Summer camping trips in Australia always have a big guest list – you, your mates, and 97 clingy flies, mosquitoes, and sandflies that even an Aeroguard fog can’t deter. Can the Welcare Insect Bite Healer help? Our Content Editor Jess chased down some mozzies to find out.
The worst experience I’ve had with bugs in the outdoors was on Sweden’s Kungsleden Trail – renowned for insane amounts of flies and mosquitoes. Despite the reports, I doubted it could be that bad, and went during peak insect season anyway. Three days later as I was inching a muesli bar against my sweaty neck to slide it underneath my bug net to avoid the flies attempting to explore my innards, I definitely regretted my choice.
And then came the bites. And the itching. Every skerrick of zen I was out there to find promptly evaporated as my focus split repeatedly between old and new itchy spots. My insect repellent felt useless. And the PawPaw cream and Savlon I typically rely on could’ve been replaced by peanut butter for all their effectiveness.
Hence my excitement to try out the Insect Bite Healer from Welcare – an Australian-owned family business that promises to take the itch out of bug bites and gift you back the zen of summer afternoons outdoors.
Psst! Want a discount? Until 6th April, 2025, pop ‘EXPLORE15’ in at the checkout to score 15% off.
What is the Welcare Insect Bite Healer?
The Welcare Insect Bite Healer is a small battery-powered device that uses heat therapy to reduce itching and swelling of insect bites in seconds. It’s super light, comes with two AAA batteries for power, and is about the length and half the width of a standard smartphone. It eliminates the need to carry chemical-filled creams and balms.
How does it work?
Once you’ve been bitten, take out this compact device, place the circular pad on the bite, and select your heat setting (47°C for kids and sensitive souls like me, and 50°C for real adults with a pain tolerance). The targeted heat does three things:
- Breaks Down Irritants: Heat neutralises the proteins in insect saliva or venom. Translation: buh-bye itch
- Reduces Histamine: It turns down the chemical responsible for the itch-fest
- Boosts Blood Flow: This helps clear irritants from the wound site and accelerates skin recovery so that little red lump is gone in no time
The Real World Test
To be perfectly honest, while I really wanted this to work, I was extremely sceptical. I’ve toted this device around for two months waiting for a mozzie to bite me, and finally, on a weekend camping trip on the Bass Coast, I got lucky. Admittedly, too lucky.
But with many bites came many opportunities to test the Welcare Insect Bite Healer and I took full advantage. First up was a test on a bite only minutes old. It was a big angry white one, over a centimetre across and the itch was already building. I applied the device, hit the heat button, and let it do its thing.
Remarkably, after about 30 seconds, the itch had stopped.
Fits in the palm of your hand and has a handy loop at the bottom, perfect to carabiner onto your pack
I moved on to a second and third bite, both of which were just small red dots. Again, the speed at which the itch was neutralised blew my mind. Ever the scientist, I concluded that the placebo effect must be in play. I decided to use the device on the bites on my right arm, leg, and foot, and creams for the left side.
24 hours later and my left foot is covered with scratches from my persistent itching, while my right foot is unblemished. Pretty compelling evidence.
On bites that are a day or two old, the device is noticeably less effective, but you can apply it multiple times to the one bite if you need to. It’s clearly a better option than the creams and salves I’ve been relying on for years.
Best of all, it’s good for up to 300 uses. That’s a lot of bites (or one really aggressive camping trip). It’s super lightweight too (only 51g!), so you won’t even notice it in your pack until you need it. Genuinely, I lost the bloody thing about three times, despite the handy loop to secure it somewhere memorable!
Key Features
- Dual temperature settings for all ages and skin types (if you’ve got sensitive skin, stick to the lower setting)
- Portable, pocket-friendly, and powered by AAA batteries (included!)
- Works on mosquito bites, ant stings, and apparently even minor jellyfish injuries
- Mess-free and reusable up to 300 times
That circle is what you press against each bite
Final Thoughts
The Welcare Insect Bite Healer isn’t just another thing to toss in your hiking kit – it’s a game-changer. It won’t stop mozzies from crashing your party, but it will make sure they don’t ruin it.
At $41.95, it’s a bit more of an initial hit than a tube of PawPaw cream, but it’s going to help you through a hell of a lot more bites. And it’ll be a lot more effective than the cream has ever been. Having relied on mine for a week now, I’m convinced that it works and is worth the investment.
Admittedly it works a hell of a lot better if you get it onto bites within an hour of getting them, but it’s a great option if you’re keen to avoid chemicals.
Check it out at welcare.com.au. Plus, if you pop ‘EXPLORE15’ in at the checkout, you’ll score 15% off. (Valid until 6th April, 2025).
