Bug bite on back: What Do Bed Bug Bites Look Like?
What Do Bed Bug Bites Look Like?
Jump to:
- What do bed bug bites look like?
- Where do bed bugs hide?
- When and where do bed bugs bite?
- How to treat bed bug bites
- How do you know if you have bed bugs?
When you think of annoying, common house bugs your mind probably jumps to stink bugs, flies, cockroaches, and spiders. But there’s one home invader that is very different from the rest: bed bugs. While bed bug bites might not be the most common bug bites to receive, if you’ve recently woken up with a few itchy bumps, you might want to keep reading.
The trouble with identifying a bed bug bite—as is true for a lot of insects, including mosquitoes—is that it can be hard to identify the source, as not everyone’s immune response is the same. “Everybody’s going to respond differently,” says Timothy Gibb, Ph.D., a clinical professor of entomology at Purdue University.
“Same thing’s true with a mosquito bite. Some people are going to swell up and it’s going to itch. That same mosquito could bite someone else and it’s hardly noticeable.”
In fact, Gibb says some people’s skin doesn’t respond to a bed bug bite at all, which is especially the case for the elderly population. That’s why it can be difficult to determine if your bite is from a bed bug just by looking at it.
However, there are a few things that can tip you off to the fact that bed bugs are the culprit of your bites. Here’s what to know, including bed bug bites pictures to help you visualize the symptoms.
What do bed bug bites look like?
Joel Carillet//Getty Images
The key bed bug bite symptom to look for is a red, raised bump, says Gibb, similar in appearance to a spider or mosquito bite. But what sets bed bugs apart from other insects is that oftentimes, their bites will present in a line or cluster on one part or side of your body.
This is the result of what’s called “probing.”
Bed bug bites show up in a line, most often in a cluster of 3 to 4 bites.
“They probe the skin in several different places, I think probably to find best access to draw blood,” says Gibb. In fact, if you have screens on your windows—thereby keeping out other insects that might bite—but are still waking up with a line of 3 or 4 bites on your arm, it’s safe to suspect that bed bugs might be to blame, says Edwin Rajotte, Ph.D., a professor of entomology at Penn State University.
Where do bed bugs hide?
Another way to determine if your bites come from bed bugs is to look for the insects themselves. They naturally like to hide in your mattress, especially in the corners, near the head end, and in the cord that goes around it. They also like to camp out behind the headboard, behind any pictures on the wall, and in electrical sockets.
Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed and are very flat from top to bottom—almost as thin as a piece of paper—with a brownish color, says Rajotte. Baby bed bugs are also brownish in color, but pinhead-sized. Another key identifier? Look for black spots on your sheets, mattress, and mattress cover, which could be bed bug feces.
John-Reynolds//Getty Images
When and where do bed bugs bite?
Bed bug bites will most commonly occur on the arms, neck, or trunk of the body, says Gibb, although they’ll bite anywhere they can find exposed skin. And—as their name suggests—bed bugs will bite you at night while you’re sound asleep.
“We’ve found it’s most active when people are most sound asleep, and that’s usually from about 2:00 to 4:00 in the morning,” says Gibb. “That’s natural for a parasite like that to do that because it’s going to protect it.
People won’t see it, they won’t feel it. It makes their survivorship much more probable.”
Joel Carillet//Getty Images
According to Changlu Wang, Ph.D., extension specialist in entomology at Rutgers University, bed bugs typically feed every two to three days when a host is present, so if fresh bites appear in such a frequency, the timing could be another indicator of their presence.
How to treat bed bug bites
If you’ve been bitten and have an insatiable itch, chances are, you’re going to want to speed up the treatment process. Unfortunately, the best way to do that is also the hardest way to do it: not scratching the bite, says Gibb, which will just further irritate the area.
If you’re having trouble keeping your claws off, you can also try using an antihistamine—think Benadryl or Allegra, which are meant to curb allergy symptoms—to help mute that itchy feeling.
Related Stories
- How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs for Good
- These Pictures Can Help You Identify a Tick Bite
- Are You Allergic to Mosquito Bites?
And if bed bugs are the cause of your bites, realize there’s no urgent need to panic. Yes, they might cost you a pretty penny and can be a pain to get rid of, but bed bugs can’t do any serious damage to your body. “They don’t kill people,” says Gibb. “A parasite would have a hard time surviving if it killed its host, and these do not.”
In fact, they don’t even transmit anything dangerous to you. “They’ve never been shown to transmit any diseases,” says Rajotte. “Unlike mosquitoes and ticks and things, which can transmit some pretty bad diseases, bed bugs do not. And so while they’re annoying and all that, they’re not going to harm your children or anything like that. They’re just annoying and you need to get rid of them.”
Are bed bug bites itchy? Do they hurt?
Although some people will say a bed bug bite hurts somewhat—though not as intensely as the sting of a bee, for example—most complaints are due to the itching the bites cause, says Gibb.
And that itching is due to the chemicals the bed bug inserts into your body during the bite, adds Rajotte.
“They’ve become what I consider the perfect parasite, because their mouthparts are kind of interesting,” says Gibb. “They will inject an anesthetic prior to biting, so people won’t feel it. And then they inject an anticoagulant that allows the blood to run easier for them to suck that up.” So while that system works great for the bugs, those left-over chemicals will usually lead to some uncomfortable itching on your end.
