There are certain odours and substances which most insects dislike. Oil of citronella, oil of citronella, oil of geranium or oil of eucalyptus are useful for rubbing on exposed parts of the body.
For bee stings, remove the sting and apply bruised green leaf of plantain. Relief is almost instantaneous.
For bee stings, wet soap, moistened baking soda or weak ammonia. For wasp stings, use vinegar or lemon juice. Raw potato or damp earth is also good for wasp stings. Aloes is an old French remedy for bee or wasp stings.
For most insect bites, especially mosquito bites use wet soap or weak ammonia.
For spider bites use vinegar or ammonia.
Elecampane root powder said to be effective. Beat well together and apply to wound.
Plinius, the Roman naturalist, believed that garlic is an excellent remedy for mad dog bite, to be eaten and also applied to the wound.
For snake bite, the pioneers wet saltpeter with a little water and applied it to the bite. A sack of common table salt was also dampened and laid over the bite. Lobelia is a valuable herb to be applied and also very small doses taken internally. Lobelia should be used only by a good practitioner. These are to be used for emergencies until help can be had.
Oil of Peppermint is cooling to bee stings or insect bites.
Bees working on flowers rarely sting unless molested.
