Mosquito Bites

There are remedies for such topical irritation caused by mosquito bites, and it may not always come in the form of a, "spray or ointment".

I find that I get relief from a few well placed doses of alcohol, administered orally. That would be prior to any anticipated exposure to the little devils. We seem to have a lot of them in Arizona.

It's too cold for most forms of life to exist where I am at the moment.

While it may not innoculate you from the effects of the pathogen, it will render you less likely to care if you get sick.

All joking aside, no, the pathogens won't die.

Here are a gazillion suggestions for the itching (no endorsements, though): http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Mosquito-Bites-from-Itching

In general, chemicals are not likely to kill pathogens. If anything were bioactively successful at this, by now we would have seen headlines such as "Malaria Eradicated."

When I was in the natural products business I developed a tincture "antibite" product for this - a mix of three tinctures (vodka extracts), of plants recommended for bug bites on three different continents: Plantain (Plantago major) Mulberry leaf (Morus alba) and Echinacea. A few drops worked well to relieve itching of mosquito bites and spider bites, and also great for the irritation of paper cuts or the like, but no use for ant bites.

Those herbs also have some antiviral and antibacterial activities (and it's alcohol based as well) so there's probably some activity against common pathogens on the skin surface that cause bites to become infected, besides the anti-inflammatory effect that stops itching and swelling. But they are not reported to have any anti-malarial activity even if used internally afaik.

I have read that Artemisia annua and some others are recommended for malaria treatments, but there is no research done afaik on a topical product applied to the bite, or whether it could penetrate into the body at the site of the bite and help to prevent infection. It seems unlikely this could work unless applied quicker than a plasmodium can move into the bloodstream.... difficult.

For the itch, I keep a calamine/antihistamine lotion handy, it works good.

"In general, chemicals are not likely to kill pathogens…Tornado" Even harsh chemicals like: Chlorine or acids?

"A few drops worked well to relieve itching of mosquito bites and spider bites, and also great for the irritation of paper cuts or the like, but no use for ant bites…artsmith"

There is a distinct difference between mosquito bites and ant bits. Former injects some thing to prevent blood from clotting and inadvertently contaminated the blood with pathogen, right? But the ant's string is some sort of acid, right? Former itches and the later burns. Is there a clue in it? Would an ant's bite be remedial for mosquito bite .

I admit that my idea was oversimplified; however, I don't plan on applying chlorine, strong acids or bases, or nerve gas to my skin....

Ant bites are like wasp stings: acidic. They inject formic acid afaik, and vinegar is the remedy that works best, because it penetrates and dilutes the acid in the bite. Same as the old folklore rule: BA WV or bee alkaline wasp vinegar.

Would an ant's bite be remedial.... I seriously doubt it! You're kiddin me, right?

For the sake of accuracy, may I point out that bees and ants both inject an acid, namely formic acid, and that wasps inject an alkaline venom. This is the basis for the folklore remedies of bicarbonate of soda for ant bites or bee stings and vinegar for wasp stings. However, the bite or sting injection in each case contains a cocktail of potentially inflammatory substances, and it is incredibly unlikely that the acid or alkali is alone responsible for the itching. Any relief obtained from this folklore is more likely to be due to the rubbing sensation (counter-irritation) than to any neutralisation of pH.
As for dealing with pathogens, there is no way that the malaria parasite in the bloodstream is going to be affected by whatever one rubs on the surface. The best home remedy for any surface pathogens is a bar of soap.

You're right about bees and wasps, my mistake. But in case of ants, apparently some (such as fire ants) have alkaline toxins.

I don't have much personal experience with bee or wasp stings, but I've had to deal with ant bites pretty often. In my experience, applying baking soda paste to an ant bite will provide some temporary relief but only until it dries (about 5 minutes) and it doesn't reduce the swelling either. When I tried vinegar instead, I found that it actually relieved the itch and the swelling. I'm not sure what the reason is. (I now realize I don't even know if the ant bites locally are acid or alkaline - or if that is really relevant).

