For bites and stings I use an ammonia pen, I was stung by a bee and managed to drench the area with ammonia within a couple of minutes which cured the sting outright. Once when I was in hospital there was a chap who had been bitten on the leg while bike riding in the woods he had spent six months in hospital on and off recovering from that one bite.
My OH and I got bitten last week - I was covered with them on my arms and we both had bites on our face😬 I put Calamine lotion on them which soothes them and stops them itching. We have run out of Anthisan (;along with the rest of the population round here ) but that cream is used also.
I am also a biter magnet and react badly. Avon SSS didn’t work at all for me, mozzies, sandflies and pretty much everything else ignored it and bit away. 50% deet is the only effective barrier, like Jungle Formula (noxious smell). I recently discovered Boots Repel 50% deet which was just as effective as JF but without the accompanying room-clearing fumes. Anthisan for soothing relief and a fast-acting (dissolve on the tongue) antihistamine for wasp bites. Even deet doesn’t stop the latter!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
The Avon stuff doesn't work for me. The only things that do are the "tropical strength" repellants with DEET in them. I find that Autan doesn't smell quite as bad as Jungle Formula, but that might be subjective.
For bites (which still happen even with repellant, just not as much) I've found that Antihisan cream is the most effective treatment, with oral antihistamines as well for the first few days if they're really bad. I'm another who reacts badly with big itchy red, hard, seeping lumps if I don't catch them in the act and whack on the cream straight away.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
There is a difference between insect bites and mites bites. Most products may work against insect but not against harvest mites for example. Does your wife get bitten worse at this time of year? Are the bites concentrated in certain areas? If so then your wife is bitten bay Trombiculidae which are very active now. They will disappear as the temperatures drop. They could be in your garden, but not next door, unfortunately dogs and cats are also attacked. You could try anti tick products (since they are cousins!) or use a hot spoon or the Breuer gadget which I use and works. Bites are not dangerous like ticks' might be, so aside the immense annoyance there is no harm in the bites.
I must pick up some Rescue Remedy cream, just in case. A relative who worked in tropical jungles was advised by her employer to start taking Vitamin B12 supplements before arriving at the site. She was wondering whether eating plenty of Marmite might help!
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https://www.thebathbushcraftshop.com/products/careplus-click-away-bite-relief-device
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg