Category: bug-bites

Insect bites and stings are so common that nearly everyone experiences one at some point. For the most part, they cause only mild discomfort. Some bites and stings go unnoticed until an itchy bump forms on the skin. Getting stung by a wasp is a completely different story. These winged insects are sometimes mistaken for… Continue reading Did a Wasp Sting Me? Treatment Options, Allergic Reactions, Home Remedies, and More

Ticks seem to be everywhere these days, and Lyme disease occurs in every state except Hawaii. (1) And there’s good reason you’re likely hearing more and more about the bugs and the bite-related infections that they spread. In 2021, an estimated 476,000  Americans were diagnosed with Lyme disease, and the number of Lyme disease cases… Continue reading Bitten by a Tick? How to Know

A new tick species known as Haemaphysalis longicornis, or the Asian longhorned tick, has made its way into the United States, making it the first new invasive tick species found in North America in close to 50 years. Ticks have become a growing concern for public health officials as tick bites and tick-borne diseases more… Continue reading 6 Things You Need to Know About the Asian Longhorned Tick

Why mosquitoes decide to prey on your feet and arms versus the similarly exposed human sitting next to you is a question science has yet to definitively answer. But thanks to new data we may be one step closer. Female mosquitoes appear to choose their targets first by smell and then by using their eyes… Continue reading Study Reveals How Mosquitoes Find You and Decide to Bite

You spot an angry-looking red welt on your leg, and it seems too big to be a mosquito bite. Must be a spider bite, right? Not so fast. “People wake up in the morning and find a red mark, and immediately call it a spider bite,” says Rick Vetter, a retired staff research associate and… Continue reading Identifying and Treating Spider Bites

Few pests can ruin a lovely summer outing like the mosquito. No place in America is safe from at least one variety of these flying bloodsuckers, and their bite can transmit a range of diseases — from West Nile virus and dengue fever to Zika — as well as leave the victim with an itchy, inflamed,… Continue reading Why Mosquito Bites Itch and How to Get Relief

While they’re not related — in fact, they’re totally different species — mites and fleas are often lumped together in people’s minds because they’re small (sometimes microscopic) bugs that live in groups and that can infest our homes and pets. In the case of both mites and fleas, many types don’t bite or cause any… Continue reading Everything You Need to Know About Mite and Flea Bites

It’s that time of year when a lot of us are spending more time outside, and we find ourselves a lot more exposed to pesky, itchy mosquito bites. For most of us — if we can resist the urge to claw at the bites — the dots fade, the itching goes away on its own,… Continue reading Skeeter Syndrome: What to Do About Allergic Reactions to Mosquito Bites

DEET has long been the main ingredient in many bug sprays for a reason. It’s considered the best defense against bites from mosquitoes — which can transmit illnesses like malaria, West Nile virus, and Zika — as well as ticks, which can spread Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Bug Bites… Continue reading Do Natural Bug Sprays Actually Work?| Everyday Health

Cases of a tick-borne illness known as babesiosis are becoming much more common in the United States, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Babesiosis is transmitted by blacklegged ticks, also called deer ticks, and can cause flu-like symptoms in some people and potentially fatal infections in others.… Continue reading Deer Tick Disease Babesiosis Now Endemic in Northeastern U.S.