But I must say, there's no rubbing involved in either case. Rubbing (like scratching) only makes a bite worse, IMHO. Any wet dressing whether acid or alkaline will provide some relief probably by cooling, not by counter-irritation.

Interesting one. I have personal experience of wasp and bee strings and of ant bites, but not of fire ants. My information is that the fire ant is a nasty little beast that bites first and then stings. However, the same principles apply. The toxin injected by the sting releases histamine. It is this which is the irritant factor, and which causes the swelling, not the trivial acidity or alkalinity. The logical treatment is an antihistamine. Any other treatment is a placebo.

Afaik I am not one of those lucky people who gets placebo effects. I don't know how readily vinegar is absorbed through the skin, but I'm sure there is some absorption. In the past the integrity of the skin as a barrier was pretty much taken for granted, which is why regulations applying to drugs were not considered important for cosmetics, but that has been blown out of the water by the more recent research on transdermal delivery. Still I don't know if the 'neutralization' theory is at all valid. I couldn't find any research on the subject of vinegar and insect bites whatsoever, to confirm or deny it.

I also didn't find any studies as to whether vinegar has antihistamine activity. The only relevant bit that I found was this study that found an antiallergic effect of vinegar in skin prick tests. So it may be that vinegar does have antihistamine activity and that this, rather than the 'neutralization' theory, is the reason why it works.

It's a nice try, but rubbing vinegar on the skin does not amount to successful transdermal delivery. The experiment describes the addition of vinegar to various allergens which were then delivered by skin prick, so actually breaching the dermal barrier. The stratum corneum, the outer layer, is and remains a tough barrier to permeation from the outside. Drug delivery systems like nicotine and fentanyl patches act principally by providing a high concentration gradient, with the flow possibly being enhanced by a solvent or surfactant. The alternative is transdermal injection by needle or high-pressure jet.
Perhaps you should breed bees with an antivenom.

"I don't plan on applying chlorine, strong acids or bases, or nerve gas to my skin...."

"You're kiddin me, right?" No, I'm not suggesting an ant bite on mosquito bite nor suggest applying some hash chemical, just like that. Itch compels to scratch, whereas burn, I mean a limited burn might soothe the itch. Like pain reliving sprays or ointments having Camphor, Menthol (like Bengay) works if only we have pain. If applied otherwise, burns, right? I heard, not experienced, "the onion which irritates/burns the eyes would sobers/eases the action of teargas".

On this discussion, many suggested homemade remedies. But why there are no proven allopathic remedies? If found so, as Tornado said, "Malaria Eradicated" may not be farfetched wish.

Artsmith's three vodka extracts, administered orally, might help. _{Swaying apathetically.}

Sway on, Tornado. It wasn't intended as a beverage but still, somewhat more drinkable than the average bar of soap, in a pinch.

Anyway, why get bit at all! The ultimate repellant is at hand, produced by.. naturally repellant people. Can't help wondering what it smells like....

For insect bites, including bee and wasp stings, try "AFTERBITE". It's a topical solution that comes in pen form with a soft roller-type applicator located at one end. It's been on the market for at least 15 years + now. I have used it for nearly as long, and have found it to work quite well at relieving all types of stings and bites. I've found that it even works on horse fly bites, which can be the nastiest of all bites!

I always carry a fresh pen of this stuff with me when visiting a job site or even working around the house. Once bitten, you simply shake-up the pen and dab the applicator onto the wound site once, twice or three times, depending on the severity of the bite. Relief is almost instantaneous.

I'm highly allergic to bee and wasp stings and this stuff does help quite a bit at relieving the pain, but it is no substitute to having a bee sting kit handy in the fridge!

Sorry, it does not work on snake bites! LOL

Try it, you will not be sorry you did!

(I no of no topical solution that will fight pathogens introduced buy an insect bite.....you most either take antibiotics if the wound becomes infected, or take appropriate prescribed medications for battling Malaria, if so diagnosed by a Physician).