Itch B gone!

It's inevitable that mosquitoes will attempt to eat me alive this
weekend. It's kind of a tradition that I have with nature. Those little bloodsuckers love me. Study after study has tried to explain why some people get bitten head to toe, while others calmly ask "what mosquitoes?". I fall into the first group, despite my best efforts to repel the little stinkers before stepping foot outdoors from June to September.

While I can't say what will keep them away - since it seems to vary widely person to person and advice runs the gamut from highly toxic to totally natural, and from bathing in Deet or Avon's Skin So Soft to eating lots of garlic and rolling around in crushed basil leaves before heading out to watch fireworks... what I can weigh in with are some post-bite itch-relief strategies.

Since I'm usually brought to wits' end by mosquito bites, and have made a semi-career of researching and trying, well, just about everything, to stop the itch, I feel like somewhat of an expert on this particular topic.

Here are some remedies that have worked for me: (and my theory is if one things doesn't work, keep trying, something eventually will)

If you're near a drugstore:
Benadryll Itch Relief Spray
(HCI 2%, .1% zinc acetate)


Campho-Phenique
(11% camphor, 4.7% phenol)



Sting-Eze
(5% benzocaine, 1.4% phenol)





If you're at a restaurant:
Soap - rub it on the bite until it turns white and let it dry

If you're at a friend's house
Ammonia - just dab it on
Soap (see above) a bar of soap seems to work best
Aspirin tablet - place a couple drops of water on the bite, and set the aspirin on top or rub a bit of dissolved aspirin on the bite

OMG! Nothing's working and you're going BANANAS!!!!!!!!
(last resort efforts that some have reported to work)
Scotch tape
Bleach
Baking Soda & Water paste
Meat Tenderizer
Orajel or Anbesol
Vinegar
Toothpaste
Nail Polish

Interesting Tidbit:
The female mosquito is the one that bites (males only feed on flower nectar). But "Why?", you ask? ... She requires blood to produce eggs.