10 Bug Bites You Should Know

There are thousands of bugs that crawl around inside and outside your home. Bug bites can cause a variety of signs and symptoms, including skin irritation to even life-threatening diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, vector-borne diseases, including diseases transmitted by bug bites, cause around 700,000 deaths every year.⁽¹⁾ The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that infections caused by ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes have gone up by nearly 300 percent between 2004 and 2016.⁽²⁾

A bug bite is when any insect, such as a mosquito, bedbug, or flea, uses its mouth to break a person’s skin so it can feed. Bug bites usually tend to itch. An insect bite is different from a sting, as, in a sting, an insect uses another body part to pierce the skin and inject venom.

Here are 10 bug bites that you should know about.

1. Spider Bites

   There are thousands of types of spiders that crawl around inside and outside your home. The majority of spider bites will leave the area itchy, and you may find red bumps or rashes that might be slightly painful, though they will heal within a week.

   The spiders that are venomous and manage to bite through your skin can cause some serious health issues.^{(3, 4)} If you are showing signs of a spider bite or if the symptoms don’t settle within a week, you should consider seeing a doctor as you might have been bitten by a venomous spider.^{(5, 6)}

2. Tick Bites

   Tick bites are usually harmless and do not cause any symptoms. However, tick bites can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Also, some ticks can pass on diseases to humans and pets when they bite. Ticks are commonly found living outdoors in grass, leaf piles, shrubs, and trees.^{(7, 8)}

   Ticks grow in size as they suck in more blood, and at their largest, they can even grow up to the size of a marble. After a tick feeds on one host for several days, it swells up and turns a greenish-blue color.^{(9, 10)}

   Ticks usually bite in warm, moist parts of the body, and once it gets on the body, they can migrate to other parts easily.

   If you think you might have been bitten by a tick, you should check your entire body carefully. When a tick reaches the intended spot, it bites into the skin and starts drawing blood. Ticks typically tend to remain attached to the body even after biting you. You are unlikely to feel the tick biting you as the bite is taking place. Most harmless tick bites do not cause any signs or symptoms. Some may cause a discolored or red bump that looks similar to a mosquito bite.

   However, if you are allergic to tick bites, you may experience the following symptoms:

   • Swelling or pain at the bite site
   • A burning sensation at the site
   • A rash
   • Blisters
   • Shortness of breath if you are severely allergic

   Diseases you can get from a tick bite include:⁽¹¹⁾

   • Colorado tick fever
   • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
   • Lyme disease
   • Tularemia
   • Ehrlichiosis

   To treat tick bites, it is important to find the tick and remove it. This helps prevent tick-borne disease. If you have an allergic reaction, do not remove the tick, as this may release even more of the allergen, making the reaction worse. Treatment for tick bites depends on whether you have an allergic reaction or you have a tick-borne disease. For general harmless tick bites, you don’t need any treatment.⁽¹²⁾

3. Flea Bites

   We usually associate fleas with cats and dogs, but it is possible for humans also to get flea bites. If you get bitten by fleas, tiny red bumps will appear at the site. Usually, there are three bumps together, and the most commonly occur on the feet and ankles.

   The most important thing to remember with flea bites is that you should not scratch the area. Fleas defecate when they are biting you, and if you scratch that place, it can pull bacteria further into the skin, causing an infection.⁽¹³⁾

   The main symptom of flea bites is itching, though if you are allergic to flea bites, you may experience breathing problems. If infected, flea bites will swell up and fill with pus.⁽¹⁴⁾

   Doctors usually prescribe oral antihistamines or topical lotions or ointments to help treat allergic reactions and itching. You can also consider taking lukewarm baths with an oatmeal solution to help the itching, but do not take hot baths or showers as this will worsen the itching.

4. Bed Bug Bites

   Bed bug bites are perhaps the most irritating of all bug bites. Bed bugs are a huge problem everywhere in the world. While they don’t carry any diseases, but they cause bad reactions in many people, and they develop red bumps that are extremely itchy and swollen. Usually, these bumps do not appear for several days or sometimes even for two weeks after the person has been bitten. It is not possible to feel the bite of bed bugs since they inject an anesthetic that numbs the area. Many people, though, have no reaction to a bed bug bite.^{(15, 16)}

   The best advice to deal with such bites is to avoid scratching. Using anti-itch and antiseptic lotions can help. And seek medical help if you have an allergic reaction and experience trouble breathing.

5. Head Lice Bites

   Head lice are usually more commonly seen in children than adults. Head lice cause a lot of itchiness on the scalp, neck, and ears after they lay eggs, which are called nits. Once the nits hatch, it may start to look like you have dandruff in your hair. Scratching your head is one of the biggest signs that you may have head lice. While lice do not carry any disease, but they are a nuisance.

   You can get rid of head lice by using medicated shampoos that are available at all pharmacies. Combing and re-combing your hair with special lice combs can also help.

6. Ant Bites

   There are a wide variety of ants, and while any ant bite may hurt, bites from fire ants are the most dreaded. Fire ants are extremely aggressive and tend to bite and sting in a small circle. Ant bites hurt, sting, and also itch, making you feel miserable. They can also swell up, fill with pus, and turn red. The best thing to do if you have been bitten by an ant is to wash the area with soap and water and then apply ice in a washcloth. Apply the ice for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off. If it itches too much, you can take some antihistamines for relief.

   People who are not allergic to ant bites will be back to their normal selves in just a few hours. However, if you are allergic to ant bites, you may have trouble breathing or feel your heart rate speed up or throat swelling up. In this case, you should go to your nearest emergency room or call the local emergency number of your area, like 911.⁽¹⁷⁾

7. Chigger Bites

   Many people are not aware of what chiggers are. These are mites that can be found on different vegetation, waiting for someone to pass by and attaching to their clothes, thus making their way to the skin to start feeding. Chiggers burrow into the top layer of your skin, secrete saliva that causes the skin cells to break down, and then suck up these dissolved skin cells.

   Chigger bites typically appear in groups, usually on the legs or waist. While the bites don’t tend to hurt much, but they can be quite itchy. Itching can begin within a few hours of getting bitten and continue to get worse over the next couple of days. The itch will get better in a few days, while the red bumps will disappear after one or two weeks.⁽¹⁸⁾

   When you notice the bite, you should scrub that area thoroughly with soap and water to get rid of any chiggers that might still be there. Applying an anti-itch cream or calamine lotion can relieve the itching and also soothe the skin. Antihistamines can be used to bring down the itching. Try not to scratch the chigger bites as the red bumps may get infected.

8. Fly Bites

   Fly bites can be dangerous, especially if you are bitten by horse and deer flies. These flies have scissor-like mouths that cut and tear through your skin. While these flies are not poisonous, some people have an allergic reaction to the saliva of these flies.

   Black flies also have a bad bite, especially if they bite en masse. In rare cases, sand flies can contract a skin disease known as leishmaniasis. Majorly, fly bites can easily be treated with topical and oral antihistamines.

9. Mosquito Bites

   Mosquitoes are infamous for spreading many potentially life-threatening diseases. While most of the time, you only experience a tiny bump and itchy skin, since mosquitoes feed on your blood, they can pass on many viruses such as yellow fever, malaria, dengue, West Nile, and Zika.

10. Blister Beetle Bite

    These plant-feeding insects can cause you to develop a welt or blister if they bite you. The blisters or welts you see on your skin from a blister beetle bite are a reaction to a colorless and odorless chemical the beetle releases known as cantharidin. Though cantharidin is extremely dangerous and toxic to the enemies of blister beetles, it is not harmful to humans. However, you may still develop a localized reaction.

References: