I'm just reading all of these comments and chuckling into my coffee. Do none of you use OTC Topical corticosteroids like normal people? Itching is gone for 12 hours.

Cortisone cream works for me.

I’ve got a little ‘bug-pen’ which heats up a small metal disk for about 6 seconds which you hold onto the bite. Works really well.

Scratch until it bleeds :-/

(don't do this)

To be honest I literally just got over about 13 mosquito bites. I often develop what's known as skeeter syndrome where my body has an extreme reaction to mosquito bites. Google it if you dare.

Well it got infected because of the nature of the severity of the bites so I had to go to urgent care. I got antibiotics and I also got what really actually helped me -

Benadryl GEL. The gel is good because it's cooling and adds a protective layer when it dries. Also, downside is that its diphenhydramine and that sucks but it actually helped the hardcore itching. This was like chickenpox levels

Vinegar seems to work pretty well, albeit temporarily. Downside(?) is that you smell like vinegar.

Hydrocortisone. It just works.

A combination of heat and cold! Use one of those bug pens (or a cotton ball dipped into very hot - about 70°C - water) and press it against the bite for about 10-15 seconds. Repeat if necessary.

Afterwards, use ice, frozen peas, a cool pack, or a cloth saturated with a mixture of vinegar and cold water, and apply it to the bite.

How bad is it? And what kind of bugs?

I’d suggest Benadryl spray (topical, not the antihistamine stuff which might also help if it’s everywhere…but not sure.)

Also some moisturizing lotion should help, as well as simply not scratching it

Calamine Lotion dabbed on with a cotton ball at the site of the bug bite does a good job with itching.
If you live in a location where fire ants are a problem, keep some apple cider vinegar on hand. It neutralizes the venom and gives instant relief.

100% a placebo and bad habit so don't do this, but if it's a single bite I'll gently squeeze it like a pimple, and for some reason that tricks my monkey brain into thinking I did something about it.

Rub your spit on it.

edit: sorry, lol. Actually, it does help, for mozzie bites. But you could try lathering on some Calamine Lotion.

Hand sanitizer. Maybe it's just placebo effect but it gives at least a little relief.

antiperspirant/deodorant. The kind that contains aluminum. May just be placebo, but helps with mosquito bites.

If you've got several all over, I use an antihistamine like Benadryl or even Allegra. The itchiness is an allergic reaction and the antihistamine helps to calm your immune system down.

Your own spit works wonders when you have nothing else around. No, I’m not kidding.

When I am in civilization, I prefer the aveeno 1% hydrocortisone stuff. It works well for me.

Alcohol, taken orally. It's not a good solution, but it does reduce itching for a while.

Bug Bite Thing is cheap and works for me.

I‘m using a gel from the pharmacy called Euceta, it has these ingredients:

100 g gel contain: Active substance: aluminium acetate tartrate Other ingredients: Propylene glycol, ethanol, hydroxyethyl cellulose, polysorbate, acetic acid, sodium hydroxide, purified water; camphor, rose and camomile aroma

Works on all sorts of stuff like the bug bites but also sunburn.

Don't do this, but...

I had a bad problem with always attracting all the chiggers when we went camping when I was younger. After I had scratched each of them raw, my dad would soak a grease-rag with gasoline and have me wipe them down with it. It burns like hell, but I'll be damned, it stopped the itching and the raw bites would dry up pretty quickly afterward. Old-country remedy from his farming days I guess.

Fresh aloe!