I鈥檝e been a mosquito magnet since birth. On group hikes, camping trips, or family backyard gatherings, I wind up with dozens of bug bites when everyone else gets two or three. Last summer聽I counted 31 mosquito bites on just my legs after a weekend of camping聽in Acadia National Park. The itching was so bad that I put ice cubes in my leggings in hopes of numbing the bites聽enough so聽I could聽sleep. It didn鈥檛 work: they stayed聽itchy and then I just had聽wet pants.
But I soon came across a TikTok featuring the , a 0.32-ounce piece of plastic that functions like a syringe but with a suction hole on one聽end. It supposedly pulls mosquito saliva out of bites to relieve itching, and it鈥檚 designed to work on other bites or stings from bees, wasps, ants, and more. The Thing was created by two entrepreneurs, Kelley Higney and her mother, Ellen McAlister, who started selling the product out of their garage before appearing聽on an episode of聽 in 2019 to get funding. They succeeded, and it鈥檚 been a bestseller on Amazon ever since.
I was excited but skeptical. After decades doubling as a human blood buffet and trying聽every remedy under the sun to prevent bites and treat them, it seemed too good to be true. But because the Bug Bite Thing only cost $10, I decided to give it a shot.
Reader: it works.
I still can鈥檛 believe it. But it does. In my experience, while it doesn鈥檛 make the bites or itching go away entirely, it does offer instant itch relief that lasts for about six to twelve聽hours. When I鈥檓 out, get bit, and my bites begin to bother me again, I simply re-suction聽them and the itch disappears聽once more. I鈥檝e also found that the Thing reduces聽the overall time that bites remain聽on my body鈥攁bout one to two days instead of a week.
Anyone who doesn鈥檛 regularly fall prey to mosquitos will still find the Bug Bite Thing a worthwhile investment.聽It handily sucked out a nearly invisible splinter from my partner鈥檚 hand, and its lightweight and compact nature means it鈥檚 easy to fit it into your pack or car for any adventures you have planned. I have not been stung by a wasp or bitten by an ant to test it on those claims, but so far I鈥檝e found it to be trustworthy and reliable.
I鈥檒l be purchasing several more of these to dole out to friends and family, and this gear discovery alone is reason enough for me to say: please, please let us keep .