It’s warming up and the bugs are coming out to play! For some unlucky people, this means every trip outside during the spring, especially at dawn or sunset, results in pain, itching, annoyance and all-around discomfort.

Mosquitos
Citronella oil, catnip oil (which is actually much better than citronella, but has the unfortunate side effect of attracting potentially lethal large cats....), and other strong smelling herbs all commonly are used to reduce bites from mosquitos. They work by confusing a mosquito's sense of smell and makes them less likely to realize a big human filled with tasty blood is nearby.

Mosquitoes reproduce when the temperatures are 7-16 degrees Celsius or 45-60F degrees Fahrenheit. So if temperatures dramatically swing upwards or downwards in the spring, your mosquito population may decrease as they die from the temperature changes. They also need water to reproduce, so if you have a dry spring, there will be fewer mosquitos that year.

Mosquitos, while annoying, are often waged war upon because of their ability to carry disease, in particular malaria. Malaria in old days (and sometimes still today) was treated with quinine, a chemical component of Cinchona bark - the bark of trees in the Cinchona family, all native to South America. Homeopathy in fact was "discovered" by testing Cinchona officinalis. Cinchona officinalis was found to have similar effects to the symptoms of malaria, thereby inspiring the idea of the "Law of Similars" and the profession of homeopathy. Even though mosquitos are annoying, I can't help but smile sometimes as I think about how their most infamous disease, Malaria, sparked the whole profession.

Bees/wasps:
Bees and wasps are lumped together because their stings are similar, but their behavior is quite different. Wasps are generally (although not always) more aggressive as they can sting multiple times. Bees can only sting once, and the sting kills them, so they are more likely to fly away then risk their life.

As many of us have noticed, wasps have a tendency to be more present in the fall/late summer while we are trying to picnic by the pool. This is because they are attracted to high protein foods (BBQ!) and high sugar foods (watermelon!) and heavy scents (chlorine from pools and suntan lotion!).

What to do if you get stung:
For both mosquito bites and bee/wasp stings, you want to gently wash the area with soap and water. For both of these, part of the discomfort is from venom/proteins that are injected by the insect into our bodies, causing pain, swelling and itching. If you get stung, before washing the area, scrape the stinger off with a credit card or finger nail, not with tweezers or by pulling. If you try pulling it out, it may break in two and part of the stinger will stay stuck in your skin, which will make it slower to heal.

Using Homeopathy for bites and stings:
The top two remedies for both bites and stings are Apis and Ledum.

Apis is fantastic for complaints that have lots of redness, itching/burning sensations, and is swollen and puffy. For this reason, it is often used for allergic reactions where the person gets an itchy, swollen throat and/or hives that are swollen, burning, itchy, hot and red. This often occurs after bee stings, so I always carry Apis on hiking trips or the like, in case of a bee sting. But some people may react similarly to a mosquito bite. The bite may get very red and swollen, maybe even with a white center, with lots of itching and/or burning. In other words, the bite turns into a kind of welt or hive. If this is you, you may respond well to a dose of Apis after a mosquito bite.

Ledum is another common remedy for insect bites/stings. While Apis is hot and better from cold, Ledum is indicated if the person feels cold after the sting/bite, or if the stung area is cool to the touch, and cold will feel good (like with Apis). The person’s discomfort will also be worse from moving the part and from heat. A bite or sting that needs Ledum may also be purple and swollen.

Some other remedies to be aware of are Hypericum and Aconite. If the bite/sting is to the fingers, toes or the eye, the remedy that may give most relief is Hypericum, which will often also have severe sharp, shooting pains that are worse from cold applications (opposite of Apis and Ledum) or from moving the injured part. If the person is afraid of insects and is stung by one, Aconite may be better. For example, if someone is terrified of bees but sees a bee and is stung by it, and they remain incredibly fearful (maybe even hysterical), restless, and the pains seem unbearable, then Aconite may be the best choice.

If you need a remedy for an insect bite or sting, a single dose of 30C will usually suffice.