BITES AND STINGS

If you live near a polar ice cap, you'll never have to worry about mosquitoes, bees, wasps or jellyfish. For the rest of us, confrontations with these irritating predators are as inevitable as a wet bank holiday. Insect repellent is an effective deterrent for many airborne pests. Others, however, seem ever bold and their bites are worse than their buzz. Here's how to recover from an assault and protect your skin from further attack.

WASP AND BEE STINGS 

       Get out the credit card 

• If you've been stung by a bee, scrape away the sting as soon as possible using the edge of a credit card, a knife blade or your fingernail. As long as the sting remains in your skin, the little sac of poison attached to it keeps pumping its contents into your body. Don't use tweezers or pinch the stinger with your fingertips, as you'll squeeze more venom into your skin. 

Pamper the sting site 

• As soon as you have got the sting out, soak the area in vinegar or a solution of bicarbonate of soda in water for a few minutes (1 teaspoon of bicarb into a glass of water). Make sure you use the right one: bee stings are acidic so need an alkaline neutraliser (remember 'bee for bicarb'), whereas wasp stings are alkaline so need acidic vinegar to neutralize. Dip a cotton wool ball in the liquid and tape it to the sting site. It will help to relieve redness and swelling. 

• Treat the area with an enzyme based meat tenderizer straight away. It contains enzymes that break down the venom, reducing swelling and inflammation. Take a few spoonfuls of meat tenderizer powder, add enough water to form a paste, smear on the paste and leave it there for an hour. 

• Apply an aspirin paste to stop the itching. Crush 1 or 2 aspirin tablets on a chopping board. Add just enough water to make a paste, then dab the paste onto the sting. Ingredients in aspirin help to neutralize the venom.                               (Alert Do not use this tip if you are allergic to aspirin or on a child under 16.) 

• Apply an ice pack to numb the area and slow down swelling. If you put a flannel between the ice

pack and your skin, you can leave the ice pack in place for up to 20 minutes.

• Papaya contains enzymes that neutralize insect venom. If you happen to have papaya in your lunch box or fruit bowl, simply lay a slice on the sting for an hour. 

• Rub on a slice of onion or crushed garlic. Both contain enzymes that seem to break down inflammatory compounds. 

• Sugar works too. Just dip your forefinger in water, dip it in sugar and touch the sting site. 

• To help reduce swelling, try bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme derived from pineapple. Take three doses of 500mg in a single day. Stop taking it as soon as the swelling goes down. 

• Tea tree oil will also help to reduce the swelling. Apply one drop several times a day. 

• To stop the itching, dab on a drop or two of lavender oil. Wait about 15 minutes to allow the oil to take effect. If the area starts to itch again, apply more — but just one or two drops at a time. Or rub in calendula cream several times a day. 

INSECT BITES 

Instead of scratching... 

• Rub an ice cube on the bite straight away. This helps to decrease the inflammation that causes itching. 

• Essential oils can help to stop the itching from mosquito bites. Try eucalyptus oil, clove oil or peppermint oil. Put a small amount on a cotton wool ball and apply it to the site. 

• Peppermint has a cooling effect and can also increases circulation to the bite, speeding up the healing process. Use the essential oil if you have it, or check the ingredients of your toothpaste. If it contains peppermint oil, apply a blob. 

• Underarm deodorants contain ingredients that reduce skin irritation. If you get an insect bite, try spraying or rolling on some deodorant and see if it works. 

• Look for an anti-itch spray or gel that contains menthol, a classic skin-soother. Keep it in the fridge so it's always ready when you need it. The coolness will provide extra itch relief. 

• Buy anti-itch cream.Various preparations are available over the counter. Lanacane cream contains topical anaesthetic; Anthisan and Wasp-Eze both contain antihistamines. And Eurax-HC contains hydrocortisone (a steroid) plus crotamiton, an anti-itch ingredient specifically for insect bites. 

The power of prevention 

• Use an insect repellent that contains DEET, the most effec-tive insect repellent for use on the skin. Adults can safely use any DEET product (following directions on the label). Don't use any cream containing more than 10 per cent DEET on children and don't let a child handle insect repellents. 

• Make your clothes uninviting. Permethrin is a synthetic version of an insect-repelling compound that is found in chrysanthemums.You can buy it in spray form at specialized outdoor shops and online. Choose those clothes you are most 70 be wearing during times of high insect exposure, spray -ghtly to dampen, turn them over and spray again. Then hang them to dry. The repellent lasts through several washes. bed nets should be treated with permethrin every month. 

• Mosi-Guard Insect Repellent is a range of natural, non-toxic insect repellents made from a blend of eucalyptus oils. Approved by the London School of Hygiene and Tropicaltine, all these forms of insect repellent are safe for use with children and on sensitive skins. As well as being safe on they are also harmless to plastics and clothing. 

• Citronella, a lemony scented oil that comes from a variety is found in insect-repelling candles as well as sprays. follow label directions. 

• Several days before you take a camping or hiking trip into insect territory, start eating garlic. Have a clove or two every day. smell of garlic in sweat repels many insects. 

• If you prefer to smell sweeter than garlic, try using Avon's Skin-So-Soft shower gel or bath oil — insects don't like it. 

• If you don't want to attract bees, don't mimic a flower: avoid scented products and don't wear brightly coloured clothes.