The buzzing... The buzzing!

[ivymcallister]

Good god! It's like a bad horror movie out there! I decided to take Autumn outside one more time before I went to bed, but we weren't more than five steps from the door when we were set upon by a swarm of vicious, starving mosquitoes. I swear, I could hear the little bastards coming in for the kill. God, it was disgusting! The dog and I were of one mind and we both ran back inside with all speed.

I feel really bad for Autumn because there was nothing she could do but wait for me to brush the thigns off her in the places she couldn't get to herself, seeing as I have the advantage of arms. Now we're both in bed, being itchy. I'm scratching every few seconds, she's flea-biting herself in an attempt to do the same, and my arms and her belly are covered in new, pink welts.

I fucking hate biting insects.

Comments

[woggie.livejournal.com]

Toothpaste, the white stuff. It's been known to kill the itch.

Another solution involves baking powder and water.

Whichever one you choose, apply it directly to each bite. I don't know that it works for dogs, but I don't know that it doesn't work for dogs.

Best of luck.

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

Also green clay mixed with water applied to bites. I don't think I'd apply it to a dog's tender belly, though. It pulls when it dries (which is how it's pulling the toxins out) and might make things itchier in the short run. But it'll dry out the welt.

Green clay also rocks mightily to pull out venom when used for spider bites.

[woggie.livejournal.com]

Where would I get green clay, and does it keep? How is it stored?

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

Aka Betonite clay, or French green clay. You can get it in most health-foody stores or natural pharmacies, as a powder that you mix with water. Keeps forever because it's essentially a mixture of minerals. It also works as an internal detoxifier for food poisoning or to bind up diarrhea, although I've never quite had the nerve to take it internally. You can also sometimes find it in conventional pharmacies or with cosmetics, because it's a cosmetic ingredient in face masks. I use it mostly on minor injuries showing inclinations toward infection and insect bites. I've twice gotten bad spider bites--one hobo and one black widow. Both times, I am pretty sure keeping the bites slathered with betonite clay (as directed by my doctor) kept me out of needing serious hospital care (although I ended up in ER twice for the hobo bite and needed antibiotics and prednisone--but I'm dead sure it could have been much worse.)

Disclaimer--of course, if you get bitten by something dangerously venomous, don't rely on clay to save your life. It's a home-brew adjunct to treatment.

More buggy herbal lore

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

PS--I add a drop or two of something antimicrobial, like lavender essential oil, when I use it for anything inclined toward infection. There are stronger antimicrobials--such as thyme, clove, or oregano-- but they might be too irritating. Calendula or chamomile is a good choice to add if there's inflammation to be soothed as well.

A chamomile-flower wash is nice for soothing large areas, like if your whole leg is covered with bites. It's anti-inflammatory. I make an herb wash with chamomile flowers (for inflammation), lavender (for antimicrobial power), and calendula (for healing), with some rosemary as an astringent, when I have a large area covered with bites or scratches prone to infection (such as from falling into a blackberry hedge or rosebush). You can get these kinds of things in natural pharmacies, health-foody stores, or some places that sell herbs and flowers for making soaps or perfumes.

Other essential oils and herbs hated by mosquitoes are citronella, peppermint, and lemongrass. Ants also hate peppermint. Moths detest cedar, camphor, and eucalyptus, although there's some question about whether the oils are irritating or even toxic to human lungs. Fleas hate rue, fleabane, and pennyroyal, but these are pretty toxic to humans and animals as well.

I've tried and tried to find oils disliked by spiders and bees, but no luck so far. I wonder if roaches dislike some of these; I've never had need to look into it.

I think most insects hate most essential oils because most insects navigate by scent, and essential oils are so volatile and concentrated that they essentially blind the critters.

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

They absolutely detest lavender. I mean, all I have to do is stick a lavender plant on a patio table to see a little cloud of frustrated mosquitoes hovering just outside mosquito-nose range (which seems to be about 3 feet for a whole plant). You might try mixing some lavender EO with moisturizer or something for you, and rubbing no more than one or two drops on your hands and just running your hands over your dog.

Or maybe that'll do not a thing, but it seems to work for me when I do it. The little fuckers will dive-bomb me and then veer off a few inches away.

[mutster101.livejournal.com]

I fucking hate biting insects.

Stop biting them then ;)