Protection, balm, heat: How to make mosquito bites less bothersome

From repellents to nets, there are lots of ways to fend off mosquitoes. Photo: Christin Klose/dpa

The bite may not in itself be noticeable but then the itching starts. Mosquito bites are annoying and if the insect is carrying a disease, they can also be dangerous.

Here are ways you can avoid a bite and ways to ease the itching.

Start with mosquito repellents, though check out the ingredients. You can buy them in pharmacies, drugstores and supermarkets.

The best promise to protect you for more than seven hours but often contain DEET, as diethyltoluamide is known, which is effective at repelling insects but also comes with health risks, according to a German consumer centre.

It's better to look for a product whose active ingredient is Icaridin as that is easier on your body and still provides good protection.

Tests by Germany's Stiftung Warentest consumer organisation also found active ingredient para-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD) performed well.

Using repellents based on essential oils of lavender or lemongrass are less effective as they evaporate quickly from your skin and can irritate mucous membranes when exposed to the sun, say testers.

Mosquito bites are annoying and if the insect is carrying a disease, they can also be dangerous. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa

In order to avoid impairing the effect of your insect repellent, don't put it on at the same time as your sunscreen. Wait and then use it 20 minutes later, says a German state pharmacy chamber.

Given the possibility of side effects, experts advise only using mosquito repellents when absolutely necessary, such as if you're hiking. Other good measures are to wear loose, light-coloured clothing that will make it harder for insects to reach your skin.

There's more you can do, such as hanging mosquito nets over beds and strollers and fitting fine-mesh fly screens to your windows and doors.

Travellers can pack gauze in their luggage and tape it to windows and openings when they reach their destination.

So far, so good, but if you wound up getting an itchy bite, you need relief.

"Cooling the bite with a cold, damp cloth, a slice of lemon or half an onion can help," says Tristan Jorde, an environmental consultant at the consumer advice centre.

You can also take antihistamines that you can either rub on your skin or take in tablet form.

Non-prescription creams, lotions and gels containing the active ingredient hydrocortisone also relieve mild inflammation, says a German pharmaceutical group. Use these remedies for up to two weeks but not longer, without medical advice.

Insect bite heat pens are usually harmless, but should only be used on intact skin and all promise greater success, the sooner you use them.

These electronic heat pens use a short heat pulse of around 50ºC to prevent your body from releasing the itch-inducing protein histamine, which is how our bodies react to stings.

The pens also work on other insects' stings and bites such as horseflies, bees, wasps or fleas. – dpa