Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bites

What's biting me?

captainawesome — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:49:53 -0800

What's biting me, and how do I make it stop? So I know this is going to be a vague, hard-to-answer question, but I'm mystified. I'm in the Los Angeles area (specifically, Burbank) on a summer internship and I keep getting bitten by something. I have a few dozen of these bites, which look and itch a lot like mosquito bites, except I haven't noticed anything that could be biting me - it's not like I'm being swarmed by flying insects or anything. And with a few dozen bites, you'd think I'd at least notice when they happen. But I don't: I only notice when they've begun to itch, and while they go away eventually, it seems like fresh ones are popping up all the time.

The bites are mostly on my arms (which are always exposed - I wear a short sleeve shirt for most of my waking hours) but some on my chest and side and legs, and a few on my back (all areas that are mostly covered). So, Los Angelites (or anyone, really): what kind of bitey critters are out here that can fly under the radar like this? And how do I encourage them to stop? 'cuz I'm puzzled.

Rash on palm of hand, please not buggie bites.

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:51:25 -0800

I've got some kind of rash on the palm of my right hand, and it's got me pretty confused. Thoughts? Here's a picture, though it doesn't photograph very well. I also noticed a patch of it on the top of my right foot now. It itches sometimes, and is pretty uncomfortable on my hand, like the skin feels tight.

My mother threw out "bed bugs?" and now I'm terrified. I looked up pictures of bed bug bites, and they seem more like mosquito bites, this is more like a rash. I think it might be some kind of allergic reaction to soap (I switched to a new bar of soap a couple weeks ago), but I first noticed this rash last Friday evening.

If I go to the doctor, she'll probably just tell me to put hydro cortisone cream on it, which I'm doing. I can handle it if it's just a rash or allergic reaction (though I don't know what from), it's the possibility of it being freakin' bed bugs that doesn't make me feel to great. Any thoughts on that? Thanks!

Ninja ants!

Attackpanda — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:48:05 -0800

Ants (or something) in my bed? For the past several nights I've been bitten by fire ants or some type of crazy huge ant. I have no idea where they have gotten in, but they are tearing up my legs, but only in bed. I have no food or water in my room, and my boyfriend doesn't get bit by them when he's over. I get bit a lot less by them a lot less when he's over as well. I've had my apartment sprayed, it does nothing.

My questions - why the hell are ants in my bed? How do I get rid of them, if I can't find the point of entry? I don't even see them during the day, only at night, if I'm lucky.

What's biting us?

Blackwatch — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:39:41 -0800

What's biting us?! I live on the east coast of Scotland and, for the last few weeks, my wife and I have been falling victim to some mysterious biting insects.

We generally discover the red, raised bites first thing in the morning, with the legs and arms favourite biting sites.

I've checked for bed bugs and we don't have them. Work colleagues and friends are also being bitten, so it seems as if it's 'something in the air'!

Any ideas as to what's biting us - and how we can combat them?

What is causing this and how do we stop it? (kill it. kill it with fire?)

exlotuseater — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:07:52 -0800

Help identify possible source or cause of these bites! My SO has been getting some raised / swollen areas on her heel / foot, and one on her pinky finger, beginning four days ago. We believe they are bites, but the source eludes us. She's extremely sensitive to tactile stimuli, so ordinarily she would notice say, a mosquito or similar. At first we suspected the dreaded--shhhh!--bedbug but these bites are occurring during the day, and an exhaustive search (including stripping the bed and laundering everything) turned up nothing.

The bites are extremely itchy at first, swell quickly like a mosquito bite, then recede, except in one case, in which the bite receded somewhat, then blistered, filling with clear liquid (lymph? plasma?).

The size of the bites vary, but they generally range from 5-15 mm in diameter, and the high point of the swelling is perhaps 3 or 4 mm.

Pictures here and here here.

We have an indoor cat, who hasn't been particularly itchy or scratchy--we combed her today, also turned up nothing. If it were fleas, we would see them. Likewise with bedbugs or spiders (but which, under different circumstances, would fit certain diagnostic criteria for bites of this nature).

I vacuumed the other day, and we have regular high-traffic wall-to-wall carpet, which I just crawled over with a high-powered flashlight, literally prying apart the nap to examine. Nothing.

Interestingly, she has gotten several "bites" like this recently, I have been in all the same places, and I have not received a single one. She does not use any skin lotion or any attractant we can identify (no perfume, etc).

