Bites of ticks, mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects, first aid and prevention

With the onset of warm spring days, various insects become active. Some of them, when confronted with a person, bite him for the purpose of self-defense or in search of food (blood-sucking insects), so preventive

, carefully examine
the bite site
, monitor the body’s reaction and be able to provide
first aid for bites
.
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Reaction to a bite

depends on the type of insect and the sensitivity
of the person
. Flea, tick and mosquito bites usually cause itching. Insect stings almost always cause severe pain. Depending on the type of insect, the body's reaction to its bite can range from mild irritation to serious illness.

At the site of the bite

Infection may develop in the form of redness, thickening of the skin, local increase in temperature, and discharge of pus from the wound. Scratching the bite site can also lead to skin infection. This is especially common in children who scratch the wound without thinking about the consequences.

Insect bites

usually cause a small itchy lump on the skin. Sometimes the bite itself may be visible as a tiny dot. Sometimes inflammation develops around the bite area.

Insect bites

They usually go away on their own without medical help within a few days. Unlike stings, an allergic reaction rarely develops.

But if you suddenly feel very severe itching, difficulty breathing and wheezing, chest pain, weakness or dizziness, rapid heartbeat, a rash appears on your body and begins to spread quickly, swelling appears, including of the tongue and lips, then you should immediately seek medical attention. medical assistance. When a severe allergic reaction develops, minutes count.

If you are repeatedly bitten by an insect that previously caused an allergy, a more severe reaction may develop due to increased sensitivity to the saliva of this type of insect.

With prolonged contact with insects, for example during a multi-day backpacking trip, most people become immune to insect saliva and tolerate their bites much more easily.

Most often in our area we encounter mosquitoes, flies (horseflies), midges, and ticks. Next, we will talk in detail about the bites of each of the listed insects.

How do bed bugs bite?

A man was bitten by a bug
A child was bitten by bedbugs

All photos of bedbug bites can be viewed here

1. Small inconspicuous insects that prefer to go hunting at night, while the potential victim sleeps peacefully. They live in mattresses, cracks in floors or walls, pillows and furniture.
2. The bug is equipped with two proboscis, one of which pierces the skin, making its way to small vessels, and the second simultaneously injects an anesthetic liquid so that the “food” does not feel anything.
3. The “predator” drinks 1.5 ml of blood from the puncture and moves a few centimeters forward to try another area.
4. The bug makes about 5 - 6 bites per night, which resemble a kind of path.
5. If mosquitoes bite through thin fabric, then “bed predators” prefer open areas of the body: face, legs, neck, arms. Sometimes they decide to travel in their pajamas, and then their back and stomach suffer, and more often their lower part.
6. The bites resemble small red pimples, which are accompanied by unbearable itching and sometimes additional rashes. Bedbugs are characterized by “paths” of blisters, of which there may be several or many, depending on the number of insects.

What should I do if bitten by a tick?

(c) Pixabay

It is better to pull it out immediately, because the longer the tick is in your body under the skin, the higher the risks. You cannot pour oil or gasoline on the tick - firstly, it is pointless, and secondly, it can regurgitate blood and the contents of the salivary glands, which only increases the risk of infection.

You need to unscrew the tick with smooth and careful movements, grabbing it as close to the skin as possible. For this purpose, pharmacies sell special kits that facilitate the process. It is important to remove the tick completely, not to leave its head in the skin! For laboratory analysis you need a live insect; it cannot be alcoholized or put in the refrigerator.

After removing the tick, the bite site should be disinfected and go to the nearest emergency room, where laboratory diagnostics will be performed. The main purpose of the examination is to determine whether the insect is a carrier of infections.

Early prevention of tick-borne infections

After assessing the duration of contact with the tick in the emergency room, the doctor may suggest the administration of immunoglobulin to prevent the risk of tick-borne encephalitis. This remedy is also used to treat an already diagnosed infection. However, foreign doctors do not share this practice and find it controversial.

However, the most reliable method of preventing tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination. However, it must be carried out 1.5-2 months before the start of the “tick season”, which begins in April and continues until November in the warm regions of the Russian Federation.

To prevent Lyme disease, antibiotics from the tetracycline group can be prescribed, but only if contact with the insect lasted no more than a day and there are no contraindications.

Bed bug bite

Bed bugs parasitize with the same activity regardless of the time of year, since they live in a person’s home. Comfortable temperature for normal life of bedbugs is 20-28 degrees Celsius. Parasites feed exclusively on human blood, so they form nests in the room where a person sleeps.

Nutritional Features

An adult female feeds once every 10 days. Larvae of different generations almost every other day. Bed bugs tend to bite periodically due to their feeding habits. However, if the premises are heavily infested, signs of an attack appear almost every day.

Bedbug bite

Appearance

It is almost impossible to distinguish between a mosquito bite and a bedbug bite externally. Swelling, redness, a small dark spot in the center of dried blood. However, the itching is much stronger, and the location of the bites has a certain sequence.

The female drinks about 7 ml of blood during one meal; the meal lasts about 20 minutes. During this time, the insect bites several times, at a short distance. Characteristic traces remain in the form of a path, and the blisters themselves are placed in pairs. This is the main sign of how to recognize the presence of bed bugs in the house.

Another difference is that bedbug bites are much more painful, heal more slowly, and the itching lasts for several days. The final restoration of the skin, without the addition of a secondary infection and the development of severe allergies, occurs within a week.

Tick ​​bite

Tick ​​bite
Ticks are active in the warm season, spending most of their time in the grass, trees, and bushes. When it comes into contact with a person’s body, it looks for places with thin skin. Tick ​​bites are found in the groin area, armpits, stomach, chest, neck, head, ears, and lower back.

During the normal reaction of the body to an insect attack, a slight swelling, redness, and a dark dot in the center appears at the puncture site. The bite differs from a mosquito bite by a larger area of ​​redness and less swelling. Itching does not always occur. In the place where discomfort is felt, you can find a protruding abdomen of the insect. It is necessary to carefully remove the tick with tweezers, thread, or seek help from a medical facility.

Differences between bedbug bites and bites of other insects (fleas, mosquitoes, lice)

Bedbug bite

In most cases, bedbug bites are misdiagnosed as scabies or an allergy to something. But there are significant differences between a bedbug bite and an allergic reaction.

• The redness from the bite is not continuous, it is located in a path.
• The allergic rash is spread over the entire surface of the body, and not in any individual open areas.
• The bite mark, as a rule, does not change over time; the size, color and shape of the allergy rash can change quite quickly.
• Other family members did not notice anything suspicious on their skin, unlike the victim.

If you carefully compare the photo of a bug bite and an allergic reaction that occurred for another reason, you can find significant differences. When bitten, the redness is not continuous, it is located in a path or islands. The skin rash is different in that it does not have such pronounced swelling as is caused by bug bites, but the skin turns red at the site of the rash in a continuous manner.

It is important to remember that sometimes allergies manifest themselves to the bites of house bugs themselves. Mosquito bite

Mosquito bite

Where can I buy

“Russian Roots” is an online store where you can buy ready-made remedies for mosquito bites, ticks, midges and other insects, as well as ingredients for their preparation. Our products can also be purchased in herbal pharmacies in Moscow. Delivery in Moscow and the Moscow region is provided by couriers. For delivery throughout the country we use postal services. Call and order traditional medicine for insect bites in our online store!

Attention! All materials published on our website are protected by copyright. When re-publishing, attribution and a link to the original source are required.

How to distinguish bedbug bites from fleas?

Fleas are not direct parasites of humans, but can attack them in the absence of animals that serve as a source of food for them. Infected animals bring insects into the room.

There is also a type of bed flea that lives in soft, linty coverings and attacks humans in sleeping areas. During one feeding, the flea bites a person 2-3 times. The main signs of flea bites:

1. they are located on the lower part of the human body, during sleep - on the arms and neck (in places where the skin is especially delicate and thin). Bedbug bites are located all over the body;
2. visually resemble a raised spot, the puncture mark in the center is hardly noticeable, located in small groups in contrast to the multiple, pronounced, swollen tubercles from punctures of bed bloodsuckers, formed into characteristic paths;
3. Due to the lack of specific anesthetic enzymes in the saliva of fleas, their attacks are extremely painful and very itchy. A bug bite is not felt directly, but a flea bite resembles an injection.
4. the bites of these parasites can cause severe allergic reactions.

Types of ticks

Currently, scientists know more than 50 thousand varieties. Their diversity is so great that they have colonized all continents and climate zones. But still the main habitats are forests and meadows. Different species lead different lifestyles from each other. Among them there are predators, saprophytes, parasites, pests for plants, animals and people. But not all representatives are dangerous to humans; most of them feed on decaying organisms.

Most often, the size of the bloodsucker starts from 1 mm and does not exceed 3 mm, but there are exceptions. The Guinness Book of Records records the following cases:

• The largest can reach a length of 30 mm - ixodidae (lxodidae).
• The smallest ones do not exceed 0.08 mm - acariform (Acarina).

Tick-borne parasites are effective carriers of pathogens of infectious diseases, the range of diseases of which depends on the area and the species origin of the pest. Different individuals have their own characteristics: some never attack a person, others only in rare and exceptional cases, and for others, a person is a habitual victim. The following families mainly attack people and animals:

• Ixodidae (Ixodidae),
• Gamasoidea,
• Red beetles (Trombidiidae),
• Argasidae.

Not dangerous for humans and animals:

• Barn (Acarina),
• Aquatic (Hydracarina),
• Armored (Oribatida),
• Arachnoids (Tetranychidae).

Pests that can parasitize inside the human body for a long time:

• Subcutaneous,
• Ciliary,
• ear,
• Scabies.

Who can become a victim of bedbugs

House bugs feed exclusively on human blood. They cannot pierce the skin of pets; birds are a rare exception. Parasites essentially don’t care whose blood they feed on. They are not picky about a person’s gender, status, or age. But if they are given a choice of whom to bite, then bedbugs choose the skin of women and children. Since it is thinner in comparison with the male one and the capillaries are located closely. Parasites attack men less readily; it’s just that the body of the stronger sex is not so susceptible to their bites. Therefore, there is often an opinion that bedbugs do not bite all people.

When family members sleep in different rooms, it may seem that one of the family members has gained special love from bedbugs due to the fact that only he is subject to attack by bloodsuckers. There is only one explanation for this selectivity. The sleeping place where the “pet” spends the night is infected with parasites, and they simply have not reached the rest of the rooms. But if you do not take measures to exterminate domestic bedbugs, then in a short time they will spread throughout the entire apartment.

Bites on the body

It is also a mistaken belief that bedbugs have a preference for a certain blood type. According to statistics, the number of people with blood groups 1 and 2 prevails over those with rare groups, so it may seem that parasites are selective about their blood group.

How do bedbugs bite?

It is known that the activity of these parasites is concentrated at night and early morning hours, i.e. in the dark, when a person sleeps especially soundly. People notice the bites themselves only in the morning.

If your living space is heavily infested with bedbugs, hungry insects can bite not only at night, but also during the day, although this is not typical for them. Therefore, the faster you get rid of bed bugs, the faster you can be calm in your apartment.

The sensation of bed bug bites is often subjective and individual. For example, women and children most often complain about bites. Their skin is thinner and softer, therefore, the blood vessels are located closer, which attracts the bug.

Adult men are less sensitive to bites, and sometimes they may not notice them at all. Rumors that bedbugs bite people selectively, and especially those who are carriers of certain blood groups, are erroneous. Bedbugs bite everyone, but the reaction to a bite varies from person to person. So, there is no connection between the frequency of bedbug bites and a person’s blood type.

Any blood-sucking insect has its own feeding habits. Bed bugs are no exception. There are many specific details in how bedbugs bite. The oral apparatus of bedbugs is of the piercing-sucking type, has the appearance of a segmented proboscis on the top of the head and is adapted to sucking out liquid substances. For example, mosquitoes simply stick their proboscis into the skin, while bedbugs have two pairs of jaws, thanks to which they feed.

But let's return to how the bug bites. As mentioned above, there are two channels in the bug’s proboscis that allow it to feed and even remain unpunished for some time. One channel is for sucking the victim’s blood, the second is for introducing saliva into the bite, which contains a substance that plays the role of an anesthetic.

Thus, the bug leaves 3-5 bites on the body, during which it sucks up to 7 µl of blood. Usually such a meal lasts a bug for 7-10 days. But a lot depends on the number of these insects in the room. If an area is densely populated by these parasites, then in the morning a person can count up to 500 bites on his body!

Months of tick activity

Ticks parasitize in nature from the beginning of April to the end of September, but their greatest activity in the area of ​​our country is observed from April to July. From the second half of summer and into autumn, the chance of a parasite attack decreases, but the likelihood of developing a serious disease after a possible bite increases - due to the accumulation of a greater concentration of infection in the body of the pest.

The awakening of tick-borne bloodsuckers occurs gradually and geographically unevenly. The most obvious harbinger of the appearance of pests is a stable temperature above 10 degrees. In warm, sunny areas, parasites can wake up much earlier than the allotted time for a particular area.

Ticks really don’t like too hot or very rainy weather, so during this period of time their activity noticeably decreases.

During a day with favorable weather conditions, the greatest aggressiveness is observed in the morning, from 8 to 11 a.m., and in the evening, from 5 to 8 p.m.

On cloudy days and during warm rain, their ability to attack does not change and remains approximately at the same level as in good weather.

Tick ​​prevention products

There are 3 types of prophylactic agents:

1. Repellent (scaring),
2. Acaricidal (killing),
3. Insecticidal-repellent (combined action - killing and repellent).

Not everything presented in stores is safe. And since we will be applying the drug to ourselves and our clothes, it is very important that it does not harm our health.

We described in detail what substances should be avoided in insect repellents In it you will also find a selection of natural repellents that are suitable for use by the whole family.

Most natural repellents are made with essential oils. They are absolutely harmless for human use, but not at all attractive and even frightening to blood-sucking parasites.

Essential oils for tick prevention:

• tea tree,
• eucalyptus,
• mint,
• lemon
• juniper,
• pink tree,
• thyme,
• grapefruit,
• Texas cedar,
• geranium,
• carnation
• rosemary,
• lavender,
• hit,
• palmarosa.

Most often, one or more of these essential oils can be found in anti-tick formulations. But such a drug can be made at home with your own hands. Based on essential oils, alcohol and water, you will get an excellent spray that will repel not only ticks, but also other parasitic and blood-sucking pests.

