1. 30 Home Remedies For Insect Bites: How To
Protect Yourself From The Little Monsters
Most insect bites and stings are minor annoyances that drive us crazing with
itching for a few hours or days, and produce ugly looking welts, but aren’t really
serious. But sometimes symptoms can take a turn toward the more dangerous
and here are some natural home remedies you can use to stop the itching
and get rid of the oh-so-pretty (not!) red welts.
Fly Stings & Mosquito Bite Relief
These annoying flying critters can make you pretty uncomfortable when they decide to munch
on you so here is what you can do. Further, they can carry some pretty horrid diseases – like
West Nile Virus.
#1: Disinfect ASAP!
Disinfect the bite. Mosquito’s and flies can spread definitely spread disease so be sure to
thoroughly wipe the sting or bite with soap and water and apply an antiseptic.
Home Remedy #2: The Lowly Aspirin Tablet
Rub an aspirin onto the sting or bite as soon as possible after you’re bitten. The aspirin will
control inflammation and this is a safe preventative – unless you’re allergic to aspirin, of
course.
Home Remedy #3: OTC Medicines
Fly stings and mosquito bites may produce swelling and drive-you-crazy itching for several
days days and an OTC (over-the-counter) allergy or cold medicine can relieve both symptoms.
Home Remedy #4: Famous Calamine Lotion
Calamine lotion is extremely well known as an itching-relief substance. It’s very commonly
used for poison plants, but you can also effectively use calamine lotion for insect bites and
stings. It’s cheap and easy to find. In fact, having a bottle of calamine as a permanent resident
in your home is an excellent idea.
Home Remedy #5: Icy Counter Attacks
The famous ice pack is a decades-old treatment to relieve the discomfort of any insect raid.
You can even use small frozen veggies like peas to relieve the misery.
Home Remedy #6: Salt
Add enough water to any kind of salt to make a paste and apply it to the bite. Some say that a
salt paste draws out the poison while others disagree. Whatever the truth of that assertion, it
definitely helps the discomfort.

2. Home Remedy #7: Baking Soda
Baking soda will also relieve pain and itching. Some ‘recipes’ for baking soda seem way too
weak to me – for instance, one herbologist suggests one teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in
a glass of water. I prefer a stronger brew. I make a baking soda paste, like the salt above, and
apply it to the sting. Dip some cotton into your baking soda mix and leave it on the bite for at
least 15-30 minutes, refreshing it every few minutes.
Home Remedy #8: Epsom Salts
Dissolve epsom salts in water. Mix approximately one tablespoon per each glass of water and
apply like the baking soda above.
Home Remedy #9: To Deet Or Not To
Deet?
Use a repellent so that you don’t get bitten in
the first place. Bites supposedly come from the
female mosquito who needs our protein to
produce their offspring. They are attracted by
two things:
g The carbon dioxide in our breath …
g The odor from our skin …
Repellents ‘mask’ those attractors, rather than kill the insect.
The most famous repellent on the market is N,M-dpethyl-m-toluamide, otherwise known as
Deet. It’s tremendously popular and used by huge numbers of people. Still, there are some
safety concerns, especially for children or pregnant women, so everyone must make their own
decision about whether to use it or not. For the most safety, however:
g Don’t use it under clothing
g Make sure it doesn’t get into your eyes
g For children, it’s suggested that no repellent be more than 10% Deet (personally, I
think kids should avoid Deet like people in the middle ages avoided the Black Death)
Home Remedy #10: Clorox. Clorox?
A famous insect repellent is to take a bath of two caps of bleach in a tub of water before going
outside. If you choose to follow this method, stay in the tub for at least 15 minutes and ‘dab’
yourself dry, rather than toweling vigorously. Be careful not to get the chlorine-water
into your eyes.
Home Remedy #11: Famous Bath Oil Repellents
A safer alternative to Deet are a couple of bath oils that flies and mosquito’s seem to seriously
dislike: Alpha Keri and Avon’s Skin-So-Soft.

