Insect Bite and Sting Remedies

Insect Repellant and Bite Relief

¼ cup olive oil

5 drops cedarwood essential oil

5 drops camphor tincture

2 drops citronella essential oil

Mix the olive oil, cedarwood essential oil, camphor tincture, and citronella essential oil well.  Rub on the skin to prevent mosquito bites and bites from other insects.  Also, apply to bites to take out the sting and soreness.

~this was adapted from an old Amish recipe.

Lavender Sting and Bite Remedy

(lavender essential oil)

For bee or wasp stings, make sure the stinger is removed.  Apply lavender essential oil full strength.  Wait a few minutes and apply again.

Lavender essential oil can also prevent infections from bites.  Use it for a variety of bites and stings.  It is an all-purpose healer, and it is the only essential oil, besides tea tree, that you can apply full strength to the skin with out dilution. (For sensitive skin, however, tea tree may need to be diluted.)

Lavender will help relieve hornet, wasp, or bee stings as well as spinder, chigger, mosquito, or fly bites.

Chamomile Bag for Bites

1 chamomile tea bag

½ cup boiling water

ice water

Insect bites and stings cause itching and swelling.  Chamomile soothes and helps reduce the inflammation.  Dip a chamomile tea bag into boiling water.  Squeeze out and dunk into ice water.  Squeeze out excess water and apply the tea bag to the bite.

Wasp-Sting Relief

Apple-cider vinegar is good for this.  Soak a cotton ball in apple-cider vinegar and apply to the sting as often as needed.  It should take away the pain.

Herbal Bee-Sting Poultice

Echinacea, fennel, hyssop, or marjoram stem and leaves

The herbs Echinacea, fennel, hyssop and marjoram can be used for bee stings.  Break off pieces of the stem and leaves and crush them to release the juice.  Apply an herb-juice poultice to the sting.

While these herbs work, basil seems to be the most effective bee-sting remedy.

Basil Bee-Sting Remedy

 Crushed basil stem and leaves

Basil is the best herb available to relieve any stings you may get.  Always have some growing in your garden.  That way, when you get an insect sting in the summer, you’ll have fresh leaves to grab when you need them.

Break off pieces of the stem and leaves and crush them to release the juice.  Apply this basil-juice poultice to the sting.  In minutes, the pain and swelling will be gone.