Dangerous insects. What to do if bitten by a horsefly?

Staying in nature on summer days is overshadowed by contacts with various insects. Blood-sucking and parasitic species, biting through the skin, cause many problems, which is accompanied by pain and severe itching.

A gadfly bite can be a serious problem for some people, but for most people it ends in the formation of papules on the skin and discomfort of varying intensity.

One of the most common types of gadflies

What you need to know

The overwhelming majority of people cannot accurately distinguish a horsefly (large, often with multi-colored eyes playing with colors) from a gadfly (smaller, less bright), and the assistance that should be provided to the victim depends on this. There are more than 3.5 thousand varieties of large flies that attack humans and mammals.

Most are classified as horseflies (3000 species) and gadflies (50 species). They are quite similar, so at first glance it can be difficult to determine exactly which particular insect this is, even for an experienced biologist.

Subcutaneous botfly - more often causes invasion in humans than other species

Important. The fundamental difference between horseflies and gadflies is that the former feed on blood, while the latter lay eggs under the skin of warm-blooded animals.

Only females always bite. If she manages to lay a clutch, then after a short period of time the larvae begin to hatch under the epidermis.

The duration of the infestation may vary, depending on the type of insect. For humans, the danger is posed by the subcutaneous gadfly (see photo), in this case it lasts about two months - all this time the larvae will parasitize and cause severe discomfort.

Most often, laying does not occur due to noticeable pain at the time of piercing the skin, but in certain cases (deep sleep, intoxication, the inability of a person (for various reasons) to drive away an insect, etc.) the eggs still end up under the skin.

All other types of gadflies are not so dangerous for humans, except in cases where the larvae end up in the eyes, which can cause the development of conjunctivitis and deterioration of the visual analyzer; in special situations, treatment even requires surgical intervention. Most of all, insects bother large warm-blooded animals, but sometimes small rodents also suffer. The larvae infect various organs, and when they accumulate in large numbers in the body, they cause the death of the infected individual.

Why is a horsefly bite dangerous?

The saliva of horseflies contains a substance that is similar in effect and composition to hirudin. When it enters the body of humans and animals, blood clotting is disrupted. The anticoagulant substance belongs to the group of antithrombins.

A horsefly bite poses a serious danger in rare situations. In most cases, the effects go away on their own within a few hours or days.

Serious complications are typical for hypersensitive people. A person prone to allergic manifestations develops severe swelling and an acute reaction. If you do not seek help from a doctor in time, the consequences can be very dire.

Serious complications are also possible with mass attacks of horseflies on animals, which occur during grazing of cattle on natural pastures. The consequences of numerous attacks by blood-sucking insects are expressed in fever, general malaise, loss of appetite, weakness and other manifestations of general intoxication. If decisive action is not taken, the productivity of farm animals will decline: milk volume and wool quality will decrease.

What else is dangerous about a horsefly bite?

Insects can carry pathogens of dangerous diseases (tularemia, INAN virus, anthrax, anaplasmosis).
In the central part of Russia, such cases are rare, but it is impossible to completely exclude them. If you want to get rid of horseflies and other blood-sucking insects in your summer cottage, contact for help. Experienced specialists will select the optimal certified product with proven effectiveness and promptly treat the object against parasites. To apply the working solution, a fog generator is used, which supplies the chemical in the form of an aerosol with tiny active particles. If you want to know the cost of work or ask questions, leave a request on the website for a free consultation. The Dez Group manager will contact you in a few minutes.

Clinical manifestations after a bite

Common reaction to a gadfly bite

Typically, a person is attacked by one or more flies over a period of time. It is quite difficult to drive away the insect; it shows excessive persistence and pursues the object chosen for laying eggs for a long time.

The easiest way out in this case is to go indoors or kill the gadfly. Some species fly almost silently and are able to land on the skin unnoticed, despite their rather large size. At the moment of the injection, a person feels a strong burning pain, which differs from mosquito or wasp bites.

The consequences will be as follows:

• a red dot is visible at the puncture site, there may be no blood or very little of it is released;
• a papule forms around the wound, which subsequently resolves;
• the pain is short-lived, the itching from a gadfly bite can be of varying intensity (depending on the type of individual and the characteristics of the body’s response);
• as a rule, slight swelling and hyperemia forms.

Note. After being bitten by a gadfly, there is no need to comb the skin. This will increase irritation, and harmful bacterial microflora can enter the body through the damaged epidermis.