Why are bites dangerous?

Couch bugs only attack people. There is no relationship between parasite attacks and a person’s gender or age. Insects equally readily feed on the blood of men, women, children, and the elderly. Children's and women's skin is thinner, so bites appear more noticeable on it. This gives the impression that parasites prefer to bite women and children. The consequences of bed bug bites are associated with the action of their saliva and damage to the skin. Parasites do not carry any infectious diseases. Their saliva contains substances that cause angioedema or anaphylactic shock in such a person.

Common negative consequences of bedbug bites on the body include:

• aesthetic defect;
• itching, pain;
• skin infection due to constant scratching.

severe itching from the bite

With multiple bed bug infestations, the temperature rises and body aches appear. If insects frequently bite children or elderly people, they develop anemia due to blood loss.

Another characteristic sign is a change in psycho-emotional state. The very fact of the presence of bedbugs in the apartment causes irritation. Constant insect attacks, persistent itching, red spots on the skin - all this makes a person nervous and restless. Sleep is disturbed - people are afraid to fall asleep, expecting another bedbug attack. Performance suffers, children perform worse at school.

Do other species bite?

Bedbug bites are similar to those from other blood-sucking insects, including members of the bedbug family. They can bite:

• water scorpions - do not feed on blood, bite for protective purposes;
• smoothies also live in water and bite in defense;
• triatomas - cause a dangerous disease, but live only in the tropics.

The marks from their attacks are single, painful, and look like a blister with swelling around it. When bitten by domestic bed bugs, the marks are multiple and arranged in a chain.

Mosquito and midge bites

These insects are distributed everywhere: within the city, in forests, and swampy areas and the banks of reservoirs are their favorite habitat.

It is no secret that mosquitoes and midges “eat” some people and practically do not touch others. This behavior has given rise to theories that mosquitoes are attracted to or repelled by certain odors. Actually this is not true.

The strong smell of sweat can to some extent repel insects, but they find the “victim” according to a different principle - by body temperature. The more it contrasts against the general background, the greater the likelihood of bites. So mosquitoes do not like “smelling” ones, but “warm-blooded” ones.

The theory that mosquitoes and midges prefer people suffering from hypertension, as well as with anatomical features of the location of blood vessels, has not found any scientific confirmation. The theory that mosquitoes love a certain blood type was also not confirmed.

The only theory that has practical significance, and even that is not always confirmed, is that the smell of nicotine repels mosquitoes. Many smokers really avoid insects, but there are always exceptions to the rules.

There is no scientific evidence on how mosquitoes select prey or whether they can be selective in their choice.

Symptoms and possible consequences of mosquito bites

Swelling and itching appear after the bite of any insect, and based on the characteristics of these symptoms, you can even figure out the culprit. If the swelling is localized, accompanied by redness and itching, then you can blame midges and mosquitoes.

The most likely consequences include the formation of infiltrates. The fact is that the components of the saliva of some insects are persistent, and the body cannot eliminate them. Such consequences are often formed after the bite of mosquitoes, midges, horse flies and some types of flies.

The cause of the appearance of infiltrates - compactions on the skin - can be scratching. Damage to the skin due to vigorous scratching of itchy areas opens the “gate of entry” for infection. Therefore, you need to try very hard not to itch after a mosquito bite. Sometimes treatment with an antiseptic helps, and antihistamines that relieve itching also have a good effect.

How to protect yourself from mosquito and midge bites: repellents

Repellents are popular means of protecting against insects. They often contain pyrethrins/pyrethroids, a group of natural insecticides that come from flowers in the Asteraceae family. But recently, synthetic analogues of natural components, which have a greater degree of protection, are increasingly being used.

Pyrethroids are synthetic analogues that are merciless to insects, but safe for humans. Our protection systems easily cope with their removal. The following types of pyrethroids may be included in the composition:

• Prallethrin: non-toxic, non-irritating to the skin.
• Allethrin is safe only if the rules of use are followed. May be toxic if inhaled and overdosed.
• Transflythrin is non-toxic.
• DEET is safe when used according to instructions.

Repellents disrupt the nerve conduction of the insect, and depending on the concentration of the active substance, the effects can extend to humans. Therefore, if the package says to apply to outerwear, this recommendation should be strictly followed! When used correctly, repellents are safe and effective. By the way, some products protect not only from mosquitoes and midges, but even from ticks.

Alternative to repellents

In addition to pharmaceutical products, folk remedies, for example, essential oils, will help protect against mosquitoes and midges. Insects are repelled by strong odors. Among all the remedies, the most effective ones can be identified: essential oils of mint, tea tree, basil, eucalyptus and anise. These oils can be added to skincare products and applied to the skin, or used as aromatherapy medallions.

To create protective agents against mosquitoes, you can also use herbal remedies:

• Catnip.
• Elderberry.
• Tomato leaves.
• Garlic and basil.

These plants need to be ground and added to skincare products. However, think about how your skin will smell if your cream smells like garlic and you, for example, are getting ready for work or on a date.

Stinging insect bites

Being stung by a wasp, bee or hornet is a common problem that accompanies summer holidays anywhere in the world. You can meet them at the dacha, picnic, in the forest, in a clearing or forest edge... In response to the introduction of insect venom, the body launches a chain of sequential reactions and releases inflammatory mediators, for example, histamine.

This explains the pronounced swelling, redness, pain and other characteristic symptoms. For allergy sufferers, bee stings are dangerous and can lead to serious allergic reactions, such as angioedema or even anaphylaxis. If first aid is not provided, the consequences can be fatal.

(c) Pixabay

IT IS IMPORTANT!

Anaphylactic shock (anaphylaxis) is an immediate allergic reaction and a condition that threatens the patient’s life when minutes count.

The reaction develops immediately after an allergen, that is, insect venom, enters the body. First symptoms:

• Restlessness, anxiety.
• Headache, tinnitus.
• Dizziness.
• General weakness.
• Compression in the chest.
• Labored breathing.
• Shortness of breath, turning into suffocation.

All of these symptoms develop within seconds and progress rapidly. In the absence of timely assistance, heart failure develops, tachycardia appears, and blood pressure decreases. As a result, the person loses consciousness, convulsions may form and death may occur.

First aid:

1.
Remove the sting and stop the action of the allergen.
2.
Lay the person down so that the legs are higher than the head.
3.
Constantly monitor pulse, blood pressure, breathing.
4.
Inject a 0.1% solution of adrenaline - 0.13-0.3 ml - into the bite site.
Every 15 minutes, administer additionally at the rate of 0.01 ml/kg body weight. 5.
Provide oxygen access.
6.
Hospitalize the patient after minimal stabilization of his condition on site, with subsequent treatment.

How to avoid encounters with stinging insects?

It is impossible to completely eliminate contact with stinging insects. But following these rules will reduce this likelihood:

• Avoid brightly colored clothing that attracts insects.
• Do not use perfumes or deodorants with a strong smell, especially floral ones.
• Use caution in areas where fruit grows.
• Be careful on picnics, especially when eating.
• Install mosquito nets on windows and use fumigators.
• Remove flowering plants from balconies and windows as they may attract the attention of bees and wasps.
• When walking in parks and on picnics, do not take off your shoes.
• People who are allergic to insect bites should always have a first aid kit with them.

How to cope with symptoms?

