We sympathize. Here are 10 tried and true Russian home remedies to take the itch out of those bites: 1. Ice. Hold an ice cube on the bite as long as you can stand it. Cold acts as a temporary anesthetic. 2. Mix baking soda and water into a paste and slather it on. Messy but effective. 3. Mix one part 9 percent vinegar (standard Russian cooking vinegar) with three parts water (or less, if the vinegar doesn't irritate your skin). Dampen a cloth in the mix and hold it on the bites. 4. Hold a damp black-tea teabag on the bite, and the tannin will pull out some of the toxins. 5. For a drippy treatment, slather on sour cream or kefir. 6. For a hippy treatment, slather on tea tree oil. 7. For a zippy treatment, slather on Tiger Balm ("Zvyozochka"). 8. For a weird treatment, slather on mint toothpaste. 9. For a stinky treatment, dampen a cotton ball with household ammonia and hold it on the bite. 10. For a clean treatment, cover the bite with hand sanitizer.