Let’s face it; we humans are tasty. Our blood is hot and sweet. Bugs just love us. And we would probably let them suck our blood if there are no health risks and if all that bitting doesn’t hurt so much.
Flea bites are ugly; these little insects that are hardly visible to the human eye attack us like they will suck all our blood. Of course, that can’t happen, but flea bites can spread many severe health risks.
If fleas are not enough problems, there is a whole jungle of insects that can cause some issues for us. Mosquitos, spiders, ticks, and other bugs that may bite us and cause problems to our health are living near us, maybe even in our homes.
How to Identify Flea Bites
If something just bites you, check out the floor. On the floor, you can see a tiny bug that jumps if you get near. That’s a flea. Since they live on the ground, there is a high chance that a bite happens on your legs.
If you have pets, dog, or cat, then the first alert should be that you got bitten by a flea. Just like a detective, you can go with the most logical answer.
On the skin, bites will look like small red dots. Around the dot, you could see the red halo and even swelling. There is also a chance for many fleas bites one close to another, then dots may connect, and the bites may appear like a nasty rash.
If it itches, it is a flea bite. Flea bites are incredibly itchy. You can see the dog scratching with its legs to get rid of that saliva, that flea bite release that causes itching. But scratching won’t help; in fact, it can cause more severe issues than a simple flea bite. If you scratch, you can get an infection. If you get an infection, you will need antibiotics.
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Other Insect Bites
Ant Bites
Ants can bite, but only one species is known as a really aggressive biter who likes to bite humans, the fire ant. Southern states are the habitat of this nasty ant, which is, in fact, poisonous. When a fire ant bites you, you will know it; it is painful, painful like a bee bite. Other types of ants have burning pain, which is not that painful.
Since fire ants have poison, the pain is elevated, just like with bees. Regular ants just catch you with their claws, and that’s it. On the other hand, a fire ant will use claws to attach itself to the skin, releasing the poison. Some people may be allergic to that poison and may have severe reactions.
Bee, Wasp or Hornet Sting
The main difference between these three bugs is that you don’t want to be stung by a hornet. Hornet sting is excruciating. Hornet can sting you several times just like the wasp while bees can only sting once, and then she dies. Bee stings are dangerous because the bee will release poison, and many people worldwide are allergic to bees.
A bee sting is painful; the place of a sting can be itchy and swell. In fact, many times, there will be swelling and a large red circle. Hornets and wasp stings can also provoke allergic reactions, and since they can sting several times before losing sting, they are even more dangerous.
Bed Bug Bites
Nobody likes bed bugs. They suck your blood while you sleep, and then in the morning, you wake up with red bumps. Bed bug bites are incredibly itchy, and since the same red bump appears, it is hard to identify if you have bed bugs or flea plague.
Itching is the main problem with bed bugs. If you scratch, you can get an infection, and then you will need to see a doctor. The doctor will most probably prescribe antibiotics. If you can’t get rid of bedbugs and you are bitten regularly, you may develop an allergic reaction. Then you will need to use particular medication to prevent that.
The only way you can determine if bed bugs and not flea bites bite you is the bite’s location. Bed bugs will more often bite you on face, torso, hand, neck, shoulders. They can also bite on legs, and because of that, you can never be 100% sure what actually bite you.
Mosquito Bites
When summer comes, we have these little insects called mosquitos that suck our blood at night. Often mosquito bites happen at night during sleep. In the morning, when we wake up with itchy red bites, we may think we have bed bugs, but there is a high chance for mosquitoes in the room.
To be sure that you have actually been bitten by mosquito search for it on the wall. In the morning, mosquitos are not that active and mostly are resting on the wall. Many times they are full of blood. Be careful if you have white walls and want to smash a full blood mosquito.
Mosquito bites are random bites through the body, while bed bug bites are lined together. Flea bites are mostly on legs also close to each other. If you have one bite on the head, leg, and arm, the mosquito is most probably guilty for it since fleas and bed bugs can’t do the distance as a mosquito.
Tick Bites
Tick bites are one of the most dangerous bites. The bite itself is not painful, and nothing terrible is happening at the bite location.
However, a tick bite can be lethal because ticks are known disease carriers. Meningococcal disease is one of the worst conditions you can get from a tick. It can cause meningitis, which can be lethal if not treated, but as well it can cause sepsis, which is an even more dangerous condition.
Tick bites can be easily identified, there is only one bite per tick, and most of the time, the tick will be attached to your body. You can easily see a small black spot on your skin, and if you touch it with the finger, you can sense it is a tick who sucks blood.
Gnat Bites
Gnat bites are flying insects, various types of flies. However, not all flies bite. Flies usually feed themself on food decay, feces, and even other insects. However, some gnats suck mammals’ blood.
Most common gnat flies who bite are buffalo gnats, stable flies, biting midges, deer flies, and sand flies. Gnat bites are more painful than the one of flea bug or mosquito bite. They bite on the head, neck, arms, and legs. Actually, uncovered skin is an attraction to them. Gnat bites leave the same red spot on the skin that may get infected if you scratch.
The good news is that gnats don’t carry disease to humans. However, gnat bites do carry some diseases between animals. In the Western United States, gnats are responsible for the Blue Gnat virus. This virus causes significant problems for livestock.
Spider Bites
Spider bites are rare, but they do happen. In our homes, we have several species that can penetrate our skin. Jumping spider and wolf spider are guilty of most home bites. The good news is that if they bite you, you won’t have severe problems. The only problem is if you scratch and infect the wound.
More problematic bites are coming from the spiders that are found in nature. The most problematic bite is from the Black Widow spider. Black Widow spiders release poison, and these kinds of bites are lethal. However, today we have an antidote for Black Widow poison, and if you react fast, the worst-case scenario won’t happen. Before antidote was available, 5% of people died from Black Widow bites.
Brown Recluse spiders are also one of the most poisonous spiders in the USA. This spider has a specific location and is not found in other locations. So if you live in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Nebraska, Indiana, Louisiana Illinois, Iowa, and Mississippi, be careful. Brown Recluse rarely bites humans, but the bites know to happen. Treat the wound with cream and antibiotics if you have a subscription for it.
Conclusion
Some bites are more dangerous than others. Most of them are harmless and will go away on their own. Others may cause allergic reactions. But one thing all of them have in common, and that is to not scratch. If you don’t scratch the bite, you won’t get an infection and the bite will heal on its own. But I know that sometimes we scratch, even without knowing it. You can always get some products that can help with bite treatments and help yourself heal faster.