You can relieve itching, irritation and pain with the help of pharmaceutical products. Home remedies that are available to everyone are good for relieving symptoms and stopping inflammation:

• Cold, or better yet ice, applied to the bite site.
• Compress with vinegar, lemon juice.
• Baking soda diluted with water in a ratio of 3 to 1.
• Parsley juice (you can simply chew the leaves and apply to the bite site).
• Essential oil of lavender and tea tree.

Getting rid of and treating bedbug bites

In most cases, treatment for bedbug bites is not required. Any symptoms of the bite disappear within 1-2 days. If the bite site hurts and itches, you can treat it with antibacterial soap or alcohol.

Also, folk methods of getting rid of bites include:

• Ice. Relieves swelling well.
• Alcohol. Treat the bite site with a piece of cotton wool or bandage soaked in alcohol.
• Aloe juice or plantain leaves.
• A decoction of chamomile and St. John's wort.
• Baking soda solution. Wipe the bite with a highly concentrated solution.
• Grated garlic. It should be applied to the wound for a while.
• Pink lotion. It will help dry the bite area well.
• Potato. Apply to the bite.

You can also use any soothing ointment: Afloderm, Psilo-balm, Menovazin, etc. Tsindol helps well - it is a healing suspension that is effective for skin damage.

Consequences

In principle, a bug bite in itself does not pose any particular health hazard. There is currently no evidence that these insects carry infections. However, the consequences can be quite serious: • Individual reactions of the body. In some people, allergic reactions to bedbugs can be severe, which is manifested by the formation of significant swelling, the appearance of a rash, runny nose and other symptoms.

• Possible infection. The results of the “night hunt” of bedbugs cause an itching sensation, which provokes scratching with damage to the skin, and scratches on the skin favor infection. In this case, a serious inflammatory reaction may develop, requiring long-term treatment.

• Psychological trauma. The awareness that insects crawl on your body at night drinking blood does not contribute to restful sleep.

Prevention

Having discovered signs of bites on the body, you need to try to determine which insects caused their appearance. Photos depicting the characteristic symptoms of bites will help with this. Once it becomes clear that bed bugs are the cause of the damage, you must immediately take measures to completely exterminate them. There is no other way to avoid new bites.

How can you exterminate bedbugs in your home? There are two ways:

• Use the services of exterminators; • Treat the premises with aerosols yourself. The first option should be chosen if the room is heavily contaminated. Professionals use the most effective means to kill bedbugs, which are prohibited for use in everyday life. But if there is no opportunity to turn to professionals, or the contamination of the premises is minor, then you can deal with the problem yourself. To do this, you will need to purchase a chemical product (it is better to choose a specialized one, created specifically to combat bedbugs) and carry out the treatment in accordance with the instructions given in the instructions.

Bedbug bite

Bed bugs function equally actively, regardless of the seasonal period. They settle close to humans - the main source of food. The optimal conditions for their life are temperature within 20-30 °C. They form nests mainly near a sleeping person - in sofas, beds, armchairs.

Bloodsuckers crawl out to hunt at night - from 3 to 7 am. They follow the scent of a sleeping victim, focusing on calm breathing. Since when they bite they release an anesthetic substance, the person does not immediately feel anything.

An adult female parasite feeds once every 7-9 days, larvae - daily. Due to this feature, bites on the body appear periodically. This makes it difficult to timely detect pests indoors. But with mass infection, bloodsuckers begin to feed more often. An adult spends about 20 minutes to satiate, nymphs get drunk in 2-3 minutes.

In one go, the mosquito needs to drink up to 7 ml of fresh blood. Since this does not succeed at first, the parasite crawls away and makes a second attempt. There can be up to 25 such injections, at a distance of 1-4 cm. Therefore, the trail looks like a chain. Since parasites go out hunting in groups, a person can get up to 500 bites per night.

The bug is equipped with a special proboscis with a sharp tip. When punctured, the anesthetic is released with saliva. While the victim does not feel anything, he sucks the blood. The result is a bulge with a red dot in the middle. For allergy sufferers, such attacks can cause serious consequences: urticaria, Quincke's edema and even anaphylactic shock.

The resulting severe itching cannot be relieved by anything. Sometimes you have to resort to pharmaceuticals.

Diseases transmitted by ticks

It has been established that pathogens are concentrated in the abdomen of the pest, and the source of the disease is the salivary glands. And therefore, if a tick is infected with an infection, then when it sucks blood with saliva, it will certainly transfer it into the blood of a person or animal. That is why it is very important to remove the attached enemy as early as possible in order to prevent infection.

Tick-borne infections have varying severity of disease, since their carriers are capable of infecting with pathogenic microorganisms, viruses, bacteria and protozoa. Ticks are also intermediate hosts of some helminths and mechanical carriers of dermatobiasis pathogens. For our country, it is the ixodid species that pose a threat, which is the main source of the most common tick-borne diseases.

But even bites from uninfected individuals cause consequences such as skin lesions and sometimes cause paralysis. The first signs of a bite are: increased temperature, fever, weakness, migraine, skin irritation, muscle and joint pain. The most common and dangerous diseases transmitted by ticks:

1. Tick-borne viral encephalitis.
2. Tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease).
3. Tick-borne monocytic ehrlichiosis.
4. Granulocytic anaplasmosis.
5. Tularemia.

Tick-borne viral encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis is an acute infectious viral disease, the essence of which is damage to the brain. This disease is recognized as the most dangerous and widespread that ixodid ticks can carry. The causative agent of the infection is an arbovirus, which is transmitted when a parasite bites along with its saliva contaminated with the virus.

There is another route of infection - consumption of raw milk of artiodactyl animals, whose pastures are in the habitat of pests. The incubation period takes mainly 10-14 days, in some cases it can reach 60 days. The onset of the disease is acute and is characterized by a sharp increase in temperature to 38 or 39 degrees. Other symptoms:

• chills,
• headache,
• lethargy,
• brokenness,
• mild lower back pain,
• temperature increase,
• redness of the skin and mucous membranes,
• nausea and vomiting,
• muscle weakness,
• numbness of the skin of the face and neck.

Susceptibility to the disease and the course of the disease varies from person to person. The duration of blood sucking and the presence of the parasite on the human body is of great importance. The earlier it is detected and removed, the less likely it is that the virus will enter the victim’s body. Treatment:

In the first 72 hours after an encephalitis tick bite, it is recommended to carry out special treatment, which consists of administering anti-tick immunoglobulin.

Also in the medical institution there are preventive vaccinations that can be done before a possible bite and the onset of the disease.

There is no specific treatment for this disease; doctors resort only to supportive therapy.

The prognosis for tick-borne encephalitis depends on the degree of damage to the nervous system and the form of the disease:

• Febrile is a mild form in which all patients, as a rule, fully recover.
• Meningeal - the average form, which is accompanied by positive dynamics, but in advanced stages persistent neurological consequences can occur in the form of constant headaches and chronic migraines.
• Focal is a severe form, the most unfavorable prognosis among all. Mortality statistics are: 30 people per 100 cases. Complications of this form are the occurrence of persistent paralysis, convulsive syndrome, and decreased mental abilities.

