Mosquito bites driving you mad? You probably have a cheap cure for agonising itching in your kitchen

There’s nothing quite as insane as struggling not to scratch those mosquito bites you’ve caught outdoors on summer evenings.

Although you have resolved not to touch the bumps on your arms and legs, you will feel a slight tickling sensation in one of them, which will slowly develop into an itch so severe that you cannot ignore it.

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Far from making things better, your temporary lack of determination only increases your agony, sending you into a vicious cycle of scratching, itching, and sore, inflamed bites.

If you’ve spent on ointments and creams that just don’t seem to work, don’t despair just yet.

There’s a cheap ingredient that health experts say can relieve your itch — and you probably already have it in your kitchen.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all you need is some baking soda and water.

Simply mix one tablespoon of the powder with just enough water to form a paste and apply to the inflamed area for instant relief from itching.

You should wait 10 minutes before washing it off.

But before you start applying the paste, the CDC recommends you do a few things first.

If you’re unlucky enough to be bitten by a mosquito, you’re all the more prone to it spike the better.

You should first wash the area with soap and water.

Then place an ice pack on the bitten skin for 10 minutes to relieve swelling and itching.

You can also use a clean cloth soaked in cold water, according to the NHS.

And then you would start the baking soda preparation.

If you still experience a slight itching after leaving the paste on for 10 minutes, you can also relieve it by taking an antihistamine tablet or antihistamine cream.

To avoid a bite in the first place, it’s best to use an insect repellent that contains DEET, Icaradin, Lemon Eucalyptus or IR3535, in line with NHS Fit to Travel guidelines.

You should also wear light clothing to cover as much skin as possible.

If you travel to a place with a lot of mosquitoes, it is best to sleep with a mosquito net.

Luckily, mosquitoes in the UK don’t transmit diseases like Zika, dengue fever or West Nile virus, but they have been spotted on pests in holiday resorts around Europe.