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Some helpful tips for recognizing and responding to bug bites!




Mosquitoes are blood-sucking insects that are attracted to moisture, sweat, heat and carbon dioxide. Most mosquito bites cause mild symptoms such as reddened skin, a swollen lump (wheal or welt) and itching, but mosquitoes in some parts of the world may carry disease. They are carriers of the West Nile virus, an infection that can lead to inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or tissues surrounding it and the spinal cord (meningitis). To avoid mosquito bites, stay indoors at dawn and dusk (when mosquitoes feed), wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors, and wear insect repellent on your clothing and skin.
CHIGGERS are tiny red mites that live in areas with grass and brush. They are so small that they can only be seen with a magnifying glass. Chiggers attach themselves to the pores in your skin and feed on skin cells. A chigger bite can cause extreme itching at the bite site within a few hours, and a raised bump can appear (and get bigger) over the next 24 to 48 hours. It may last for up to two weeks. In rare cases, chigger bites may cause fever and rash. Chiggers will fall off the body themselves within a few days, and over-the-counter medications like hydrocortisone cream and calamine lotion can be used to reduce itching.
Ticks are small arachnids that live in grassy or wooded areas. They bite animals and people, fastening onto their skin to feed on their blood. When feeding on blood, ticks become engorged and change color from brown or black to gray or green. Most tick bites don’t cause serious health problems, but it is important to remove a tick as soon as possible. Use tweezers to grasp the tick near its head or mouth, and pull gently to remove the whole tick without crushing it. If possible, seal the tick in a jar so that your doctor can examine it if you develop symptoms of illness. Use soap and water to wash your hands and the area around the tick bite. You should call your doctor if you aren't able to completely remove the tick or if you have a severe allergic reaction to the tick bite. Some ticks carry diseases that cause flu like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and muscle aches. Symptoms may begin one day to three weeks after the tick bite. Common tick-borne diseases include: lyme disease, rocky mountain spotted fever, tularemia, ehrlichiosis, relapsing fever, colorado tick fever and babesiosis
The bee family of insects vary slightly in the way they sting. The honeybee stings once, leaves its stinger behind and then dies, while wasps, hornets and yellow jackets (which can sting repeatedly) usually do not lose their stingers. Bees are less aggressive than wasps, hornets and yellow jackets. However, Africanized honey bees which attack in great numbers, sometimes injecting enough venom to cause death. A normal skin reaction includes a bump (wheal or welt) at the site of the sting, as well as pain and itching that may last from a few hours to a few days. But you may have a more serious reaction like a large skin reaction that involves redness and swelling extending beyond the sting site and that lasts three to four days. A severe life-threatening allergic reaction, which may cause symptoms of swelling or hives, difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, and lightheadedness or fainting. If you experience any of these reactions, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Fire Ants are small wingless insects found in the Southeastern and South-Central United States-Texas is in this area, particularly along the Gulf Coast. When they believe their colony is in danger, they tend to attack and sting in large numbers. A fire ant will attach itself to a person by biting with its jaws, and then will pivot its head and sting from its abdomen in a circular pattern. The normal symptoms of a fire ant sting may include a painful raised bump at each sting site that can last up to 10 days, death of skin at the sting site, a bump or scar, and redness and swelling. In rare cases, you may experience a severe allergic reaction a toxic reaction when you have been stung 20 or more times, or serum sickness, which results in flu-like symptoms that begin one to two weeks after a sting. Fire ant stings may be treated with oral antihistamines and topical corticosterioids.
Most spider bites are harmless and result in mild itching and irritation. But there are two types of poisonous spiders commonly found in the United States that can cause a much more severe reaction: the black widow and the brown recluse spider. Both are usually found in Southern states, Texas territory, and they prefer warm climates and dark, dry places where flies are plentiful. They often live in undisturbed areas such as closets, garages, woodpiles and under sinks.
Black widows are about 2 inches across, with long legs, shiny black bodies and an orange, yellow or red marking on their underbellies that usually resembles an hourglass. Usually, symptoms of a black widow spider bite consist of minimal to sharp pain, followed by swelling and redness at the site of the bite. However, in some cases, there can be a severe reaction, the symptoms of which appear between 30 and 60 minutes later. If you have a toxic reaction you may experience muscle cramps and spasms; chills; fever; nausea or vomiting; severe abdominal, back or chest pain; extremely high blood; pressure and symptoms of shock
Brown recluse spiders are about 0.5 inches long, with brown bodies and a dark brown violin-shaped mark on the combined head and midsection. If you are bitten by a brown recluse spider, you may experience these symptoms: mild to intense pain or itching for two to eight hours following the bite; reddened skin; and a blister that sloughs off and leaves a deep, enlarging ulcer (due to the necrosis, or breakdown of tissue) a week or more later. If you have a toxic reaction, you may experience fever, chills, a rash made up of tiny, purple-and-red spots, nausea or vomiting, and joint pain.
Scorpions are found in the Western and Southwestern United States. Texas is in this area, too. They are up to 3 inches in length, with eight legs, a pair of crab-like pincers and a stinger on the tail that may inject venom. Scorpions are very diverse: some scorpions aren’t poisonous, while others have venom powerful enough to kill a person. Some are found in cool, damp places, such as basements, junk piles and woodpiles, while others prefer desert areas. If you are stung by a scorpion, you should contact a medical professional immediately, and you may need antivenom to counteract the effects of the sting. You may experience intense immediate pain that lasts from minutes to 24 hours; swelling; itching; change in skin color; nausea and vomiting; increased saliva, sweat and tears; numbness of the tongue; vision problems; diarrhea and swollen glands.
The Puss Catepillars or wooly slug, is the most poisonous caterpillar in the United States. It is found in Southern states, ranging west through most of Texas and north to Maryland and Missouri. Puss caterpillars are covered with thick brown hair that conceals hollow, poison-filled spines. If you come in contact with a puss caterpillar, you should remove the broken-off spines with cellophane tape or a commercial facial peel, wash the area with warm soapy water, and contact a health professional. You may experience immediate and intense pain that comes in waves, swelling, an itchy red rash of blotches and raised ridges, nausea and vomiting, fever, swollen glands, muscle cramps and symptoms of shock. A puss caterpillar sting may be treated with oral antihistamines and corticosteroid cream that’s applied to the area around the sting.