The consequences of the disease in certain cases are problems associated with the central nervous system and cognitive impairment. The most common complications include:

• cerebral edema,
• onset of coma,
• cerebral hemorrhages,
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract,
• epilepsy,
• breathing disorders,
• cardiac dysfunction,
• infectious-toxic myocarditis,
• loss of consciousness
• deterioration of vision and hearing.

The worst thing is that with deep disorders, the restoration of motor function in patients occurs to an insufficient extent. In this case, there are two outcomes of events: either they remain disabled for life, or they die. The fatal outcome for Russian spring-summer tick-borne encephalitis is 25%, and for European tick-borne encephalitis - 5%.

Tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease)

Tick-borne borreliosis is a disease that can occur in a long-term and chronic form. As the disease spreads, many organs are affected, such as the heart, skin, joints, nervous system, eyes, ears, liver, spleen and lymph nodes. The infection is transmitted through the bite of an Ixodid tick or through contaminated milk. Borrelia is the same bacterium that, when it enters the body, is the main cause of the disease.

The incubation period ranges from 2 to 35 days, but its average duration is 2 weeks.

In a short time, the blood carries Borrelia to various organs, where inflammation begins to develop. It is very important to start treating the disease as early as possible. This will help shorten the duration of poor health and prevent the development of later stages of the disease.

Symptoms:

• headache,
• muscle weakness,
• drowsiness,
• fatigue,
• muscle pain,
• increase in body temperature,
• chills,
• nausea and vomiting,
• itching or burning at the site of the bite,
• red round spots on the body.

Symptoms may last for 2 months. The appearance of red round spots, usually ring-shaped, occurs 3-30 days after a tick bite and is the main sign of borreliosis. Although medicine knows cases in which redness of the skin does not appear at all. This option complicates the recognition of the disease and its subsequent treatment.

The standard course of treatment is antibiotics. But if you skip treatment at an early stage, you can get a severe painful condition that will torment a person for the rest of his life.

Possible consequences:

• loss of motor activity,
• decreased sensitivity,
• facial nerve damage
• blurred vision,
• hearing loss,
• circulatory disorders,
• inflammation in the joints,
• memory disorders,
• meningitis,
• chronic neurological syndromes.

A positive outcome of the disease largely depends on timely seeking medical help and the correctness of subsequent treatment of the infection. Incorrectly chosen therapy or an advanced stage of the disease are difficult to further treat. And they may well result in disability or even death of the patient.

Tick-borne monocytic ehrlichiosis

Monocytic ehrlichiosis is a pathogenic disease caused by the penetration of ehrlichia. These pathogenic bacteria, entering the human body, begin to spread throughout the cardiac system and, together with the movement of blood, infect it. As their number increases, multiple nodular inflammations of an infectious nature are formed, which can affect internal organs. Reproduction takes place at the intracellular level.

The development of acute and chronic foci of inflammation of a bacterial nature impairs the activity of important parts of the body. Primarily affected are the bone marrow, liver, heart, vascular and nervous systems. Ehrlichia can parasitize inside a person for several months, and if left untreated, the disease becomes chronic. Most often, the disease begins after a bite from a parasite of the ixodid family. But it can be spread by domesticated and wild animals that have been bitten by blood-sucking pests.

Symptoms:

• increase in body temperature to 37-39 degrees,
• general physical weakness,
• chronic fatigue syndrome,
• fever,
• chills,
• the appearance of red rashes on the surface of the skin,
• loss of appetite,
• nausea and vomiting,
• diarrhea,
• rapid loss of body weight.

The average duration of the incubation period ranges from 1 to 21 days, depending on the patient’s immunity. The first pronounced signs of a painful condition appear 2-3 weeks after infection.

Therapy for tick-borne ehrlichiosis involves systemic administration of antibacterial drugs, the active components of which disrupt the infectious activity of pathogenic microorganisms. Subsequent hospitalization in a hospital with subsequent medical supervision is possible. With proper treatment and timely access to a medical facility, the disease can be completely eliminated within 2-3 weeks.

Possible consequences:

• development of a severe form of tick-borne monocytic ehrlichiosis,
• breathing disorder,
• changes in blood composition,
• disruption of the central nervous system,
• formation of cysts and tumors,
• cranial nerve palsy,
• epilepsy,
• bacterial meningitis,
• bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract,
• inflammation of the spinal cord.

Granulocytic anaplasmosis

Granulocytic anaplasmosis is an infectious disease for which anaplasma is responsible. This bacterium is an intracellular microorganism that penetrates the human blood and spreads with it to all organs. As infection progresses, the body's immune response to resistance to infection weakens, and inflammatory processes develop in many internal systems. The course of the disease is accompanied by general symptoms of intoxication.

The main carriers of the disease in nature are wild rodents, but in an urban environment these can be dogs, mice, horses and other animals. But all of them do not threaten human life, since the disease is not transmitted through a bite. The main route of infection is blood-sucking by the ixodid tick, which transmits the virus to the wound through the salivary glands. The onset of the disease is expressed by a sudden and sharp change in body temperature.

Symptoms:

• elevated temperature,
• the appearance of chills,
• malaise,
• migraine,
• muscle pain,
• nausea and vomiting,
• stomach ache,
• lowering blood pressure,
• heaviness in the right hypochondrium,
• tickling and cough.

The incubation period takes from 3 days to 3 weeks, but, as a rule, makes itself felt within 14 days. The onset of granulocytic anaplasmosis is acute and is accompanied by a general deterioration in health.

Most often, the disease passes in a mild stage; many patients tolerate it calmly, mistaking it for a common cold or intestinal disorder. Treatment by a doctor once a diagnosis has been established includes etiotropic antibacterial drugs, symptomatic and pathogenetic agents. Hospitalization is required in 30% of cases, more often in pregnant women and young children.

In the vast majority of cases, this disease has a favorable prognosis. The fatality rate is no more than one percent. Any complications are extremely rare. May be:

• infectious-toxic shock,
• secondary damage to the lungs and heart,
• neurological disorders,
• renal failure,
• acute respiratory failure,
• liver failure,
• pneumonia,
• hepatitis,
• meningoencephalitis,
• intestinal and stomach bleeding.

Tularemia

Tularemia is a focal infectious disease that occurs in an acute form. The disease is accompanied by general signs of intoxication and affects the lymph nodes. The infection can also affect the skin, lungs and mucous membranes of the eyes.

The causative agent of the disease is an aerobic rod bacterium, which is a fairly tenacious microorganism. The source of infection is ixodid pests, but you can also get sick through contact with sick animals, as well as through consumption of contaminated food and water.

The incubation period varies from one day to a month, but most often does not exceed 3-7 days. Symptoms:

• prolonged fever
• polymorphic rash,
• high body temperature,
• weakness,
• muscle pain,
• headache,
• facial hyperemia,
• enlarged lymph nodes,
• skin rash,
• low blood pressure.

Therapy for tularemia involves taking antibacterial drugs, using detoxification therapy, and surgically opening the festering areas. Medical activities take place only in an infectious diseases hospital; discharge is made after complete recovery.

Possible complications:

• secondary pneumonia,
• development of infectious-toxic shock,
• meningitis and meningoencephalitis,
• inflammation of the cardiac system,
• arthritis.

After suffering tularemia, a person has strong immunity for life.

What do bedbug bites look like?