3. Home Remedy #12: If It’s Good Enough For An Autopsy ...
Some folks swear by Vicks VapoRub as an insect repellent. It’s a very, very strong odor – so
awful that police habitually use it under their noses when attending an autopsy. I personally
detest the smell so I can understand why insects might not like it, either. (Maybe I was a
mosquito in an earlier life? :-)
Home Remedy #13: Just Like Vampires
Stay away from these dratted insects! Flies and mosquito’s love hot, hot weather and
mosquito’s particularly love standing water. Some species become especially active at dusk
and later and they’re attracted by outdoor lighting. If you’re in their territory, you’re fair
game.
Hornets, Wasps, Yellow Jackets & Bee Stings
These stinging insects actually inject venom into your skin which is why we suffer from pain,
redness and swelling at the site of the staying. The misery can last for quite some time. I
received a wasp sting that hurt for a couple of weeks – and the ugly, red welt lasted longer
than that.
Depending upon the insect that zings you, and if you are unlucky
enough to get multiple stings, the problem can be much worse and
of much longer duration.
Let’s face it: the insects vastly outnumber us! So here’s what to do if
you’re one of their victims.
Home Remedy #14: Know Your Kamikaze Enemy
Know what kind of insect just zapped you! That will give you the best clue about appropriate
treatment – and might help you avoid more assaults on your tender little body. For instance,
the honey bee is a one-time ninja: its stinger remains in your body and the bee then dies. So,
you will need to remove that stinger to avoid the worst pain as well as possible infection.
On the other hand, hornets, bumble bees, wasps and yellow jackets have smooth stingers that
can zap you repeatedly. The best way to handle their attacks is to … run!
Yellow jackets are a special problem because they have venom sacs and when they’re smashed,
they release a chemical that signals the rest of the hive to attack, attack, attack. If you kill a
yellow jacket, get out of the area immediately.
Home Remedy #15: Fast Action Against Insect Road Rage
Treat your sting immediately. The faster you apply some first aid, the less suffering you will
have. When I was stung by the hornet I mentioned above, I was cutting the grass (an act
which seems to incite them to the hornet version of Road Rage) and finished mowing before

4. doing anything about the sting. I will never do that again if I’m unfortunate to tangle with a
hornet. (Hornet = 1, Me = 0).
Just like the flies and mosquitoes mentioned above, these insects are scavengers, and often
carry dangerous bacteria in their venom. So be sure that you clean out the bite immediately
using methods we’ve already discussed.
Home Remedy #16: Scrape Out The Stinger
If you were zapped by a honey bee, remove the stinger right away because the poison sac will
continue to pump venom into your body for two or three more minutes.
But be careful how you remove this stinger so that you don’t accidentally release more poison
into your system. The best way it to gently SCRAPE it out with a nail file or the edge of a credit
card.
Home Remedy #17: Oral Antihistamine
Take an oral antihistamine. Some of the most popular are Dimetapp, Robitussin, Nytol,
Sominex, NyQuil and Alka-Seltzer Plus. Since they’re mild sedatives and pain relievers,
they make us feel a bit better, plus they lessen the swelling, throbbing and redness caused by
insect venom.
Home Remedy #18: Copy The Arctic
Using an ice pack can deaden the pain – but only if you act quickly. If you wait, the poison will
spread and the throbbing and redness will have a firm foothold and will last until your body
eliminates the poison. With cold, the venom is less likely to spread.
Home Remedy #19: Or The Desert
Oddly, heat can also reduce inflammation and the easiest way to apply it is with a hair dryer,
aimed directly at your sting. The poison is more likely to remain localized if you use heat.
Home Remedy #20 & 21: Aspirin & Baking Soda
As mentioned above, both aspirin and baking soda will neutralize some of the agents in the
venom that cause pain to the human body. Use them as directed above.
Home Remedy #22: Meat Tenderizer
Meat tenderizers, like McCormicks, break down the proteins that make up insect venom.
Simply make a paste and apply it to the wound – IF it’s soon after your sting. If you wait half
an hour or so, it will be useless. The key is to neutralize the poison ASAP.
Home Remedy #23: Activated Charcoal
You can buy activated charcoal at most drugstores. It usually comes in capsules so open a
capsule or two and mix it with water to make a paste and apply to the sting. Activated charcoal
keeps poison from being absorbed into the body, so again, this remedy must be used quickly.
It works best when moist so cover your charcoal paste with plastic wrap or a bandage.

