The traditional treatment for those minor itchy bites around here is to rub a little meat tenderizer into it. It helps to moisten the area a little first. Theoretically, the papain enzyme is supposed to break down whatever (usually protein?) slobbers the bug left under your skin.

I've never been able to tell that it does a lot of good; and since the commercial stuff is 95 percent common salt, it ain't fit to use on food; but lots of our local fishermen swear by it.

I've known a couple of people who recommended crushing an antihistamine tablet and rubbing it into the bite. Claimed the itching was caused by histamines generated from the irritation, so an antihistamine (phenylephrine, or the like) should help. Since there's no way of telling how much of it gets into you, this method should be used with great caution, and only for cases of a few bites and when you have used and know you're not "sensitive" to the antihistamine.

John