Bed bug bites are similar in appearance to mosquito bites. If bloodsuckers leave a lot of marks, they can be confused with chickenpox, scabies or allergic dermatitis. Especially if bedbug bites are found in children. However, damage to the skin by bloodsuckers has some specific signs. What do bedbug bites look like on humans:

1. The mark left after house bugs bite is a swelling with a protruding bump and a clear outline.
2. Characteristic tracks of red bumps appear on the body. As a rule, the bloodsucker does not get by with one puncture, but bites through the skin in several places. Usually a trail of 3-5 bites remains on the body, the interval between swellings is 2-4 centimeters. Since bloodsuckers feed collectively, up to several dozen tracks can be found on the body.
3. Traces appear after waking up; during sleep, a person does not feel how the harmful bug is sucking out blood.
4. There may be blood spots on the bed. These traces remain when insects sucking blood are crushed during turning over.
5. Bloodsuckers are nocturnal; during the day they hide in warm and secluded places. The only reason that can force insects to go hunting during daylight hours is prolonged hunger.
6. The places where the bloodsucker left its mark begin to itch, and a burning sensation is felt along with the itching. The skin's reaction directly depends on the thickness and proximity of the capillary network. Therefore, more distinct spots remain on the face and neck and cause more concern than in other places.

We figured out what bedbug bites look like, but besides these bloodsuckers, other pests can also bite in bed.

How to find out which insect bit you: a bug or a mosquito

Features of bites:

• Externally, if it is summer time, then it is quite difficult to distinguish the bites of these bloodsuckers. Especially if there are a large number of flying insects in the house or you accidentally fell asleep in nature. In this case, a decent number of red, raised spots will appear on the body, which are characteristic of a mosquito bite. But if you notice such bites in the winter, you should think about it, because there is a very small chance that in winter it will be mosquitoes flying in your room, and not bedbugs.
• As for mosquito bites, these bloodsuckers usually bite in places not covered by clothing, that is, bare. Bedbugs are much more agile; they can bite places that are under clothing. Because they do not fly, but crawl, and can crawl anywhere, including under clothing, even if it fits quite tightly to the body. Accordingly, if you wake up in the morning and find red spots that are under thick clothing, most likely you were bitten by bedbugs, not mosquitoes.
• Another distinctive feature of bedbug infestation is the presence of severe itching. When they bite, they break through the skin. To ensure that the victim does not feel the bite and cannot throw off the parasite, they secrete a special anesthetic that causes a very severe allergy. Therefore, 20-30 minutes after the bite, severe itching begins. The area may become swollen.
• Very often, young children scratch such lesions, thereby introducing a secondary infection, staphylococcal or streptococcal. Thus, a combined infection is obtained, which contains traces of allergies, as well as bacterial damage. Please note that mosquitoes, especially females, can be quite aggressive, so they buzz a lot and can land several times on the place from which they are driven away.
• In addition, bedbugs never bite into the skin with their jaws just once. To get enough, they need about 7 ml of blood. To obtain this amount of liquid, it is necessary to pierce the skin several times in different places. This creates a kind of trail of bites and red spots. In addition, such spots, unlike mosquito bites, have a pronounced apex, because the bug has massive and pronounced jaws that pierce the skin quite strongly. This leaves a blood clot on top, called a red spot, which usually resembles a wound after the skin is damaged by baking the blood.

Patterns of bites of various insects

How to protect yourself from bites

There is no effective bed bug repellent, so avoidance is your best defense. If there are already bedbugs in your bed, start a mortal battle with them. In the meantime, the outcome of the battle is not yet decided, you can use odors to prevent bedbug bites.

You can protect yourself from bloodsucker bites by applying clove or lavender essential oil diluted with either coconut oil or olive oil to your skin, focusing on your arms, legs, and neck. Although there is no guarantee that essential oil will provide you with 100 percent protection from bedbugs and their bites, it will still be some kind of attempt to repel them.

Mosquitoes

Why is a bite dangerous?

Mosquito bites are an unpleasant thing. But, in addition to causing unpleasant itching, they can also cause serious illnesses. So, a Ukrainian mosquito can “give” you dirofilariasis. This disease manifests itself in the form of a subcutaneous lump similar to a lipoma. It can migrate throughout the body and even appear in the eyeball. If the problem is not resolved in time, inflammation in the soft tissues may develop, and an abscess may form. In addition, if a mosquito in front of you drank blood from a dog that has toxocariasis, it can easily transmit this disease to you. Toxocara are worms. They can settle in the lungs and cause a painful cough.

How to protect yourself from bites

Don't give mosquitoes a chance to enter your home. There must be a mosquito net on the windows. If they do fly into your apartment and you forgot to buy an anti-mosquito device, set a trap for them. Place a piece of yeast in a bottle half filled with water. Having fermented, they will begin to release carbon dioxide, and mosquitoes will flock to it and drown.

Before a walk, it is better to treat your skin with repellents that contain DEET. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control recommend using DEET-based repellents (DETT or diethyltoluamide) at a concentration of 10-30% for babies over two months of age. DEET is quite old (it was discovered back in 1944) and therefore a well-studied repellent, which is considered the safest for children. It doesn't kill insects, but it does a good job of repelling them from exposed skin.

Children from two years of age are allowed to use products with picaridin at a concentration of 5-10% and IR35335 (here you need to carefully read the age restrictions on the packaging). These repellents are similar in effect to DEET, but repel insects and protect against bites for a longer time.

Repellents that contain oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-methane-diol (PMD) are strictly not suitable for children under three years of age.

The smell of essential oils also repels mosquitoes. For example, citronella, soybean and peppermint. But before you apply them to your skin, you need to check whether they will cause allergies in you or your child. To do this, you need to apply a drop of oil to your wrist and observe what the reaction will be.

What to do if you are bitten by mosquitoes?

Soda solution lotions will help relieve itching. Mix baking soda with water to make a thick paste, and use a cotton swab to apply it to the bite area. You can wipe it with ammonia. This is in case there is no special gel or ointment in the first aid kit. If the bitten area is very swollen, you need to take an antihistamine.

How dangerous are bedbug bites?

As a rule, apart from itching and a constant desire to scratch the skin, bedbug bites do not pose any particular danger. Bed bugs, with the exception of tropical bedbugs, do not transmit diseases. However, for some particularly sensitive people they cause a lot of trouble.

The individual characteristics of the person who is bitten also influence health.

Some people develop serious reactions from bed bug bites.

Serious symptoms that require medical attention include:

• labored breathing
• fever
• feeling nauseous or flu
• swollen tongue
• arrhythmia

Living with bed bugs can cause additional health complications:

1. Increased chance of infection: due to damage to the surface of the skin.
2. Sleep deprivation: Waiting for bed bugs at night can be extremely stressful. Some people, out of fear, try to stay awake all night or get only superficial and restless sleep.
3. Decreased health. Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with feelings of depression, anxiety, general fatigue and decreased immune function. Misconceptions about bed bugs, especially misconceptions of bed bugs and lack of cleanliness, can add to depression and low self-esteem.

Bedbug bites in children

Bedbug bites on a child’s body deserve special attention; the skin instantly reacts to damage. Numerous redness, blisters, spots and itching appear. The photo shows what it looks like.

Danger of bites for children

There is an opinion that if a child does not have a strong allergic reaction to mosquitoes, then bedbugs will not cause much harm.

Redness is observed even on undamaged areas of the skin. In the center there is a compaction with a blood spot. An approximate picture in the photo.

