Insect Bites

On rare occasions it can cause:

• coma or seizures
• jaundice
• blood in urine
• kidney failure

There is no antidote for a brown recluse bite, but treatment like keeping the area clean can encourage faster healing. Your doctor will examine the bite and prescribe antibiotics. In extreme cases, such as tissue death, you will need surgery and hospitalization.

• You’re likely to find it outside in gardens and near other vegetation.The jumping spider’s bite is usually no worse than a wasp sting. It can be poisonous if you’re allergic to spider venom.Serious symptoms include:
  • pain
  • itching
  • redness
  • swelling
  • headaches

  They will attack if threatened, so use gloves when gardening.

• Deer fly bites are painful, and will cause red bumps or welts. They transmit a rare bacterial disease known as rabbit fever (tularemia). Symptoms include skin ulcers, fever, and headache. Tularemia can be successfully treated with antibiotics, but without treatment, it can be fatal.

• To treat deer fly bites, clean the affected area with soap and water. You can apply ice to the area to treat pain. You can also take allergy medicine like diphenhydramine(Benadryl) to reduce itching, which can prevent secondary infection.

• Black flies typically bite near the head or face. Their bites leave a small puncture wound, and can result in anything from slight swelling to a swollen bump the size of a golf ball. Other symptoms can include headaches, nausea, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. When these symptoms occur, they’re referred to as “black fly fever.”

• Apply ice to the area for fifteen minute intervals to reduce swelling from a black fly bite. You can apply cortisone or prescription topical steroids to the affected area. Washing the area with soap and water can reduce the risk of infection.

They are attracted by movement, shiny surfaces, carbon dioxide and warmth. Their bites are painful and generally elicit the victim to move from the area, which will force them to find another food source.

When going to an area where Deer flies and Horse flies are known to inhabit the area wear light colored clothing, neck covering and protective mesh outdoor wear. These protective measures will provide some valuable protection in reducing the annoyance and bites.

Deer Flies and Horse typically bite near the head or face. Their bites leave a small puncture wound, and can result in anything from slight swelling to a swollen bump the size of a golf ball. Other symptoms can include headaches, nausea, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.

Apply ice to the area for fifteen minute intervals to reduce swelling from a black fly bite. You can apply cortisone or prescription topical steroids to the affected area. Washing the area with soap and water can reduce the risk of infection.

• Fleabites exhibit several common symptoms. They are very itchy, and the skin around each bite may become sore or painful. And you may experience hives or develop a rash near the site of a bite.
• Additionally, excessive scratching can further damage the skin and a secondary bacterial infection can develop.
• Avoid scratching if you can, and monitor your bite areas for signs of an infection, including white-topped blisters or a rash.

• Usually several chiggers are able to latch onto a person walking through an infected area. When the chigger falls off, you are left with reddish bumps. You may notice a bright red dot in the center — this is a remnant of the tube your skin formed in response to the chigger’s saliva. The bumps may look like welts, blisters, pimples, or hives.
• Chiggers can stay latched to the same spot for several days, and it’s common to be bitten by more than one. So bites will generally appear in groups and get larger for several days to a week.
• Many insects tend to bite exposed skin that’s easy to get to. Chiggers like to bite in folds of skin as well as places where clothing fits tightly. Most chigger bites occur around the ankles, waist, armpits, crotch, or behind the knees.
• You won’t feel it when the chigger latches on, and you probably won’t feel a thing when it bites. However, most people report symptoms within hours of the bite. The most problematic symptom of chigger bites is the intense itching and desire to scratch. Chigger bites on the penis can cause severe itching, swelling, and painful urination.

• It can take anywhere from one to three weeks for chigger bites to heal. If you suspect you have chigger bites, immediately wash with soap and water. This will get rid of any remaining chiggers on your body. Then apply an antiseptic to any welts.
• In the meantime, try to avoid scratching, as this can cause infection. You may use over-the-counter anti-itch medications like hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion. You can also apply ice to the bites to relieve the itch.
• Avoid very hot baths and showers. If you become infected or symptoms don’t improve, see your doctor. It’s a common misperception that chiggers burrow under the skin. They don’t, so there is no need to try to remove them.

• Chigger bites are uncomfortable, itchy, annoying, and can make it difficult to sleep. In most cases, chigger bites don’t cause any harm to your health. Chiggers feed on skin cells, but not on blood. They don’t carry or transmit disease.
• However, chigger bites can become infected from too much scratching. Notify your doctor if you have swelling, fever, or other signs of infection.

• Some ticks carry diseases, which can be passed on when they bite. Tick-borne diseases can cause a variety of symptoms and usually develop within several days to a few weeks after a tick bite. Potential symptoms of tick-borne diseases include:
  • a red spot or rash near the bite site
  • a full body rash
  • neck stiffness
  • a headache
  • nausea
  • weakness
  • muscle or joint painor achiness
  • a fever
  • chills
  • swollen lymph nodes

  Be sure to seek medical attention as soon as possible if bitten by a tick in order to be evaluated for any potential treatment.