Bee Sting/Bug Bite Remedy

S

susiestar

Roll With It
thank you came in a few minutes ago with a bee sting on his finger. husband asked me what to do after he put baking soda on it and it didn't do much.

I told him to put a little bit of ammonia on it. It worked almost instantly to take the pain away.

No, I am NOT out in left field like the girl who told me her husband took baths with bleach to get the red out of a sunburn.

For quite a long time we bought those afterbite pens for bug bites. The ones sold at the drug store that are long daubber thingys. Then I read the ingredients.

They are simply scented ammonia. Since then I have refilled the pens when I can find them - which costs a lot less than the $3.74 on the shelf tag last time I was in WalMart!

When I cannot find the pen thingy, I stick a cotton swab into the ammonia bottle.

This was the first time I have used it on a bee sting, simply because we haven't had one in a couple of years. The box from the pen thingy clearly shows bees, so I figured it couldn't hurt. It worked very quickly.

This being the season to play outdoors with no shoes, I thought it might be helpful for some of your families. In addition to bee stings, it works for chiggers, mosquito bites, and other bug bites. I have yet to find an insect bite it hasn't helped.
 
totoro

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
I wish the girls would let me near them with it! The smell is too much. Baking soda is pretty good also but it dries and flakes off. But I put baking soda on everything!
 
S

susiestar

Roll With It
Toto, have you tried putting a cotton swab into the ammonia while you are out of their site and then dabbing it on? There isn't nearly as much scent that way for them to catch.

I have tried vinegar and while it helps, it is not nearly as effective, at least for my family.
 
totoro

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
Ooh that is a good idea!
I hadn't noticed that you had already tried the baking soda! N is the hardest one to deal with she swells up something fierce and has the most horrible itching.
I'll try this because she had a bite tonight and was freaking out.
 
S

susiestar

Roll With It
I wonder what would happen if you took a small empty bottle and put a little bit of ammonia in it (after you try it and it helps her), then told her it was a special remedy for bug bites and stings? Tell her it is a secret recipe from Auntie Susie Star and is very special - it can only be used for stings and must be kept on a high shelf because it is very hard to make. If you want I could try to spin a story about it, something to take her mind off of the smell and the sting/itching. It is a tactic I have used with kids when they are afraid of the cure more than the problem. It makes the cure seem very special and for some reason more acceptable. If you can find one of those little blue glass bottles, or just an interesting little bottle at the craft store, it adds to the mystique.

I am sure that if you wanted to mix a bit of very fine glitter in the bottle it wouldn't be a problem. If all you have is the coarse stuff sold for crafts, try a beauty supply store in the nail section. Glitter seems to make any topical substance instantly acceptable with little girls. It is harder to find something to mix in with little boys. Dirt was always what Wiz wanted to wear, but it just doesn't add that special something when you add it to a cream or lotion.


I hope it helps N - I can remember being a little girl with lots of bug bites and getting scolded for scratching them and then having to put up with the baking soda paste that crumbled off. I remember being SO relieved when my Gma gave my mom a bottle of Caladryl to use instead - esp because it was PINK.
 
AnnieO

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
LOL - thanks for the info!

I'm horribly allergic, so I avoid bees, mosquitos, and wasps whenever possible.

Mom always used Calamine lotion - that stuff ITCHES worse than the bites! Spit and salt seemed to help as a child, and then I discovered - because I was DESPERATE - that the lip balm with mentholatum (Carmex is what I used) works pretty well too. At least for bites.
 
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