She just brushed against the shower curtain five minutes ago, and the one on her pinky "reactivated" and is now itchy again.

We live in a rented condo, have been here for four years, and nothing like this has happened in the past.

We are in upstate New York.

mysterious bites every morning i wake up...

minsid — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:37:32 -0800

Mysterious bites found every morning I wake up. Every morning I wake up I find bits all over my arms and hands....

Previously i had bed bugs but over the past 6/7 months nothing...

since last week whenever i wake up i get bits on my both arms...

they seem to be mosquito bites but i haven't seen any mosquitos..

i do not see any bed bugs..

i am baffled...

I'm some bug's moveable feast

egeanin — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:07:50 -0800

What the heck kind of bug has been biting me?? Sometime in the last 24 hours I've discovered about 12 bug bites (a bunch on my lower legs, three in my groin area, one on my back, a few on my knees) that are itchy as all hell!

The not knowing what caused it is far worse even than the itchiness, so if you could hear out the details and suggest real possibilities for what kind of bug feasted on me, I'd appreciate it. Especially if you have anecdotal experience that matches mine.

1. None of the bites are in a straight line, but some of them are in clusters. I've seen no signs of fleas.
2. I have THOROUGHLY checked my bed for bedbugs, there's no sign of them either on mattress or any linens
3. I have no pets
4. I just moved into an apt with hardwood floors that is very clean, no spiders or dust. All the furniture is clean and in good shape, i.e. we didn't pick up anything off a curb. We did all the moving ourselves, used no hired trucks that could have brought in bugs.
5. It's true I was wearing shorts yesterday, but how would the bugs get up to my groin area?? And the small of my back was covered by a shirt all day. Except--
6. I got a massage at a place I often go, and first noticed the itching sensation about 2 hours later. But I checked online reviews of the place and no one has complained of any bug bites following a massage there. However I did have scented oil on my body for several hours following it, which could have led to attracting bug bites.
7. I did spend some time outside in shorts, but not in high grasses or anything. I didn't sit down in grass or anything, just walked around the neighborhood.
8. My boyfriend has not had any bites, and he shares the apartment with me
9. The bites don't hurt, but they are dime-sized and itchy. I tend to be sensitive to bites.
10. I live in an area that doesn't have a bad mosquito problem, and certainly haven't noticed any flying around.

So was it a spider that roamed all over me while I was outside? Was it some sort of infestation at the Massage place? Are there some sorts of mites or midges that can get under my shorts during the day if they smell scented oil? I don't know how else to check for Bedbugs except the constant looking around the mattress seams, but there's been nothing suspicious there whatsoever.

Thank you for your help!

Please advise! I'm going nuts trying to figure it out. Thanks!

It must be 'cause I'm so sweet

amarynth — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:12:50 -0800

What is biting me once a month? About once a month since September, I've been getting a single bite in different places on my body (I've been bitten twice on my inner forearm, twice on the opposite hand, and once where the back of my neck meets my shoulder). The bites swell up and itch like crazy. Right now, I have a bite on my hand, and the swelling is about an inch and a half in diameter, with two red marks in the center about half a centimeter apart. There's no blistering or head on the bite. I've always first noticed the itching in the evening or at night, but obviously have never seen or felt anything while it's happening. The first couple of times it happened, I thought it might be something that bit me outdoors or at class, but class is over and I don't spend a lot of time outside now that it's gotten colder. I suppose it could be something at work, but it seems most likely that it's something in my house.

What the heck is biting me? And why only one bite once a month? When will it die and leave me in peace?

Shoo flea, don't bother me...

nzydarkxj — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:38:55 -0800

Fleas! But different... I'm not intending to kill any fleas, I just want to get them to stop biting me and/or make the bites stop itching! Fleas LOVE me. They find me and bite me all the time, and I'm pretty allergic to the bites... which can become huge itchy bumps lasting weeks, and scars because I eventually break the skin, if not on purpose, in my sleep.
I live in Chile. There are fleas all over the place in the city (stray animals, public transportation, etc...) but I feel treating my house (As shortened reasoning, we have no animals, I have never seen a flea in the house, and nobody else seems to think we have a problem in the house) will not help. I also dont feel they stay/live on me or my clothes. Kind of like hit and run bites... er bite and hop away.

My general doctors in the US had not quite understood and wanted to prevent by housecleansing rather than treat the bites.

A specialist/dermatologist I went to here was useless. The general concept here is that you need to clean stuff and the problem will go away, which does not seem to by my case. (Ex: SO and I share a bed and he veeery rarely gets bites) The dermatologist I was prescribed an expensive bottle of something labeled "Dry skin lotion" that didn't help.

I'm wondering
a) Is there a way to make my skin or body less attractive to the fleas? They somehow prefer me (foreigner, perhaps different body temperature) and at times I have dozens of bites in one area. I always have bites within hours of reentering the country. I'd prefer not to smell like a chemical though.

b) how do I stop bites from itching?!?!
Bites are horribly aggravating and my relief attempts are always short term, though the bite stays for about 2 weeks. I've tried benedryl, cort-aid, a type of vaporrub type gel, lotion, scratching, and even breaking the skin... which is the only slight relief I get.

Mosquito Magic Uncovered!

clpage — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:00:39 -0800

Is it possible for a person to have natural immunity to bug bites? I haven't had a single bug bite in over 15 years and am starting to think I'm a medical anomaly! I remember getting bug bites as a child, but I can't seem to remember getting a single bite since I hit puberty around 12-13 years old. I thought it might be related to the flora and fauna of the areas in which I have lived (PA, WV, and DC). However, I recently went on vacation and got confirmation of my weird immunity!

I was in Mexico for 5 days with 3 of my friends. The humidity was especially high one evening, and all 3 of my friends got TORE UP by the mosquitoes. When they woke up the next morning, they each counted at least 30 or more bites on their feet, ankles, and arms. The bites were angry red welts that itched and burned.

On the other hand, I didn't have a single mark on me. Not one. No welts. No itching. No burning. I had not put on any insect repellant that evening and was also wearing perfume.

How is this possible? Is there some kind of medical explanation for why I don't seem to attract insect attention? Does anyone else experience this? Mind you, I am not complaining about this lack of love from bugs. I'm perfectly happy with them keeping their distance.

If it matters, I am a 30 year old, Caucasian female.

A flea's revenge

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:04:17 -0800

We've had a sudden attack of fleas on our pets. That's been dealt with (with liberal doses of Frontline), but it's left me with a huge number of flea bites on my legs. Any suggestions for calming and healing them? My wife is not bothered by flea bites, but I see to be somewhat allergic. My legs are covered in red blotches that itch like crazy. Although the fleas themselves are gone, their bites remain, and they are driving me mad. Anybody got any suggestions for calming the bites and quickly healing the scars from the ones I've scratched at already?

You were bitten by a what?!

misha — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:05:56 -0800

If a teenager is bitten by an armadillo and the skin is broken, shouldn't the animal be trapped to make sure it isn't rabid, or the teen be innoculated? Recently, during a game of Manhunt in a local park that had just re-opened to the public after construction of a picnic area, a soccer player frightened an armadillo, which then bit him on the calf. Another armadillo also reportedly changed direction and started rolling straight toward a player who disturbed it in a similar manner, evidently with the intention of attacking the intruder.

Since I haven't used up my question this week: What course of action should have been taken after the bite, given the behavior of the animal? Isn't aggressive behavior out of character for armadilloes, even scared ones? Also, have there been documemented cases of rabid armadillos?

death or superherodom?

merocet — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:04:41 -0800

So I woke up this morning with a few bug bites on me which isn't unusual in the summer in Manhattan with the window open, but... one of the bites is kinda weird... This is what it looks like with the bite at the top left and then this weird pink slightly inflamed trail leading down diagonally across my chest. Is this a) normal or b) the work of a radioactive spider? If b), when can i expect super powers to kick in? Or is it actually c) when pink inflamed bit reaches heart I die?

Can you identify these bug bites?

banished — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:03:08 -0800

Can anyone identify the insect(s) that caused these bug bites?

Could I have bedbugs even though I don't itch?

fermion — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 10:40:42 -0800

Could these small, non-itching red welts be caused by bedbugs? I returned from a trip to New York City about a month ago. Having heard about bedbug problems there, I took precautions--chose a hostel with no reports of bedbugs (and no signs visible when I checked my bed), kept my suitcase in a plastic bag when I wasn't using it. After about two weeks at home with no sign of bugs, I figured I was safe.

A few days ago I noticed a few small red bumps on my skin. I didn't think anything of them for a while, as they don't itch at all. It occurred to me yesterday, however, that I should rule out the possibility of infestation. After doing some research, I've concluded that the bites show some characteristics of bedbug bites, in that they're located mostly on my torso, neck and upper legs, and some of them are in clusters of two or three. Contrariwise, they're small--half a cm in diameter or less--and as mentioned, they're not itchy, painful or irritated in any way. There are perhaps eight or nine bites total.

I don't relish the prospect of going into full scorched-earth bedbug-eviction proceedings without being certain that it's necessary, so I'm hoping AskMe can provide me with more data points on this issue. I've had trouble finding resources on bites that don't itch, since presumably no one is much troubled by them.

As a side question, since any infestation would necessarily be less than three or four weeks old, can I try more moderate tactics before throwing out my mattress and shrinking all my clothes in a hot dryer?

Should I worry about these thousands of bug bites?

raygan — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 01:56:44 -0800

I very stupidly fell asleep on the beach and woke up with an enormous number of unusual bug bites. 24 hours and a whole tube of cortizone cream later they're still here. What kind of bug did I likely encounter, and should I be worrying about this? The beach was in Galveston, Texas, and the bites small red spots. I'm almost certain they aren't mosquito bites, though there were a lot of mosquitoes around. This just isn't what mosquito bites usually look and feel like to me. I have probably thousands of these red spots (several per square inch) all up and down my arms and legs, particularly on my left side.
I'd really like to know what sort of insect likely did this, and whether or not I should be worrying about things like West Nile Virus, or whether these will leave scars, or anything like that.

what is biting me?

centrs — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 11:10:59 -0800

I moved to san francisco two months ago and have been bitten by some type of insect about 40 times since then. the favorite spot appears to be my left arm with 17 bites scattered from my hand to my shoulder. i never feel myself being bitten, the bites are very small and they itch unlike anything i've ever experienced. i have not had this reaction to mosquitos before, and usually feel them as they bite me and see them. does anyone have any idea of what could be biting me and any natural remedies for itching and/or insect repellent for the body?

Itchy itchy itchy

WCityMike — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 10:50:34 -0800

How can you tell the difference between mosquito bites and flea bites? (Does one heal quicker than the other?) I have been rather thoroughly bitten by some sort of insects ... more so than I ever have in the past.

(I never see them, nor do I really ever feel the sensation of being bitten. I do, however, sleep without a shirt, and, during the last few hot evenings in Chicago, I slept without a covering sheet on me.)

I think that these are mosquitoes -- but I wonder if they might be fleas, since I have a cat. However, he does not show any signs of scratching (and is an indoor cat), which makes me think that fleas are unlikely.

I'm suspicious only because I seem to have been more vehemently attacked (in number and in coverage) by the little buggers (of whatever species) than I have in the past, and I wonder if such more widespread behavior might indicate flea origin and not mosquito origin.

What's the best way to soothe mosquito bites?

kathryn — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 09:00:41 -0800

It's that time again: summer, and the bugs are out in full-force. Common insect bites and stings, while not life-threatening, can be irritating and uncomfortable. And scratching often leads to infection. What's the best way to soothe mosquito bites? After a Memorial Day in the park, I came home with some bites on my hands and fingers. I've tried Maximum Cortizone 10 (Hydrocortisone), Calamine Lotion, Aveeno Anti-Itch Lotion (Calamine, Pramoxine HCl, and Camphor), and Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Cream (Diphenhydramine HCl, Zinc Acetate).

I'm also currently taking Claritin for seasonal allergies which should help. And doing cold compresses when I can. But the itching is still driving me insane!

When I was overseas, I was given topical sulfadiazine. The sulfadiazine helps bring the swelling down, but it's not available OTC in the US so it's not a good long-term solution because I get bitten quite often.

What kind of bug bite?

amro — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 05:24:31 -0800

Yesterday, I discovered a bug bite that itched like a mosquito bite. Today, it hurts. Help me identify the culprit. Although it is far too early here in Northeast Ohio to be getting bit by mosquitos, I wasn't too concerned when I got some kind of itchy bug bite yesterday. However, I woke up this morning and the bite (on my upper leg) is painful to the touch and hurts when I walk, move, etc. The bite is about the size of a nickel and pink and puffy. I would like to avoid calling the doctor about this but also don't want to ignore some sort of poisonous spider bite. Google hasn't turned up much of use. Any ideas on what it could be?