I posted the how to get yourself out of quicksand post earlier this morning and it got me thinking about doing another post on something we all deal with when heading out of doors. Bug bites and how to treat them.
I am actually sitting here at my desk after a long, amazing week paddling in baja California. I am going to be posting a series of dispatches on the trip shortly, but in the meantime my arms, face and legs are covered with nasty, itchy bug bites. Why do these bites itch? Good question.
Yes, I had deet with me and yes I applied it liberally. But it didn’t seem to do much to stop the black no-see-ums that descended on us in a cloud. To make matters worse, I fell asleep the last night on the beach and left my head uncovered. So now I look like the victim of a small pox epidemic.
And so I can focus on writing and my work rather than itching, I was looking for something to ease the suffering, to help stop the scratching. Turns out (unless I’m wrong, of course) there really don’t seem to be a lot of great remedies out there. Calamine lotion, sure, but it really doesn’t do a great job and you end up with those lousy pink/white splotches on your skin. Whta about applying cold? That doesn’t last very long. Baking soda…maybe, but I doubt it. This site recommends covering yourself with scotch tape which sounds kinky, but rather dubious.
Does anyone out there have any good, functional recommendations? How to stop the itching?