Iron-deficiency anemia

With constant and numerous bites, a child loses blood. Thanks to the penetration of saliva and the analgesic substance of insects, the composition of the blood changes. This subsequently leads to anemia.

Anaphylactic shock

This reaction may occur in a child predisposed to allergies. There is severe swelling, loss of consciousness, and disruption of the functioning of internal organs.

Infection of bite sites

Bedbugs are not spreaders of infection. But from constant scratching of itchy places, open wounds and scratches appear. The infection penetrates through them. Treatment of a child for bedbug bites follows the same schedule as for adults. However, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the skin. If no improvement is observed, then do not postpone your visit to the doctor.

The difference between a bug bite and a mosquito bite

After waking up in the morning and discovering atypical red spots on yourself, it comes to mind that you have been bitten by mosquitoes. This is not surprising, since in appearance the marks resemble the consequences of mosquito attacks: red swellings that itch very much. It's just amazing how crowded they are.

The main differences between bedbug bites and mosquito bites include several characteristics:

Bedbugs prefer delicate and thin skin, so young women and children are at greater risk of being bitten. Men and older people are less susceptible to parasitic attacks. They attack in the room where they nest. When changing their place of sleep, they lose sight of the victim for several nights. But the respite does not last long. When a new location of the power source is discovered, they migrate next.

If there are no owners in the apartment for a long period, the parasites go into hibernation, which can last a year or more. As soon as they feel the spirit of a person, they come to life and begin to function with the same activity.

How mosquitoes bite

In mosquitoes, only females fly out to hunt, since their need for food increases after fertilization - feeding is necessary for the full development of eggs.
During the night, a mosquito is able to attack up to 20 times, if it has unhindered access to the victim. The female strives to get fully drunk in one go, which is twice her weight - 5 ml. Mosquitoes attack places that are not covered by anything: legs, arms, shoulders, neck, back. Even the scalp will not become an obstacle for them. The peak of activity occurs at dusk, but can also bite during the day. The marks remain on the body in a chaotic manner.

The mosquito pierces the skin, then injects a substance with saliva that prevents blood clotting. This makes the saturation process easier. A person feels a harmful attack instantly, due to the appearance of acute pain and burning. Literally after a couple of seconds a blister and redness appear, followed by itching.

The body reacts differently to a mosquito bite, but in most cases the signs are as follows:

• swellings, up to 5 mm in diameter;
• presence of swelling during the first 2 hours;
• disappearance of itching after alcohol treatment of the affected area;
• unpleasant symptoms disappear within a day on their own;
• the epidermis is quickly restored.

In people with a predisposition to allergies, symptoms are more pronounced and severe. Sometimes even medical intervention is required.

There is no systematic pattern in mosquito attacks - they can bite at night and retreat through an open window during the day. Bedbugs are a nuisance every day.

How to distinguish bedbug bites from allergies?

A characteristic feature of the parasite’s bites are tubercles with a puncture in the center, arranged in a chain. With severe lesions, bite marks may merge, forming red spots.

Skin manifestations of allergies are defined by red spots of a small rash with severe itching. They can be located in various places throughout the body. The rash is usually accompanied by additional manifestations of irritation of the mucous membrane - rhinitis, lacrimation, sore throat, swelling of the face.

The situation can be complicated by a person’s individual reaction to a bedbug attack - the anesthetic enzyme they secrete is a powerful allergen, to which the human body responds with a characteristic reaction:

• intolerable itching at the bite sites, their swelling and enlargement;
• redness of the skin, manifestations of urticaria;
• swelling of the mucous membranes, lacrimation, rhinitis;
• shortness of breath due to bronchospasm;
• Quincke's edema in especially severe cases;
• manifestations of anaphylactic shock.

With strong sensitivity, a strong reaction, especially in children, can be caused by single attacks, inhalation of traces of insect activity - excrement, chitinous powder.

Allergy symptoms

Urticaria, or urticaria, is characteristic of an immediate allergic reaction, and therefore occurs within a few minutes after contact with the allergen.

Photo: characteristic appearance of allergic urticaria

The symptomatic manifestations of urticaria are similar to those caused by a nettle sting or an insect bite. It is due to the identity of the type of rash that allergies are similar to mosquito bites. Below are the main symptoms indicating an allergy.

• With this condition, blisters appear on the skin throughout the body - small, dense, swollen, raised elements of a round or irregular shape that can merge with each other. Please note that the rash in this case also occurs in areas covered by clothing
• The blisters are pale pink in color, and the surrounding skin is normal or reddened. The rash is accompanied by severe itching.
• Unlike a bite mark, which can remain unchanged for a long time, the rash disappears without a trace after the cessation of exposure to the allergen.
• The allergic reaction disappears quite quickly or becomes symptomatic when taking antihistamines
• People around you do not have any symptoms of the rash.

Actually, allergic reactions also occur to mosquito bites and other insects (especially in children) and there are few of them that can be confused with.

Familiarize yourself with the characteristics and treatment of this allergy, as well as photographs of allergic reactions to mosquitoes and other midges.

How do bedbugs bite?

First define:

• Which area of ​​the body is affected (Under clothing or not, in what place near clothing.)
• Type and intensity of symptoms? (Bite size, redness, swelling, itching, pain, allergic reactions, shortness of breath?)
• Is it one bite or are there several or even many?
• Where did the attack take place? (outside or inside, summer or winter, day or night?)

Bedbug bites may initially be mistaken for bites from mosquitoes, midges, ticks or fleas. But in fact, they have a number of features that prevent them from being confused with other insect marks.

1. Bed bugs love to make their own personal paths on the skin. Their traces are arranged in a certain order. Bed bug bites may form a line or appear in a zigzag pattern. They follow each other. As they are sometimes called: breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner.
2. Bed bugs can bite anywhere on the body where there is skin. Typically in areas exposed during sleep, such as:

Almost all bed bug bites cause some degree of discomfort, usually itching and inflammation.

Other signs and symptoms of bedbug bites include:

1. burning painful sensation
2. raised, itchy bump with a distinct bite center
3. red itchy bump with a dark center and a lighter swollen surrounding area
4. small red bumps arranged in a zigzag or line pattern
5. small red bumps surrounded by blisters
6. papular rashes or areas of skin with raised or flat patches that may be inflamed

How to tell if a tick is biting you.

Mites are another pest that may end up in your home. Ticks are carriers of dangerous diseases.

Ticks belong to the class of arachnids. Ticks, like bedbugs, are parasites; they feed on the blood of birds and mammals.

There are three main families of ticks: Ixodid ticks, Argas ticks and Nuttalliellidae.

There are more than 700 species of ixodid ticks.

There are about 200 species of argasid mites. These ticks generally prefer to feed on bird blood rather than human blood.

Nuttalliellidae ticks have only one species, found in southern Africa.

Bedbugs and ticks both feed on blood, but that's where their similarities end.

Bed bugs are smaller in size, and ticks are larger in size. The red bite has a rounded spot on the surface of the skin, the shape is rarely oval or with jagged edges

Reaction to an insect bite

1. Ants Red ants are the worst of the worst. It’s not for nothing that they are called fiery, because their bite is equivalent to a fire burn. At the time of the bite, such an ant injects poison into the wound with a toxin that can cause a severe allergic reaction. Fortunately, this type of ant is not found in our latitudes, but it is worth knowing about the peculiarities of the bite of this exotic insect.