Gadflies are parasites and before meeting a person they can come into contact with various animals, so it is possible that when the skin is punctured, the wound will become infected with pathogenic microorganisms. In this case, the reaction to the bite will be stronger; suppuration may appear, which is quite painful on palpation.

In this case, the victim should be examined by a doctor and prescribed treatment to eliminate negative symptoms and stop the spread of infection. The cost of self-medication is often prohibitively high, because if timely qualified assistance is not provided, the infection can be severe, and the resulting abscess will need to be opened surgically and cleaned.

The insect injects substances under the skin to which the immune system reacts violently.

In particularly sensitive individuals, clinical manifestations are quite pronounced:

• temperature (febrile or subfebrile indicators);
• weakness;
• dizziness;
• dyspeptic manifestations.

Horsefly bites: symptoms

The first symptoms after a horsefly bite develop quite rapidly. Redness and slight swelling appear around the wound. A person suffers from severe unbearable itching. Within a few hours, and sometimes days, the symptoms become more pronounced. What explains this?

From a scientific point of view, bites of blood-sucking insects damage the skin and inject toxic components of saliva into the body. In response, there is a parallel development of two types of reactions - immune complex and T-cell (slow). Local reactions begin to appear after 6-8 hours, reaching a peak after approximately 24-48 hours.

Horsefly bites can provoke local symptoms and changes in physiological parameters:

1. Erythrema (formation up to 75 mm in diameter) on a damaged area of ​​skin.
2. Inflammation of nearby lymph nodes.
3. Severe continuous itching.
4. In rare cases, a systemic reaction is observed: anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema, urticaria.
5. In animals and hypersensitive people during a mass attack of horseflies: fever, general malaise, loss of appetite, weakness, sleep disturbance, headaches, fever, nausea, changes in the blood count (decreased hemoglobin and red blood cells, increased number of lymphocytes).

On delicate thin skin, swelling can turn into a dense formation of large diameter, and after a few days turn into a bruise. The reaction to a horsefly attack is determined by the individual characteristics of the person and the number of bites.

Allergic reaction

Allergic reaction to gadfly saliva

Certain individuals, no more than 1.5% of the general population, experience severe symptoms after contact with the insect.

Signs of increased sensitivity to toxins introduced by gadflies include:

• swelling, as a rule, occupies most of the limb or spreads greatly along the torso;
• after a gadfly bite, itching is observed not only in the affected area, but throughout the body;
• in rare cases, the affected area becomes painful, this can last for quite a long time;
• the person becomes ill, finds it difficult to stand, experiences dizziness and severe weakness;
• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea develop.

Note. In medical practice, several deaths have been reported after the development of anaphylactic shock caused by a gadfly bite.

The deterioration of the victim’s condition is indicated by the appearance of shortness of breath, indifference to what is happening, loss of orientation and impaired coordination of movements. Allergies to gadfly bites can be severe, so such people should always have the necessary medications on hand.

In any case, if a person becomes ill, he should take any antihistamine and seek qualified medical help.

What does a horsefly bite look like in the photo?

Only female horseflies feed on the blood of humans and animals. This is a prerequisite for egg maturation and successful reproduction. Males maintain vital activity by consuming carbohydrates from the nectar of flowers and the sweet sap of trees.

What does a horsefly bite look like, is it possible to recognize it from a photo? In most cases, redness or a small papule forms on the affected area of ​​the skin, sharp pain and a strong burning sensation occur.

The human reaction to the toxic effect of the saliva of dipterous blood-sucking insects is individual. Some people experience a strong burning sensation, swelling and redness, which goes away on their own after a few hours. Other bite victims develop a large, painful swelling that does not go away for several days. In rare cases, victims of an attack experience more severe consequences: allergies, enlarged local lymph nodes, general weakness, increased body temperature, rashes of various types on the body. Serious complications are typical for people with hypersensitivity or individual intolerance to one of the components of horsefly saliva, as well as for children aged 2-10 years. The latter often develop urticaria, which can last for several months or even years.

What to do after a gadfly bite

Do not scratch the bite area

In most cases, the gadfly does not have time to lay eggs, because at the moment of the puncture the person immediately feels discomfort and drives the insect away. Usually nothing needs to be done, but if there is severe itching or pain, you can use traditional medicine, which are listed in the table.

Table. Treatment of gadfly bites using traditional methods:

To disinfect, you can use a bite, lemon juice, or simply wash the wound with soap and water. Such prevention is necessary to prevent the development of infectious diseases.

