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Well the bites have stopped itching now and I don't seem to have had any more but then the weather has largely kept me out of the garden. The main problem is that I don't know I've been bitten until some hours later so it's difficult to do anything straight away.

But thanks for all the ideas. I will try a few of them and see if they help.

Cheers
Zoe

What type of hedge was it?
I did ours a week ago, first I came out in a rash, so I put trousers and a jumper on to minimise exposure (which was LOVELY in 37 C in full sun ), but a couple of days latter I had huge... spots on my hands full of puss that wouldn't go away with antibiotic cream or disinfectant. They've now just about gone, but may scar.
just wondering if your problem was the same? I don't think it was bites, more likely the 'orrible sap.

But for insect bites, a korean friend used to use Dragon Balm, it was a pretty good cure all, and have just googled it... there is a company in Wales that makes it!

Wolfsong, yes I had exactly the same symptoms. The following day I put a shirt on so that my arms were covered. I don't know what type of bush it was but it was evergreen, with dark green, glossy leaves like very small holly leaves and thorns of one inch or more like sewing needles. It was a horrible thing as the thorns would pierce the soles of my shoes.

It's all cut down now but I haven't been able to dig the roots out. I was thinking of burning the branches, once dry, on top of the stumps in the hope that would burn the stump down.

Cheers
Zoe

Does it have berries? A Berberis? Zoe did you get pricked a lot when you were pruning it - if so maybe there's some poison in the needles? Any chance of a photo? because it would be good warning to everyone to know what it is and to be very careful when pruning it.

Wolfsong - what kind of hedge is yours?

it's some sort of cyprus apparently, I had to clamber all over it to give it a trim, I believe that it was an irritation from the sap, but it could have been an insect I s'pose.
Not much help otherwise sorry, I tend to be able to not scratch an itch! so never put anything on them... but these were very nasty.

Mandy, thanks for that, you are right. Berberis Candidula. I can't find anything about the spines containing poison (they seem a bit too woody for that) but there is a mention that ingesting it can cause stomach irritation. If anybody was stupid enough to try eating it with those spines then they deserve what they get.

I found a pic on t'internet http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/help/b ... arktex.htm

As it isn't the same as Wolfsong's shrub then I shall go back to assuming that it was insect bites that I had. They seemed very like the horsefly bites I've had in the past.

Cheers
Zoe

nope sorry nothing like that Zoe.
hmm, it's interesting, I may investigate further into my hedge...

Nasty thorns Zoe! I suppose the moral of the tale is to cover up and wear protective gear when pruning any hedge that's spiky or scratchy, and even if it isn't it is bound to be full of midges anyway - they always get me in my hair if I'm doing anything near our Leylandii hedge.

any leylandii around here soon develops the horrible Stihl Beatle (of the wider genus chainsaw monstratus ).

I finished cutting our hedge, and decided that they are useless, and time consuming... but how else do you cover the house from the road?!

Exactly, as as long as they are trimmed they look neat and tidy and unlike the 3 metres or so of Thuya that we have stuck between the Leylandii, it doesn't get the blasted red coloured dying off disease (can't think what it's called) that Thuya gets. Our looks a complete mess - well it also has brambles growing all through it which we can't get at to cut back or poison, so it looks a double mess.

But if that hedge wasn't there then my patio would be in full view of the lane as it's really close to the hedge and our boundary and everyone would be able to see inside the downstairs bedroom, which has unpullable curtains!