We’ve all had summer evenings cut short because of bugs who show up uninvited. And mosquitoes tend to be the scariest of the bunch. Not only do they carry serious diseases, but itchy mosquito bites stick with you for a few days, reminding you of their presence.

When a mosquito bites you, it pierces your skin and draws blood with the tip of its straw-like mouth. During the process, some of its own saliva, which contains an anticoagulant that prevents your blood from clotting around the proboscis and trapping the mosquito. Your immune system identifies this saliva as a foreign identity and creates an immediate attack of histamine, which causes the itching. Because it is an allergy reaction, everyone reacts differently.

But, unlike other insects, mosquitoes don’t bite you out of defense or even fun. The females are the only ones who bite because blood is an essential product for breeding.

How to Treat Itchy Mosquito Bites

• Heat up a spoon and apply it to the bite. The heat destroys the protein that causes the itching.
• Make a baking soda paste with water and dab it onto the bite.
• Use a cold compress. The cold causes your blood vessels to constrict, reducing the amount of blood that reaches the bite.
• Apply a hydrocortisone cream. It has corticosteroids that counteract the histamine (that causes the bite to itch).
• Try not to scratch the bite! It can irritate the area, causing further itching.
• Take an antihistamine. While it takes time to be effective, you’ll find relief once the medicine kicks in because it prevents histamines from binding with receptors at the blood vessels.

Don’t Let Mosquito Bites Ruin Your Summer.

Your local pest pros at ExtermPRO are mosquito experts. We have the tools to keep your yard and family safe from mosquitoes this summer. Call us today at 571-620-1168 for a free quote.