4 July, 2013 4:04PM AEST

Once bitten, twice scratched

Is there any way to stop the incredible itch of sandfly bites?

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I've been a Queenslander for seven years and should know better than to head off into the mangroves at dusk in a pair of shorts.

But that's what I did on Sunday evening.

The sunset was gorgeous, the sandflies were ravenous.

Sandflies (or biting midges), are tiny blood-sucking insects about 3mm in length.

While they are not known for spreading viruses like dengue or Ross River fever (as mosquitoes are) their bite can cause very strong reactions and can drive victims crazy with their itchiness!

I asked Doctor Kevin Arlett for a medical perspective on sandfly bites and he agreed the body tends to react more strongly to them than other insects such as mosquitoes or gnats.

"When you scratch it it actually releases more inflammatory markers which makes it more itchy and then you tend to scratch it even more so it becomes a bit of a vicious circle," he said.

I posted a photo of my well-bitten leg on Facebook and received plenty of suggestions for treating the itch which included Vegemite, window cleaner, bicarb soda and mechanical lubricating spray.

I found some relief with the bicarb soda paste applied topically, but it left my floor covered in bicarb 'scabs' as they dried and flaked off.

The Vegemite and window cleaner also provided some relief.

For really bad cases of insect bite Dr Arlett says steroid cream and either topical or oral antihistamines can help reduce inflammation and itchiness.

"However the other complicating factor of sandfly bites is they often get infected when people scratch them excessively because they are very very itchy and sometimes people actually need to have antibiotics for that as well," he said.

Something else I learned from Dr Arlett was that sandflies tend to attack bare skin while mosquitoes will often bite through clothes.

"They are a much smaller organism and they are unlikely to be able to penetrate through clothing whereas mosquitoes have quite a long proboscis and can penetrate through thin clothing although thicker clothing can prevent them as well," he said.

What have you found effective for preventing and treating sandfly bites? Add your comments to our Facebook page.