For many people, the fact that a mosquito bite itches is the worst thing about it. We explain which simple trick you can use to get rid of the itching – without having to buy anything.
If you go out in the evening or near water in the summer, you will often encounter mosquitoes. There are many useful tricks and home remedies to drive away mosquitoes: For example, you can put plants on your terrace to protect against mosquitoes and when you’re out and about you can protect yourself against unpleasant bites with a homemade mosquito spray.
But sometimes all the preparation doesn’t help and you end up annoyed by a mosquito bite that itches badly. Luckily, you don’t have to put up with that.
Mosquito bite itches? Simple trick that helps
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / cocoparisienne)
To get rid of the itching, all you need is a knife that is not too sharp – for example a table or butter knife.
Run the tip of the knife under hot water until the blade itself becomes hot. Of course you shouldn’t burn yourself with it. So pay attention to a temperature that doesn’t cause pain on your skin.
Place the tip of the knife on the mosquito bite for a few seconds. The heat breaks down the proteins in the mosquito’s saliva that got under your skin through the bite. Then your body stops producing histamine, which it previously released to heal the wound. When histamine production stops, the mosquito bite also stops itching.
Why do mosquito bites itch anyway?
When you have a wound and are bleeding, the blood usually clots quickly. This way your body ensures that you don’t lose too much blood and that the miracles close more quickly.
Mosquitoes bypass this function: so that they can suck blood for as long as possible, the saliva secreted during the bite contains an anticoagulant substance. At the same time, the saliva numbs the area so that you usually don’t notice the bite while the mosquito is sucking.
Only then does the anesthesia wear off and the body registers the wound. It then releases the messenger histamine, which causes redness and swelling and also makes the mosquito bite itch.
Heat the tip of the knife with a lighter? That could be dangerous
It is often recommended to heat the tip of a knife or a spoon with a lighter. However, this can lead to burns because it’s harder for you to control the temperature of the metal and it gets very hot quickly. So it’s better to play it safe and use water where you can easily feel and adjust the temperature.
If you often have problems with itchy mosquito bites while you’re out and about, you can also buy a mobile bite healer like the BiteAway.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- That’s why there are so many ladybugs around from October onwards
- Recommended: 11 bee-friendly plants for the garden and balcony
- Amber Wood Cockroach: It’s similar, but it’s not a cockroach!