   We are more familiar with the red ant, whose bite resembles a mosquito bite. It also causes itching, redness and discomfort. The bite of one insect is not dangerous, but multiple bites can provoke an allergic reaction.

2. Fleas The cause of close contact between people and fleas is pets. Fleas are parasites that carry many diseases that are dangerous to humans. Flea bites can easily be confused with an allergic reaction or a mosquito bite. But if you are careful, you will notice that the flea leaves only one puncture at the site of the bite. The affected area swells, turns red and itches unbearably. Within a few days, the bite site may turn into a festering wound as the victim constantly scratches the affected area.
3. Ticks A tick bite is not accompanied by pain. Having attached itself to the human body, the tick is able to remain unnoticed for a long time. A round redness appears at the site of the bite. General symptoms after a tick bite appear only after a few hours. Headache, chills occur, body temperature rises, weakness and photophobia appear. If the parasite is detected in a timely manner, you need to get rid of it as soon as possible. If a tick remains unnoticed for a long time, you should immediately consult a doctor. Remember, ticks are parasites that carry infections dangerous to humans! The most common of them is tick-borne encephalitis.
4. Bees Bees do not tend to bite a person just like that, because the bite takes their life. However, no one is safe from an accidental bee sting. An insect attack is accompanied by sharp pain and burning. A tumor almost instantly appears at the site of the lesion, from which a bee’s sting protrudes.

   The skin turns red and a rash may develop around the affected area. In extreme cases, an allergic reaction to insect venom may occur, which is accompanied by swelling of the respiratory tract, convulsions and can even lead to death of the victim.

5. Hornets Hornets are true predators of the insect world; they are extremely dangerous to humans. When biting a person, the hornet is capable of inflicting several attacks in a row, while the sting remains with the insect. Unlike bees, hornets are not so wasteful with their venom, because they use it for hunting. The bite is accompanied by sharp pain, burning, redness and swelling. Bite areas in the face area swell the most. If medical care is not provided promptly, an allergic reaction can be fatal. A bite committed simultaneously by a large number of individuals is also dangerous to human life.
6. Mosquitoes A mosquito bite is not at all difficult to recognize, because it is often accompanied by an obsessive buzzing insect. It seems that in the summer you simply cannot escape from small pests! A mosquito bite causes minor itching and quickly disappearing inflammation. Just try to control yourself and not scratch the affected areas.
7. Spiders All spiders are poisonous to some extent, because poison is a weapon that helps them get food. So how can you tell a simple scratch from an arthropod bite? Most often the bite is painless, but sometimes a tingling sensation is felt. A white spot with reddened edges forms at the site of damage. After a few minutes, symptoms may increase, pain, cramps, and swelling occur. Sharp pain in the appendix area may indicate a karakurt bite. But, fortunately, in our latitudes there are no particularly dangerous species of arthropods.
8. Bedbugs Bedbugs greatly poison the lives of many, disrupting sleep patterns, thereby reducing productivity. If after waking up you notice multiple bites on your body, most likely there are bedbugs in your house. The main difference is the massive, densely spaced bites. The bite mark usually remains for a long time, which distinguishes a bug bite from an allergic reaction.

As you can see, poisonous insect bites are a common occurrence even in our latitudes. So it’s worth thinking about safe outdoor recreation today!

Ticks: what they look like and their structure

Few people know that ticks do not belong to insects. They are assigned to the kingdom - animals, phylum - arthropods, class - arachnids. This also includes spiders and scorpions, and they are all considered animals! Their body is not divided, like insects, into sections, but has two segments - the head and the body. The head consists of a base and a proboscis. And the body is an abdomen on which the legs are attached. It is the abdomen that is the most important and dangerous part, since infectious agents are concentrated in it.

The body coverings of the pest are heterogeneous - partly hard, and in places soft and elastic. It is precisely because of their unique and unusual body features that they are able to stretch and absorb significant volumes of blood, while increasing their weight by 100 times or more. There are a huge variety of ticks. They differ in shape, size, color and even structure. However, there are a number of common features that are characteristic of such parasites:

• oval body shape;
• neutral body color;
• 4 pairs of paws;
• absence of antennae;
• lack of eyes.

Tick-borne pests are able to sense their prey at a considerable distance due to the presence of well-developed sensory organs and thermoreceptors. To navigate in space, they use their special sensitive apparatus. Parasites find their victims based on characteristics such as body heat, smell, vibrations, moisture and even sometimes ordinary shadow.

Due to the fact that they cannot fly or jump, their main way of getting at a potential feeder is to attach themselves to his integument or areas of clothing. Waiting for owners occurs on tree branches, bushes and even grass. Having waited for a living creature to approach, the ticks cling to it with their front paws, while holding onto the plants with their hind paws.

When feeding, as a rule, complete penetration under the skin does not occur. Pests only bite through it a little, being mostly on the surface. They are sucked on due to their powerful mouthparts, which allow them to firmly adhere to the skin. For this reason, it is sometimes not so easy to get rid of the dirty trickster, or even remove it at all.

When bitten, it releases a special anesthetic substance, which makes it possible not to feel the moment of the bite. But in rare cases, over time, this area can become locally inflamed and become painful and noticeable.

The parasite is quite difficult to notice on the body in the first few days after suction, unless you look for it purposefully. This is due to its extremely small size. Later, as a result of abundant nutrition, it begins to increase in size. The bite itself usually passes without consequences, but small children may develop an allergy. The contact area becomes inflamed, slightly swollen and itchy.

Symptoms most often disappear on their own within a few days. But the main danger still comes not from the tick itself, but from the pathogenic microorganisms (bacterial and viral) that it carries.

Most species of ticks reproduce using eggs, although viviparous species are also found in nature. They are also divided into 2 sexes - females and males. Blood-sucking parasites have the most interesting life cycle, which includes the following stages of development:

• Egg;
• Larva;
• Nymph;
• Adult.

Closer to summer, the female is properly saturated with blood, and then begins to lay eggs. Their number is numerous and can reach several thousand pieces! After this, within a month, larvae emerge from the eggs, which look very much like adults. They just differ in their smaller sizes and the absence of one pair of legs. Their body is still developing, so it makes sense that some parts might be missing.

The highest activity of larval emergence occurs in the warm season. But it is worth noting that very few survive after birth. Due to their small size, their main feeders are hedgehogs, lizards and small rodents.

According to the conclusion of American experts, the bite of a larva poses the same threat as the bite of an adult. This is especially true in relation to those varieties that carry dangerous diseases such as encephalitis. While on the body of its owner, the larva is saturated with blood for 6-7 days, after which it falls off and ends up on the ground.

Then the next stage of its development begins - the nymph stage. For a nymph to transform into an adult, it takes one year, and sometimes more time. During the entire period of growing up, the parasite only needs to feed itself a couple of times. The lifespan of different types of mites is different and varies from several days to several years. For example, the dust type lasts no more than three months, while the taiga type can live for about four years. Moreover, they can all go without food for months or years.

Fortunately for us, even pests have their ill-wishers who hunt them as a source of food. Such enemies are: lizards, ants, birds, wasps, frogs, dragonflies and spiders. By exterminating bloodsuckers, they provide benefits to potential victims of these parasites.