Mosquitoes reactions

Moved to France about a year ago. Lower Normandy. Has any else had a ridiculous reaction to mosquito bites. I lived in southern Spain for 10 years and never had any real bother. So I kntall the dos and don’ts standing water sprays nets etc Tiger mosquitoes etc but has anyone got a suggestion on how to treat the welts that occur. Currently using synthol

Hi @Guruengineer and welcome to SF
Have you considered visiting your local pharmacie and seeking advice from them? I’m sure they are quite used to this if it is a specific problem in your locale.

On a different issue, did you read the topic about a second home in either Spain or France - you may wish to contribute since you did this a year ago…

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This device anti bites stings has been available on amazon.de and earlier this year was sold in Lidl France.

It’s changed my life this year.
The thing to remember is zap the bite as soon as you’re aware of it and before you scratch or rub it. It will then stop asking you to scratch it and will disappear in a day or two.

A trip to your pharmacy might help - I suspect citrizine is what they might give you. We brought calamine lotion from the UK which is also helpful.

But the zapper has been such a relief and my Lidl one worth every penny

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Welcome to Survive France @Guruengineer and also to Lower Normandy! There are a few of us there on this site. I react very badly to mosquitos but I must say that, for me, it’s been no different here from anywhere else in France. None of the pharmacy creams I have tried have any effect and I have been using antihistamines if bitten or this thing if it’s really serious -

Having said all that, I’ve noticed that my reactions seem to be reducing a bit as years pass. I wonder if we get acclimatised to the insects in our areas?

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Thanks yup that’s how I got the Synthol. It’s really good stuff and some antihistamine. I get bitten and most of the bites are just Normal itchy bit of oxygenated water. Sorted but some are like massive welts Like a Hornet sting reaction. Last time I got anything like this used to be spider bites In Spain I was wondering if there are some different species here.

It’s a while since I was there TBH went back to UK to work for 15 years bailed out since Brexit was announced no work left now. Teesside next big thing in 5 years ish.

I have friends there and visit now and again but it’s no cheaper TBH I’ll comment on it but certainly a buyers market there If it was me I would go to Japan they have a massive open door for professionals supposed to have been last year but commencing this year

Thanks

Thanks for the suggestion

I too have had huge welts this year, not usual, but very itchy.
If you cover them with a plaster that helps to stop the itching, useful in bed when you get warm.

I’ve never had mozzie bites that look like this. These have been just as shown here for 3 days now. Any idea what could be doing this?

My mum had a thing about ‘little black biters’ - variations on a theme of house fly. I don’t know if the l.b.b.'s are doing this but anything that flies in the same room I’m in gets nuked with Raid.

@captainendeavour link doesn’t seem to work

Images can be uploaded to SF, probably easier than trying top get the dropbox link and permissions right.

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@captainendeavour use the image icon in the edit screen to upload from your local drive
or move the photo to the Public folder in your Dropbox and then right click on the image and select Dropbox then select Copy Dropbox Link. The file does need to be shareable though, and will be if in the Public folder in Dropbox. Remind yourself that if you move the picture from there or delete it, it will be also be lost on SF.

For the first time this year I have been taking a piriton tablet each day which has reduced the itching of mosquito bites.

My first summer here I got eaten alive and still have scars on my forearms…my second summer wasn’t quite so bad but still got bit…I think it’s not just mozzies…there’s midges that bite and a certain sort of ordinary looking flies that bite too…not to mention horseflies…I got bit on my knee by a horsefly and it swelled to twice it’s size…

I use a half and half mix of apple cider vinegar and water lightly misted over any exposed skin…and as my collies have a garlic capsule added to their raw food if not daily then at least two or three times a week to deter fleas ticks and biting bugs on them then I take that also…(Also Serrapeptase daily)

Pressing a cross into a bite with a finger nail also seems to stop a major irritation developing…

I have neem oil when biting things are particularly prevalent…

I also have a range of homeopathic remedies to deal with bites and stings…

Not doing too bad so far this summer…:grinning:

We’ve now been here in the Lot Valley for nine years and I’ve noticed that each year my allergic response to bites has decreased. I no longer get reactive bites on my face - this can’t be entirely due to the mask! I So, I still get bitten, but there’s no longer a reaction. If I’m doing a hike orthere’s a particularly troublesome fly, I’ll spray on some repellent, but otherwise nothing more seems necessary now.

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I had hoped this would happen but no sign of it yet.

Another 4 years then and I might be immune…:grinning:

One year I got bit by something on my eyelid and my eye swelled shut the same night …I’m not going to post the grisly as it happened photo but homeopathic euphrasia inside and outside took it straight down…

When my daughter and her partner who suffers dreadfully from hay fever last visited he bought a nasal spray from the pharmacy which didn’t work…I gave him some homeopathic remedies from my first aid kit and he enjoyed the rest of his holiday and my daughter in U.K. continues to keep the same remedies in stock for him…

They have recently just got two kittens and her partner instantly started sneezing and blamed the kittens…as there was no way she was going to give up the kittens she reminded him it was also hay fever season…started the homeopathic protocol and all is well :grinning:

I am very lucky in that I suffer little from bites and stings, but about 4 weeks ago I accidentally damaged (because I didn’t know it was there) a nest of small wasps in the sliding door jam of the car. Several flew out and one straight onto my arm stinging it immediately. The pain lasted less than a minute but I came indoors and splashed a bit of vinegar on it so no more trouble. But, all this time later, the little red lump is still there and occasionally itches.

I was more affronted than anything, because I have known about and co-existed happily with these small nests for years till now. They are not normally a problem as they are isolated from the interior when the doors are shut.

Houseflies biting are a recent thing here, I have to be ready with a swatter, as an asthmatic, sprays are definitely not allowed indoors.

We have normal swatters as well as an electric one - so satisfying hearing them sizzle :rofl: :rofl: . You may remember the fly situation in Oz David - my brother and I used to play fly tennis with swatters!

I have one of those but it doesn’t work any more! Did you get yours from anywhere particular, @toryroo? I’m no good with the normal ones and my partner is so aggressive with them that they break really rapidly :roll_eyes: