and fly screens, dilute 25 drops to litre of water, this deters them entering house.At dusk, close all windows, doors, spray room with insect repellant, under furniture, behind light fittings and leave room closed for an hour, if you then use a plug in thingy, you can open room and nothing will come in. Gecmis olsun

[Chrissy]

thank you guys!! i will try all of these at the same time. i am sure it is going to give me the much needed relief i am craving! just to make sure, are any of these harmful to pets? i have dogs, cats, and tiny little kittens. i want to make sure that none of these are harmful to my furry little friends.

[jen]

Chrissy, teatree isn't hamful to pets, but keep them out of a room for an hour if you're going to spray it with bug zapper. Just a thought, are all your pets wearing parabands, been frontlined? This could be answer to your problem. Good luck and hope you're soon enjoying our glorious summer

[annanirvanna]

Chrissy, don't know whether the info I get from my holistic pharmacy will help but I post it just in case, good luck.

1. Rub area with inside of banana peel. 2. Apply apple cider vinegar to area. 3. Apply lemon slice to affected area. 4. Create paste of Baking Soda and H2o and apply to area. 5. Lavender essential oil & tea tree oil relieves sting. 6. A slice of onion will immediately remove pain from insect bites.

The pharmacist also produced this insect repellent sheet:-


Natural insect repellent recipe. Mosquitoes and fleas, those disturbing insects can become pain when we are outdoors, by seaside, in green fields or close by, and even they find their own way to our own homes. Some times it is not easy to get rid of them and some of them are not even visible like those fast fleas, we never realize they exist until we feel the bites, what we need at such time is to prevent being attracting them to bite or to bother us . It is another advantage of essential oils , they can be used in a simple recipe of a natural insect repellent that can confuse them and simply make them stay away of us as we won’t be attracting them any more . The recipe is simple, safe, smells good, and won’t take more than few minutes to be ready to use.

You will need:
Eucalyptus essential oil,
Lemon grass essential oil.
Orange essential oil,
Peppermint essential oil.
Geranium essential oil,
Tea tree essential oil,
Jojoba oil ( if you want to have your insect repellent as a body oil).
Alcohol if you want to have your insect repellent as a body spray.
Mix 2 ml of each essential oil of the previous list with 125 ml Jojoba oil, fill in a dark glass bottle. Or mix 2 ml of each essential oil of the previous list with 125 ml alcohol, and fill in a spray bottle. In case you use jojoba oil, apply the oil on the uncovered areas of your body. In case of alcohol based blend spray over the uncovered areas of your body. The oil based blend last longer effective, the alcohol based blend last less and you may will need to re-spray every two hours.

I will send another message with the pharmacy web page re: remedies for cleaning mattresses & beds.

[annanirvanna]

Chrissy as promised in 1st post:-

HOW TO CLEAN & DE-MITE MATTRESS & PILLOWS

Put approximately 1 cup of baking soda into a small mason jar and add 4 to 5 drops of Lavender essential oil (you can, of course, use your favorite scent) and give it a good shake! This was enough to do half my king-sized bed. I just quickly shook up another batch for the other side.
Before you start it’s a good idea to strip off all your bedding and wash it in HOT water (at least 130 degrees)! This will kill the dust mites in your sheets and blankets. While your bedding is in the washing machine, pour enough baking soda through a sifter or strainer to lightly dust your mattress with it. Leave on for an hour or more, allowing it time to draw out dirt, moisture, and odor.
Using the hose end of your vacuum and an upholstery attachment, thoroughly vacuum the mattress. Vacuum slowly so that you’re using the vacuum suction efficiently to pull out as much debris from within the mattress as possible.
The baking soda not only draws out moisture and dirt, but it also deodorizes and leaves the mattress smelling fresh and clean. The Lavender oil helps calm stress and anxiety and promotes sleep….plus it just SMELLS wonderful!
Lavender also has antibacterial agent

[JBA]

Listerene will help to relieve the itching from mossies - indeed anything with menthol. Not sure if it will work with other bugs.

If mosquitos are causing the problem then you need to have a good look around your immediate area. Mosquitos need water to breed but a chlorinated swimming pool is no good to them. Maybe a neighbour doesn't maintain their pool or maybe there is some other suitable body of water near - even a discarded tin full of rainwater is enough. If you can find it and it isn't disposable then your Belediye will spray it for you and end the problem for a couple of months.

Incidentally, it's only the female mosquitos that bite - why doesn't that surprise us!

[Owl Lady]

Tempting fate here by posting, that I take an antihistamine every morning, Summer and Winter and eat Marmite. (I know you either love it or hate it.) I only had 5 bites all last year!!

