Horsefly bites

[beermaker]

some interesting info and worth reading. Not sure I could resist killing the little vermin to be honest! We have over 30 horses at work so lots of horse flies and my arms and legs look like they've been machine gunned! I was bitten by a horse the other week and I swear a horse fly is still worse! It does seem a bad year for them this year. I've been using Zam-Buk ointment on the bites. It's very old fashioned and getting harder to get hold of but it knocks spots off germolene!

[MadZ]

fresh cut Alder is good as well, use the sap/juice that comes from fresh cut twigs and branches, good things about this, readily available, cost nothing, no fancy chemicals that would require a scientist to explain what they are and do

hope this helps some one out

[Mouse040]

fresh cut Alder is good as well, use the sap/juice that comes from fresh cut twigs and branches, good things about this, readily available, cost nothing, no fancy chemicals that would require a scientist to explain what they are and do

hope this helps some one out

I know that the leaves can be placed directly on a sore to reduce swelling and I've seen the bark pulped to make a tonic to treat sore throats and mouth ulcers but not heard of the sap being used ? By juice do you mean pulped leaves does this amplify the anti swelling properties ?

[MadZ]

hey mouse

the sap/juice, if you cut a twig or branch it should produce a liquid to an extent from the cut surfaces, not like a tap in a birch tree where you have a tap like flow, but just rub the juicy bit of the fresh cut twig/branch around the bite this will stop the itching, fresh juice from pulped leaves also works. the native Americans used alder alot for various reasons and a few where to stop itching, and for some skin conditions, The inner bark of Alder is used in poultices to stop swelling.

but heres a few more: Alder bark is prepared for medicinal use by carefully scraping off the dead outer bark and using the green, living tissue underneath. Alder bark can be simmered in water to make a wash for very deep wounds. The leaves and bark are simmered into a bitter tea for tonsillitis and fever. The leaves are used in poultices to dry up breast milk.

The Penobscot Indians used Alder bark tea to stop cramps and vomiting. The Mohegan used Speckled Alder twigs in decoctions for sprains, bruises, headache, and backache. Alder bark tea can also be used in the vagina as a douche or in the rectum for hemorrhoids. god only knows how the would have administered this treatment

another good little tip for the leaves, Alder leaves were once gathered while they were still damp with dew and used to cover the floors of a house plagued by fleas or other insects. Adhering to the leaves the insects died.

hope that sheds a bit more light for you dude

cheers Madz

[Mouse040]

Thanks madz great info cheers for sharing

[Ashley Cawley]

I'm lucky with these blitters, they don't tend to focus on me so much, more other folk I'm with, especially if I'm with jus_young who is just a magnet for everything that flies/bites.

[jus_young]

I'm lucky with these blitters, they don't tend to focus on me so much, more other folk I'm with, especially if I'm with jus_young who is just a magnet for everything that flies/bites.

Yep

(he says whilst typing with frequent breaks for scratching various parts of his body due to swellings, sores and pustulating pores!!!)

[Mouse040]

Always good to have a sacrificial mate to feed to them

[roberts]

I know how you feel , I was overnight on Dartmoor weekend before last and was myself eaten alive too, hands, legs, forehead.

[luresalive]

hey mouse

the sap/juice, if you cut a twig or branch it should produce a liquid to an extent from the cut surfaces, not like a tap in a birch tree where you have a tap like flow, but just rub the juicy bit of the fresh cut twig/branch around the bite this will stop the itching, fresh juice from pulped leaves also works. the native Americans used alder alot for various reasons and a few where to stop itching, and for some skin conditions, The inner bark of Alder is used in poultices to stop swelling.

but heres a few more: Alder bark is prepared for medicinal use by carefully scraping off the dead outer bark and using the green, living tissue underneath. Alder bark can be simmered in water to make a wash for very deep wounds. The leaves and bark are simmered into a bitter tea for tonsillitis and fever. The leaves are used in poultices to dry up breast milk.

The Penobscot Indians used Alder bark tea to stop cramps and vomiting. The Mohegan used Speckled Alder twigs in decoctions for sprains, bruises, headache, and backache. Alder bark tea can also be used in the vagina as a douche or in the rectum for hemorrhoids. god only knows how the would have administered this treatment

another good little tip for the leaves, Alder leaves were once gathered while they were still damp with dew and used to cover the floors of a house plagued by fleas or other insects. Adhering to the leaves the insects died.

hope that sheds a bit more light for you dude

cheers Madz

That's exactly the sort of info we need on the forum...excellent, thankyou!