Summer is a time for picnics and garden cocktails at dusk. It’s also the time when insects attack your exposed flesh. Midges and mosquitoes are two of the biggest nuisances but of all the insects that might bite you in this country the most dangerous is the tick. It can cause Lyme disease – a nasty bacterial infection. What’s worse is that ticks, like other bloodsuckers, release an anaesthetic as they bury their mouth in your flesh, so you won’t even know they are there. If you find one on you, ensure you remove it carefully.

Unlike ticks, bedbugs don’t carry disease. They are, however, “an international problem of immense proportions”, according to Moray Anderson, scientific adviser to the national pest advisory panel. “Cases for some local authorities have increased tenfold in the past few years.” The rising level of global travel is presumed to be the cause. Bedbug bites are unpleasant and infestations must often be professionally removed. As bugs often cling to luggage or clothes, avoidance is critical. “In hotel rooms check for three things: faecal traces, which look as though someone has taken a black felt tip to an area; sloughed skin; and live insects,” says David Cain, founder of the pest-buster Bed Bugs.

In some exotic locales there is a risk of serious insect-borne disease such as malaria, dengue fever and sleeping sickness. “The list is as long as your arm,” warns Dr Ron Behrens, consultant in travel medicine at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. The best advice remains prevention and avoidance. Cover up or stay indoors between dusk and dawn, when malaria mosquitoes bite, and avoid outdoor heaters as mozzies like the carbon dioxide that they give off. Wear loose-fitting clothing and use an insect repellent that contains Deet (see Kit Bag) on top of sunscreen. Citronella oil acts as a repellent but must be reapplied hourly to be effective.

TAKING IT FURTHER

www.bed-bugs.co.uk
Information and enough close-ups of the bloodsuckers to start you scratching

www.tickpreventionweek.org
Everything you wanted to know about ticks but were afraid to ask

tinyurl.com/4c5p5p
Authoritative yet readable guide to insect bites by the National Travel Health Network and Centre

ESSENTIAL GEAR FOR INSECT BITES

Jungle Formula extra-strength insect repellent £6.59 from www.expresschemist.co.uk
Insect repellents work through evaporation so get those that are the longest-lasting, Dr Behrens advises. “In our clinics we sell Jungle Formula, which contains Deet, and Autan, which uses an alternative ingredient.”

Ibuleve pain-relief gel £3.89 from www.chemistdirect.co.uk
This ibuprofren-based cream can ease the infernal itch of insect bites and has some anti-inflammatory properties. An added bonus is that it can be used to reduce the sting of sunburn.

HC45 hydrocortisone cream £3 from www.boots.co.uk
This cream, from the makers of E45, contains 0.5% hydrocortisone, which is better than ibuprofen at reducing inflammation from bites. It should not be used on broken skin or on children under 10.

Zirtek allergy relief tablets £2.71 for 7 from www.superdrug.co.uk
If you have a lot of insect bites, a standard antihistamine hayfever tablet such as Zirtek will do wonders. It does, however, take longer than a topical cream to work.

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