Gnat bites

Oh well, ditch that theory.

I'm rhesus O postive and the little b****rs really feast on me. DH shares the same blood group yet they leave him well alone?

My mother was b neg and got bitten by fleas but not mozzies!

Rhesus factor I meant to write but this iPad has a mind of its own.

Interesting. It's not necessarily a +ve or -ve thing, but a combination of blood tupe and rhesusvfactir. There are two of us who are B-ve who don't get bitte. Any other B-ve out there who do and the fledgling theory is scuppered.

Or tissue type??????

I've hardly ever been bitten (B rh neg) nor was dad, but mum was eaten alive and had huge red lumps which would weep and be sore.
Was dad rh neg maybe?

I provide a good feast for mozzies being very succulent (ha!ha!) and I am AB positive blood group. DH never gets bitten (he is A positive) but I tell him it's because he's so stringy.

I am also asthmatic, have eczema and hypothyroidism and a bit of vitiligo on my hands. All autoimmune conditions my GP tells me. Is this a pointer to the attraction of "biters"?

AH Lyme disease hadnt thought of that no there were swarms of gnats on the day I was got on the golf course was very wet and has lots of water hazards where they breed. I am not unwell and as far as I know no Lyme reported in the community. I think my problem is the Lupus - my white count is low and I dont heal up well. They are not infected so dont need antibiotics I think they itch when the skin gets dry around them so E45 and some Betnovate prescribed for the eczema is showing slow improvement but they are not a pretty sight. Howvere jolly well off the golf today - someone is going in the water hhazard if they keep losing their ball!!

Oh, I'm rhesus neg as well.

My midge bites (and cleg (horse fly) bites when I get them) itch even though I take antihistamines daily. That's why I use Tiger Balm. I think my immune system just goes crazy about producing histamine.

I am O rhesus neg and mozzies love me and I come out in big red angry bumps, but thinking about it if I get a wasp sting the area of the sting is red and very swollen and I have to take anti histamines.

That should read rhesus pos and neg. iPad doesn't seem need to know about monkeys

Lots of mosquitoes/gnats around this year probably because they spend the first half of their life as larvae in water. So the more ponds and puddles there are the better they breed. Get rid of any standing water in your garden e.g. buckets with rainwater standing in them. It only takes a cupful and they are away.
These insects are attracted by smell - we all have our unique pongs, partly driven by genes and partly by the biome of friendly bacteria that live on or in our bodies. Biting insects attracted to the smell of humans (or whatever is their meal of choice) so not unreasonable to suspect that some smell more alluring than others. My DH is more attractive to mozzies than i am, but sandflies in NZ (completely different species) love me as much.
Mozzies bite after dark. Hence mosquito nets. Windows closed after dark maybe? and check bedroom for lurkers?
But other things - like horseflies - hunt by day.
It is possible though that the red bites on one person and not on another are because although they have both been bitten one persons immune system is reacting more strongly and producing more histamine than the other one. It is the histamine that makes you itch.
Anthisan antihistamine is the drug of choice in our house.
A couple of times I have been so badly bitten that I could only sleep by taking one of DH's antihistamine hayfever pills, which damped them down successfully.

I think we need to look at the thesis pos and neg aspect as well!
Any statisticians out there to correlate results?

pogsthey always go for me and and I'm A+ !
Can we have some more results please,
This is interesting!

I'm O negative but so was my mother and she was a martyr to insect bites.

I'm one of the lucky ones. I think some brave bug did bite me once in 2007 but that's about it. Could be the blood type possibly, I'm Group B rhesus negative.

Out of interest can anyone tell me if this is true.

I do get bitten by mozzies and not hubby. Someone told me it was because I have ARhd blood group and they can be more yum yum for mozzies?

I struggle with the idea, any clever sticks out there.

In reply to the original question, my opinion is that it is a bad year. After spending three evenings on the patio my daughter and I have loads of bites. I don't usually get any when I am in England. I'll try Tiger Balm tomorrow.

suzieare you sure they're not tick bites and is there any Lyme disease round you?

Have ordered skin so soft from Amazon. Hope it gets here soon!!

Susiecb, the itching is caused by venom still in your skin. Buy an Aspivenin kit to draw the venom out at the bite site. You probably need some antibiotics from your doc to help clear them up.

Since using skin so soft (GN tip) I haven't had one!
Touches wood quickly

I have dreadful bites all over my legs and up one arm - shouldnt go in the rough looking for DH golf ball i suppose. Trouble is they wont heal up been itching and bleeding for weeks!

Thanks anno.Think the problem occurs when you take the cat out of the house.Unfortunately I look after the cat when she goes away and it mixes with my cats who often get fleas but live outside mainly.Its a problem of Town cat and Country cats.Consequently, I am now neurotically searching my house for the blighters but so far no show.Hope that Hoover Globe arrives soon- they might get a very interesting video!