Note. Some sources recommend trying to squeeze out the substances introduced by the gadfly or suck them out. In fact, this will not do anything, because the doses of insect saliva are microscopic, however, physical impact on the tissue will only intensify the inflammatory processes.

Medications

Psilo-balm is one of the external preparations that successfully eliminate the negative consequences of a bite.

Not in all cases it is possible to relieve swelling after a gadfly bite with the means that are at hand.

To reduce negative symptoms, it is recommended to use the following groups of medications:

1. Antihistamines will help relieve swelling and reduce the immune system's response. To do this, you can take any anti-allergy drug, for example, Suprastin, Cetrin, Eden, Desloratadine, Tavegil and others.
2. Antiseptics should be used to treat the wound: hydrogen peroxide, Chlorhexidine, disinfectant wipes and bactericidal patch.
3. To relieve pain, you can use analgesics (analgin), but it is better to use drugs with a combined effect that will also reduce inflammation: Ibuprofen, Nimesil and their analogues.
4. To reduce itching and irritation, there are special ointments, for example, Rescuer, Psilobalm.
5. You can speed up the healing of wounds or small ulcers formed after a bite if you use creams, for example, Fenistil, Bepanten and others with a similar effect.

The note. In the absence of serious symptoms, you can use the above medications yourself. Each package contains instructions regarding dosages and frequency of use of the products. If the condition worsens, the victim should immediately consult a doctor.

What to do in case of parasitic infestation

Bodfly larva in human leg

If the wound does not heal for a long time, it hurts and itches, and the swelling does not go away, then with a high degree of probability we can assume that under the skin there are botfly larvae that have hatched from eggs. A doctor can easily determine this visually; the photo at the beginning of the section shows what this parasite looks like. Watch the video in this article, which explains in detail what to do if you are infected with parasites.

The larva has a dense cuticle that protects it from attack by immune cells, so it can feel quite comfortable in the human body, using heat and feeding on the host’s tissues. To eliminate it, you need to block the access of oxygen.

To do this, stick a shepherd on the wound or grease the surface of the skin well and wrap it with a tight bandage. Such a measure will lead to the fact that the insect will be forced to crawl out completely or partially from under the skin; in the latter case, it should be removed with tweezers.

Afterwards, everything should be treated with an antiseptic. You can do the manipulations yourself, but it is better to have everything done by a doctor. It is extremely important to ensure that no parts of the larva remain in the body, because severe suppuration and even blood poisoning can develop.

When they bite

Flies are active during the daytime. They love sunshine and warm days. But among them there are representatives that parasitize in cloudy weather.

Insects react to movement and moisture. Attracts their wet, sweaty body. It is difficult to fight off horse flies after swimming in a pond, when your whole body glistens with droplets of water. They bite a wet body with beads of sweat even more intensely.

Horsefly bite What does a horsefly bite with - its proboscis and powerful jaws. The tenacious paws that dig into the skin add to the painful sensations. It bites anywhere on the human body. The neck and back are most often affected. In these areas, blood vessels are closer to the surface.

On a note!

The bite of a horsefly attracts other relatives to the victim. How horseflies bite is interesting not only to fauna lovers. In the process of piercing the vessels, the fly injects a substance that thins the blood and prevents it from clotting. After this, the wound bleeds for a long time, attracting hordes of new flies.

There are no parasites in urban areas, but if you go on a picnic or go to the country, there will be no end to the flies. To combat them, all kinds of traps and special insecticides are used, and the consequences of horsefly bites are treated in a special way.

Prevention

Special preparations for insects (horseflies and gadflies)

If you do not treat the skin with special anti-bite products, then getting rid of blood-sucking insects in natural conditions is quite problematic.

Below are recommendations on how to avoid gadfly bites:

• use special repellents that can be purchased at pharmacies and, in the summer, in supermarkets;
• Place mosquito nets on the windows, do not leave the entrances to the premises open;
• Keep a close eye on small children who may be attacked by insects;
• try to plan your vacation away from livestock farms and grazing areas;
• It is advisable to always have a first aid kit with the necessary first aid preparations on hand;
• insects are attracted to dark woolen clothes, so wear light-colored pants and shirts, try to cover your arms and legs when walking in the forest or meadow;
• these insects do not like strong odors, so perfumes and deodorants repel horse flies and gadflies, but attract bees and wasps.