[stellasstar1]

Have you got fly screens? I used to get bitten,but now have fly screen at the windows, and loose fly curtains at the door. I also use the plug in things as well and now hardly ever get bitten. Stay out of gardens away from trees, and don't go outside in the evening, and you could try taking garlic capsules, I do that as well, and like Owl Lady take an antihistamine tablet at night during the biting season.

[come_on_aylin]

Chrissy - just a thought and could be wrong but are the 'bites' mainly on areas you expose to the sun? It just sounds a bit like prickly heat which is horribly itchy. It happens when pores get blocked, quite often with sun screen. One of the best solutions is to have a Turkish bath/scrub which helps to open up the pores.

[Whatarotty]

My Mum had bites and kept scratching it was driving her mad, we tried all sorts of creams but I took her to the doctors and she had infection from constant scratching. Dr gave her tablets and cream and although it took took a few days to calm down she has not had it back. Dr Silem in Girne 05338328762 lovely doctor and English speaking, she was a GP in England. Please go to the doctors!!

[Chrissy]

thank you all for your advice! i have already purchased some of the items and will get the rest in the next couple of days...i figure if i implement all of your combined experiences, i am bound to hit success

i will def give the doctor a call, it can't hurt to visit!

fly screens are not an option now, but as soon as it becomes one, it will be my first investment!

[dekski1]

Hi
Bites at soul destroying and affect some more than others .... I know! Lash on the vinegar when required, its cheap and really does take the scratch out of the area. Nothing works perfectly but the vinegar remedy is as good as it gets for me. Sting pens are OK for one bite, and we got sent from UK a wee Zap-it device from ASDA and that helps for the one bite situation. Very hot water helps some folk like having a shower to remove the itch. Heat a spoon in boiling water and apply to the bite ... helps. If it doesn't move spray it, mattress included along with the curtains. Use fly nets over You used to get an anti histemine injection from the chemist in Catalcoy that helps for a few months. All kinds of pills and lotions work on a one-to-one situation you have to keep looking for your solution. We have lots of sticky fly papers hanging all around the house, especially on the ceiling lights and also out on the patio. I make fly traps with used lemonade bottles that do some good and I like to see the wee blighters on the fly papers and in the bottles to reassure me that I'm doing some good in this war and they sure ain't smiling now!

[annanirvanna]

Chrissy - don't know if you have a garden and your bites are a result of those horrible pesky mosquitoes. I reqd an article about 5 top plants that repel mosquitoes - maybe it will help deter any future 'invasion'. The full article can be found on this web page:-

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com

1. Lemon grass. 2. Citronella. 3. Marigolds. 4. Mint. 5. rosemary

[Hawkeye]

To ease the irritation try Stilex jel which you should be able to get from any Chemist. Make sure you really rub it in - it really works!!!

[Ragged Robin]

Could they be ant bites? They come in several sizes here and I have suffered from them more than mozzzies particularly round the feet and ankles and calves. The itching takes an hour or so to develop. Also the ordinary flies bite.

Do you sit in a garden a lot? If so check it for ant hills and treat (the hills that is!) with boiling water, or see other thread.

Cheap and simple prevention and temporary emergency treatment: Lemon cologne available from most Supermarkets.

If you can access Avon cosmetics they do a sun lotion which doubles as a insect repellant and friends swear by it.

To ease irritation (BUT ONLY IF YOU SKIN is not too sensitive or you dont have allergies) neat Detol (a substitute available in supermarkets).

When in Rome do as the Cypriots do - hang something shiny over door and at windows to deter flies - an old CD , a plastic bottle or bag of water, or get some geegaws from Mr. Pound or China bazaar apparently the flies see their reflection magnified into giant flies which frightens them off!

[Chrissy]

lol! i had not considered that, and they could be ants. i will def try that!!

[BLUE BUTTERFLY]

Hi Chrissy.

We have an oscillating fan directed at the bed at night, this keeps things at bay so we at least have a peaceful nights sleep.

[Ragged Robin]

Err, Chrissie I hate to suggest this. I know from the other thread that you are an animal lover and nodoubt your own pets are treated, but have you been handling other animals that might be carrying fleas?

Try putting "fleas" in your search box if so, for suggetions re treatment and eradication.

btw another quick, but temporary, relief from irritation from most insect bites is to rub them with an ice cube, or a cloth or plastic bag wrapped round ice cubes.

[Chrissy]

the tea tree oil, coils, plug-in, 24/7 fan, and antihistamine have been tremendously helpful! thank you all for giving me my sanity back and my much needed sleep. the fact that a few new additions to my furry, four-legged family has cut my blissful slumber short is another matter entirely.

Ragged robin: i considered fleas, but i react differently to them and they show up as tiny bites rather than the welts from bugs...though thanks to the new kittens who were just treated for fleas, i am sure i will be able to compare over the next few days while the fleas leave their bodies and my home completely