How to Prevent and Treat Mosquito Bites

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By RachelB
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (5 Ratings)

Mosquito bites can be extremely itchy and bothersome.

During the summer months, mosquitoes can be a real problem, especially if you live in a humid region of the United States or near some wetlands. If you spend time outdoors in the evenings grilling food, dining on your patio or playing with your kids, you may have also noticed that mosquitoes really love to come out in force during the dusk or twilight hour. Unfortunately, mosquitoes are simply a fact of life in the summertime. So what can you do to prevent mosquito bites and/or treat the ones you have not been able to prevent?

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

insect repellent
citrus wristbands
Calamine lotion
mild soap

Step 1

Your first step is to try to prevent being bitten in the first place. One of the best ways to do this is to use insect repellent. If you don’t care for spray insect repellent, you can now purchase roll-on insect repellent. (Read the directions and warnings on the label very carefully before applying.) Another preventive technique is to use wristbands that emit a citrus scent. (Insects do not care for citrus and are naturally repelled by it.) Many people like using this preventive method because it is natural.
Step 2

If you have been bitten in spite of your best prevention efforts, you will want to wash the affected area using warm water and a mild anti-bacterial soap.
Step 3

Next, apply a thin layer of Calamine lotion to the affected area. There are other treatments available, but what’s nice about Calamine lotion is the fact that it is incredibly mild and it also puts a stop to the incessant itching.
Step 4

The final step is to avoid scratching the mosquito bite as much as you possibly can. This can be very difficult to do because mosquito bites are known to be extremely itchy. If you do scratch your bite and it scabs up, try not to scratch off the scab (which can also be quite itchy). If you can leave the bite alone and allow the Calamine lotion to work its magic, the bite will heal faster.

Comments

goindustrymoms said

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on 6/15/2009 Like this article. Mosquitoes love me too. I don't like them very much. Looking for ways to repel them.

bossypants said

on 6/9/2009 I know there are birds which depend upon them for a food source, but really, I can think of no other earthly good for these pests! Thanks for the advice on avoiding and healing mosquito bites!