Everyone has suffered from that incredibly itchy bite that keeps you awake at night. Although some people seem far more susceptible to bites and some experience spectacular and occasionally life-threatening reactions. This guide gives you a general overview as to what might have got you and suggestions as to the best way to treat the bites and stings to make them more bearable and less of an ordeal.
First steps to deal with bites and stings
First point – no matter how tempting it is, please don’t scratch the bite. Once the skin has been broken the bite is far more likely to become infected. The first sign your bite is becoming infected is likely to be that it gets redder, hot and more itchy. If this is the case get it seen by a health professional as soon as possible. If the redness tracks away from the bite and spreads across the skin, this could be a sign of cellulitis, which is serious and you should get medical treatment quickly.
Reacting to the sting:
Anyone can react to a sting, it is most commonly a local reaction, just affecting the bite or sting itself. If the person who has been stung experiences a local reaction, apply a wrapped ice pack to the affected area and this will help to reduce the swelling and can reduce pain as well. Antihistamines will also help reduce the reaction and will treat itching and swelling, take paracetamol or ibuprofen to reduce pain.
Anaphylaxis
If the casualty shows any signs of a systemic reaction or of anaphylactic shock, call an ambulance immediately. Use their Adrenaline Auto-injector if they have one. Remain calm, reassure them and position them appropriately: If they are struggling to breathe, they should sit in an upright position. Putting something under their knees to help increase their circulation can be helpful – into the lazy W position.
If they are not having trouble breathing, but are feeling weak, dizzy, sick and thirsty – and showing signs of shock should lie down with their legs raised to help increase the circulation to their vital organs. They should stay lying down even if they appear to recover, as sitting or standing them up could cause a further drop in their blood pressure. Encourage them to turn their head to one side if they are likely to vomit. Cover them to stay warm and keep in this position until the paramedics arrive.
Bee and wasp stings
Bees and wasps are not generally aggressive and don’t look to sting people, however it is extremely common for people to accidentally step on them in bare feet, or for them to fly into us and then sting. When bees or wasps sting a person, they inject venom through their stinger into the skin of the victim. Wasps, hornets and other stinging insects have stingers without barbs that they retract when they sting, so these insects can sting people multiple times. Bees have a barbed stinger that they leave in the victim’s skin along with the venom sack.
What to do with a sting
If someone is stung by a bee and the sting remains in the skin, quickly flick it out using your thumb nail or a credit card. Try not to squeeze the sting as this can increase the amount of allergen entering the body and therefore increase any possible allergic reaction. The venom sac can take 2-3 minutes to release the venom and so removing the sac promptly can prevent further venom increasing the reaction.
Most people only experience a localised reaction to bee stings. This area around the skin is red and painful. About 3% of people stung by bees and wasps have an allergic reaction to the sting, and up to 0.8% of bee sting victims experience the severe and life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis – this requires urgent medical intervention as detailed above.
Old wives’ tales suggest neutralising stings with vinegar or bicarbonate of soda (depending on the source) is an effective remedy for wasp and bee stings. Wasp sting venom is more alkaline and the remedy is neutralising the sting with vinegar to reduce the pain. Bee sting venom is predominantly formic acidic. They advise bicarbonate of soda to neautralise it. Neither of these remedies have any scientific backing and it is more likely to be the power of suggestion than any real benefit that might make people feel better.
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Tick bites (Ticks carry Lyme disease)
Ticks are tiny creatures that live in woodland and grassy areas, they are particularly prevalent if there are deer and other wildlife. They are blood sucking and bite into the skin to feed on blood. Initially they are extremely small, but swell as they eat, eventually becoming pea sized and therefore easier to spot and remove.
Ticks can carry Lyme disease (which is serious to humans) and you should see a health professional. If this is not possible, they should be very carefully removed with tweezers or ideally with a proper tick remover, gently pulling without twisting in any way. when using a tick remover, you should insert under the tick and rotate 360 degrees.
Never burn the tick off or try and use chemicals to kill it. Keep the tick in a container to show to the medical professionals so they can ensure has been removed entirely. Cover up with long trousers and socks when walking in woodland and long grass and always check yourself, your clothes and your dog for ticks on your return.
Lyme disease in humans:
Bull’s eye type rash associated with Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a serious illness in humans, characterised by flu like symptoms, lethargy and aches and pains. 50% of people with Lyme disease develop a classic bulls eye type rash, which can appear on any part of the body. If a doctor can diagnose and treat Lyme Disease quickly, it is possible to make a full recovery. However it can cause paralysis, arthritis, meningitis and severe long-term problems.
Chiggers
Chiggers are horrible little mites that are commonly found on meadows, golf courses, woodlands, parks and in grassland around lakes and rivers. They are members if the Trombiculidae family and are tiny mite like spiders. They are known as berry bugs, red bugs or harvest mites. Symptoms of chigger bites include intense itching, and flat or raised red bumps on the skin that sometimes appear blistered.
Antihistamines and topical anti bite and sting relief creams. My children also love the click-it itch relief clickers and swear they work brilliantly. Chiggers most commonly bite areas of thinned skin such as wrinkles and warm folds of skin such as the crotch and groin areas, armpits, and behind the knees. The ankles and calves are also common sites for chigger bites.
When the chigger bites, it inserts its feeding structures and mouth parts into the skin. They inject enzymes into the host skin that destroy the tissue around the bite and it is these that frequently provoke reactions. The area around the bite then hardens, and they insert a feeding tube, called a sylostome, further into the bite area. They can feed on the skin through this structure for a few days.
Mosquito bites
Most of us are familiar with the tell-tale buzz of the mosquito and well aware of the look of these pesky vampires. We do get them in the UK and our increasingly warm summers are leading to a surge in numbers. Mosquitos are flies that feed on human blood, they are also carriers of malaria, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and many more extremely serious diseases. Mosquitos love stagnant water and breed prolifically when the conditions are right.
Only female mosquitos bite humans as females need blood in their diet to reproduce. Male mosquitos have feathery antennae that help them sense the presence of female mosquitos – males only live for about a week. Females have less bushy antennae and can live for a few months. Female mosquitos have long, tubular mouthparts that they use to pierce your skin and feed on your blood. When they bite you, they inject saliva into your body while suctioning your blood.
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What to do
Mosquito saliva contains proteins that most people react to causing an red and itchy bump. They sniff their victims out and choose them based on their scent. Many mosquito repellents try to change our smell to make us less appetising to the mosquitoes. You can get patches and sprays and people also say eating large amounts of Marmite can make you less appealing to the bugs. Ideally use a high quality, insect repellent and cover up with loose fitting, long sleeved clothes and long trousers. Some mosquitos are around more in the daytime, some at dawn and dusk. Deet based insect repellents are widely seen as the most effective.
Wash mosquito bites with soap and warm water. Antihistamine tablets and topical creams, anti-itch creams and applying an ice pack to the bites should provide relief from itching. Avoid scratching the bites. It is rare for anyone to have a severe allergic or anaphylactic reaction to a mosquito bite. Therefore, if you develop aching, headaches, or fever after a bite, contact your doctor. These are more likely to be symptoms of a mosquito-borne disease.
Fleas
Fleas are minute, irritating insects, that like to feed on our blood and that of our pets. They are a real nuisance and their bites are itchy and sometimes painful. Getting rid of fleas is hard and requires professional pest control treatment for total eradication. Pet owners are most at risk of flea infestations, but it is possible to have fleas in your home without pets.
Fleas are tiny jumping bugs, that are extremely fast breeders.
Fleabites are distinctive small, red bumps with a red “halo” around the bite centre. Bites usually occur in groups of three or four, or in a straight line. Fleas like warm moist areas such as the waist, armpits, breasts, groin, or in the folds of the elbows and knees, but they also nibble the easy to reach areas such as ankles and calves. Fleabites are incredibly itchy, the skin around each bite can be sore or painful and you might develop a rash or hives near the site of a bite. Scratching the bites is very likely to lead to infection.
This is not a comprehensive guide to bites and stings. If you experience any unusual reactions or issues following a bite or sting, please seek medical advice. Wishing you a safe and happy bite and sting free summer!
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It is strongly advised that you attend a fully regulated Practical or Online First Aid course to understand what to do in a medical emergency.
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First Aid for life provides this information for guidance and it is not in any way a substitute for medical advice. First Aid for Life is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made, or actions taken based on this information.
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Eating Marmite does not deter mosquitoes from biting! I have marmite every day and I still get bit by the pesky critters.
I think it is meant to be the quantity of marmite in your system – we tried marmite based patches on holiday and my son reacted to them. Different preventative measures for different people and different bugs!
I got stung in my sleep thought it’s a big mosquito bit and after a week of the area staying the same i open the sting area and found a stinger inside, what coupd have stung me? Is there anything other than a bee that leave stingers behind?
Thank you for your message, but I’m afraid I have not idea what might have stung you. There are many different stinging and biting bugs, all over the world.
A tarantula hawk?
Dear Emma,
I’m Mr M. Maclaren. I submitted a text messageto you. I Didn’t know it was email. I’ve been constantly being bitten in my Van mainly, by these minute insect type flies, with transparent wings. I was attacked by them when I was in Spain over the xmas period, and a month ago in Bristol. They seem to be all over the place. Their hardly see-able. They have tiny transparent wings in an almost squarish, oval, type shape. They bite the eye area, especially with the
reflection off my glasses when it catches them. The wings have little orange type suckers on each corner. About five of them. They also glow in the dark. Like an electronic, bright light.They get into the cracks of the glasses so you cant wipe them off. There extremely quick and clever. I can’t believe how quick they are for something so minute.
I have been studying them quite closely, because they stick to my windscreen, with there tiny suckers In there wings. Loads of them. Next to one ,& other.!?!
The other month they morphed into what seemed like an incubatory transparent sack type shape. The head was orange & black, so was the little curl of a body, but both seperate from each other in, as I say this little sack. The wings are transparent, & the bodies like a fine angled slash of tiny rain.!! When they stick to 5he windscreen.
I even wondered, as I’d seen them all over the continent, whether they might be a cause of the conivirus spreading. Cause I’ve never seen these before, and I’ve always had problems believing it’s been spread by Chinese buisnessmen. There seems to be millions of them. Zillions even.! As I say, I’m 70 yrs old, and I’ve never seen, or felt, anything like these before. As the summer has come on & got hotter. They have got fiercer. There Now sticking to my skin to bite. Where as before, when I first noticed them, they were sticking mainly to shiny surfaces ie: car bodywork, or the windscreen.
I’d love to know, any ideas.!!?They really are dangerous, when you’re driving and there attacking you’re eye’s like crazy.!!!?
Yours sincerely. Mr M. MacLaren.
The email: maclarenbarnes@gmail.com
So sorry to hear about the flies that are bothering you. I am not aware of these and so can’t cast any light on what they are. Huge apologies not to be able to help.
What a really helpful site, thank you. Its particularly so being for UK and related to specific instances here.
In addition to showering after being in the garden, however briefly and given the knowledge that these biters like damp moist skin, would a dusting of talcum powder help?
I think the key is to dry yourself thoroughly and wear insect repellent if you are particularly prone to being bitten.
I am not sure if i was stung or stung on the back of my thigh but it has become a really hard slightly raised lump about the size of the main palm of my hand. Its itchy and feels really tight. Any ideas?
Unsure what it is, but it sounds like you are having a bit of a local reaction to it. Try taking some antihistamine, applying a wrapped ice pack and maybe using a little topical hydrocortisone if the inflammation isn’t coming down. If it becomes hot and inflamed, it could be getting infected. In which case get your family doctor to have a look. It may alsp be worth asking someone to see if there is anything in there – such as a stinger that should be removed
I have been bitten on my lower legs and ankles. The bites went unnoticed until they became extremely itchy. They itch and they burn and they seem to be spreading beyond the original site, when I scratch. I have tried vaporub and Benadryl. It has been three days. Please help me find out what bit me.
Dear Rose, I think the burning may be due to the vaporub, it isn’t indicated for bites and should not be applied to broken skin. It will be causing a local skin reaction and making things worse. Hope they get better soon. Please see your GP if they are not as they could become infected. Best wishes Emma
I went to my friends house and we hung out in his basement. I noticed when I got home the next day from work I had a bunch of bites on the top of my feet. I had taken my socks and shoes off). They seem to have darkened (reddish purple) and I’m worried it may be bedbugs. I didn’t have any bug bites issues before going to his house, so I’m assuming it originated from there.
I’ve dealt with bedbugs before and I definitely have some rising anxiety over these bites.
I’ve got photos of the bites too if it helps
Hi Emma, for the last 10 days I have been getting bitten at home , I am pretty sure at night time. My boyfriend is fine , we have washed all the bed linen and topper , sprayed the room with a insect killer and thought we were clear . Today 2 more bites appeared in the middle of the day , it’s all on legs and ankles . We have no pets and weirdly despite being a target for most insects I have been fine all summer.
It’s very frustrating as we can’t see anything around , I’ve googled and can only really come up with bedbugs : fleas but not sure my bites look like those in the photos . Be grateful for any advice , thank you
I am so sorry you are getting bitten. Incredibly difficult to pinpoint what it could be, some if these insects are really small, they could be flying insects or ones lurking in clothes
Hello,
I was playing in the grass with my nephews about 3 months ago and when I got home I saw I had a bite (red mark, circle) on my lower leg. The park is right on the water of the intercostal in florida grassy with small ponds. I noticed in the passing weeks after it appeared that a cluster of 3 began to show up. They now resemble small creators. I have a few on my other leg as well but smaller. I’m freaking out! Do I have a parasite or what?
Please help…
I was bitten last night it sounded like mosquito switched the light on it was my head board looked thin black long body I managed to kill it,have a large lump on my neck which is itchy, I had the same thing a couple of weeks ago on my hip 2 large lumps,am hoping I have killed the only one,no sign in day light.
Hi, last year I had what I thought was a horse fly bite on my lower legs, red and inflamed spot that would not heal kept weeping with puss, and painful surrounding it, this was ongoing for a month before I saw my Doc ( with it only being a small bite I hadn’t thought much of it until it was a month down the line and still not healed and had gotten worse ) was subscribed a course of antibiotics for a week that I had to get again for another week as hadn’t healed completely also was tested for diabetes to rule out why it took so long to heal. Had this happen again in the last week which has confused me as I haven’t been out on walks and not been wearing shorts in that time. same again puss filled spot and red and inflamed around it. My doctor has no idea what it is and again subscribed antibiotics. Do you have any Idea?
James sorry to hear about your bites I had a simlier thing happen to me 5years ago Iwas bitten on my upper thie 4 times which I think was a brown spider such pain when it happened Iwas going to my local surgery 3 times a week for 5 months to have it dressed before it healed up thankfully now fully healed leaving Abigail scar for life I hope yours has too AB
Sorry to be that person, but the first photo on this page is a fly in the family Syrphidae, which does not contain any fly that stings or bites. If I had to guess, I’d say this pretty friend is maybe Myathropa florea. I’ll spare you an essay, but feel free to reply if you’d like to know more.
Thank you for this. The illustration is of the fly that happened to land on my daughter’s hand
I keep being bitten at night everytime I stay at my boyfriend but he is never bitten it’s only me and I’m confused what it is as we’ve changed the bed sheets and hoovered
PLEASE HELP I DONT KNOW WHAT IS BITING ME WHILE IM SLEEPING AT NIGHT. I have ALREADY discovered it is not bed bugs, not flea bites because we have no animals. I feel like it isn’t chiggers because we never really go outside in the grass. But I keep finding bites that usually come in one single bite mostly on my arms and back sometimes my stomach. And they itch but not too bad. They also have a CLEAR COLORED small amount of puss Or whatever it is that’s in the bite.