5. Home Remedy #24: Red Georgia Mud
I live in Georgia which is famous for its red clay and this clay works well for fighting the
poison when nothing else is available. There are certainly other types of soils that work well.
Simply moisten your dirt into a mud paste, cover it and leave it on your bite until it’s totally
dry. At that time, do it again if the bite is still painful.
Home Remedy #24: Wear Light Colors
Obviously, not getting stung in the first place is your best ‘treatment’ so wear white,
preferably, and if not white, then very light colors. Ever seen a beekeeper? There’s a reason
they wear white. Stinging insects seem to like darker colors so don’t attract them by wearing
Goth.
Home Remedy #25: Don’t Be A Flower
Don’t let an insect think you are a nectar-bearing flower!
Perfume, aromatherapy, aftershave, etc., are nothing more than
engraved invitations to the insect world.
Home Remedy #25: Flee The Buzzing Horde
If you’re being pursued by a horde of enraged insects … RUN!
The best places to go are inside, obviously – unless they might fly
in with you – or head for woods or jump into water.
I was personally surprised by the ‘head for the woods’ advice, when researching this article.
But researchers at the Cornell University Cooperative Extension service claim that stinging
insects have trouble "following their prey through a thicket of woods".
Home Remedy #26: Eau de Turpentine
Supposedly, stinging insects don’t attack house painters because they detest the odor of
turpentine. Works for me. It’s not an especially nice smell, but it’s better than insect stings.
Deer Ticks and Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is extremely serious – especially if not treated early. Early symptoms are a rash,
fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches and painful joints. If left untreated, Lyme disease can
adversely and even permanently affect human joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Since
the primary source of Lyme disease is ticks, they are at the top of our ‘dangerous insect’ list.
The first sign of Lyme Disease is a rash and fever. The incubation time is usually one-two
weeks but can be as short as three days or as long as a month. Watch the tick bite area and
seek treatment if you notice any symptoms.

6. A Lyme disease diagnosis is the only way to treat this condition after you’ve been bitten, so
obviously the best way is to avoid deer ticks in the first place.
Home Remedy #27: Cool/Cold Weather Is The Only Safe Time
These dangerous ticks seem to be most active in June and July, but we’re vulnerable to them
in all the warm weather months – early spring until fall. So, if you’re going to be outside,
especially in areas of high grass (even ocean sand dunes) or in woods, it’s best to cover all
exposed skin – even though it might be 100 degrees outside! Wear shoes with heavy socks and
pull your pants down over your socks. It’s wise to put heavy rubber bands or straps near
the bottom of your pants so that ticks can’t crawl up your pants legs.
Likewise, wear jackets or long sleeves – no tank tops or bare chest (if you’re a guy, of
course! :-)
How To Discover If There Are Ticks In Your Area: tie a piece of white flannel to a
string and drag it through the grass or underbrush. Examine it frequently. If the little fiends
are in the vicinity they will hitch a ride on the cloth.
Home Remedy #28: Slather Permethrin On Your Clothes
Permethrin kills ticks and lots of other insects but you do NOT want it on your skin! There is
some evidence that it’s carcinogenic (cancer causing). But you can put it on your clothing, and
it should kill ticks for about two weeks.
If you put Permethrin on your clothes, store those clothes in a plastic bag until your wear
them the next time. And be certain to scrub your hands thoroughly after either removing them
or putting them on your body.
Home Remedy #29: The Nightly "Tick Inspection"
Whenever you come home from the woods or sand dunes, or at least before going to bed, do a
"Tick Inspection". Ticks are quite tiny and you need to inspect every inch of your body before
assuming you don’t have any. They’re easy to miss – although they will get much larger as
they feast on your blood! Yuck.
Home Remedy #30: Remove Dracula Jr.
Once ticks grab you, they’re as determined not to be removed as you are to get rid of them. If
you’re too aggressive, you might leave part of its body in your skin which can cause a dandy
infection. I remember my father getting them off me with a cigarette but it was a very delicate
operation so tweezers can be much easier. Don’t pull too fast, though – we don’t want the
darned insect to pull apart. Well, we do, but not until it’s out of our body.
Once you’ve removed the tick, wash the bite area and apply an antiseptic so it won’t get
infected.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Symptoms: one last horror from ticks is Rocky
Mountain spotted fever. It’s relatively rare but if can be deadly if it goes untreated. The

7. symptoms are a rash, terrible headaches and high fever. Seek treatment immediately if you
even suspect you might have it.
The consequences of insect bites and stings range from annoying to deadly. And we haven’t
even mentioned spiders or more esoteric insects. So use the 30 ideas above to keep
yourself and your family safe from these miniature predators.
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