Joel Carillet//Getty Images
How long do bed bug bites last?
Although the duration and intensity of a bed bug bite will hugely vary from person to person, you typically won’t feel the effects of a bed bug bite—like itching and those raised red bumps—until mid-morning after a bite due to the anesthetic the bug injects, says Gibb.
Gain *unlimited* access to Prevention
Gain *unlimited* access to Prevention
Join Now
“So they certainly don’t feel it when the bite is occurring, but shortly after, probably within a day, for sure,” he adds.
The bite symptoms typically last for about two weeks, explains Wang. “Some people may still show symptoms after a month,” he says, while others may see their bites dissipate over a few days.
Ready to banish them from your home? Here’s our expert-approved, step-by-step guide to getting rid of bed bugs for good.
How do you know if you have bed bugs?
According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD), there are two main ways to know if you have bed bugs lurking in your home: Bed bug bites themselves, and signs of their existence.
First, examine your bug bites (if you have any) and determine if they appear to be from bed bugs or not. As mentioned above, bed bug bites will likely occur on the arms, neck, and trunk of the body, and often appear as a line or row of red, raised bumps on one section of the body.
They can also appear in a zig-zag pattern.
Next, inspect your mattress and other furniture for signs of the bed bugs themselves. There may be small specks of blood on the mattress (be sure to look near the seams) or other upholstered furniture, according to the AAD. You also may notice small, black specks, which are excrement from the bed bugs, or tiny, white, oval-shaped specks which are eggs.
Related Stories
- How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Home for Good
- Pesky Insects Can’t Stand These Bug Sprays
Brielle Gregory
Brielle Gregory previously worked at Men’s Health magazine, where she reported, edited, and fact checked all things health, nutrition, and weight loss related; she currently spends her time digging into similar topics as a freelancer writer and editor. She’s a doting dog mom to a half-corgi and an aspiring world-traveler who’s probably planning her next trip right now (the dog included).
Mosquito Bite Allergy Symptoms – Mosquito Bite Reaction Meaning
This article was medically reviewed by Shonda Hawkins, MSN, a nurse practitioner and member of the Prevention Medical Review Board, on June 11 2019.
There’s nothing worse than coming home from a hike, camping trip, or barbecue and discovering a ton of itchy, painful mosquito bites speckling your skin. Even worse: Your friend or sibling who was with you the entire time has no bites at all. So, what gives?
Well, it helps to know how and why a mosquito bites you in the first place. Only females are out for blood, explains Joseph M. Conlon, an expert with The American Mosquito Control Association who worked as an entomologist for 25 years.
“Female mosquitoes imbibe blood as a protein source for egg development,” Conlon says. When the female mosquito “bites” you, she inserts the tip of her mouth into one of your blood vessels, injecting her saliva into your bloodstream. The saliva contains a protein that prevents your blood from clotting as she eats. (What a pleasant thought, right?)
Related Stories
- Brilliant Home Remedies for Mosquito Bites
- 11 Effective Ways to Prevent Mosquito Bites
It’s these proteins, not the bite itself, that cause the swelling, redness, and itching that some—but not all—of us experience.
It’s true: Seeing no reaction after a bite could mean you’re one of the lucky few who aren’t allergic to mosquito saliva, says Andrew Murphy, MD, a fellow at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
It also could mean you’ve developed an immunity to mosquito bites. “When a person has had repeated exposure to the mosquito allergen, her immune system can stop recognizing the allergen as a problem, and there is no reaction,” Dr. Murphy says.
However, many of us do have some type of allergy to these pesky bug bites—ranging from common, minor bumps to rare, severe reactions. Here are the symptoms to keep an eye out for and what you can do to find relief.
Minor mosquito bite allergy: Small red bump
What it looks like: round, white-ish bump, often with a small visible dot at the center; becomes red and firm after 1 or 2 days
What it means: This is the most common mosquito bite allergy and the reaction is more annoying than anything, says Jorge Parada, MD, medical director of the Infection Control Program at Loyola University Chicago and medical advisor for the National Pest Management Association.
“This minor allergic reaction is in response to proteins in the mosquito’s saliva.”
Moderate mosquito bite allergy: Welts
What it looks like: slightly raised, smooth, flat-topped bumps that are usually more reddish than the surrounding skin
What it means: Some people are more sensitive to the mosquito’s proteins, explains Dr. Parada. This sensitivity causes them to react with larger welts instead of the traditional small bump. “However, some studies have found that the reaction is also a function of the mosquito’s feeding time,” he adds. “The longer the mosquito feeds, the more mosquito proteins are released, thereby increasing the chance of a visible reaction.”
Serious mosquito bite allergy: Hives and fever (aka skeeter syndrome)
What it looks like: welts accompanied by skin swelling, heat, redness, and itching or pain, along with a fever
What it means: You may have a reaction known as skeeter syndrome, a more extreme mosquito bite allergy.
It can lead to excessive swelling of the bite area, as well as feeling hot and hard to the touch. Sometimes the bite area can even blister and ooze. While anyone can develop skeeter syndrome (even those with no prior extreme reaction to mosquito bites), Dr. Murphy says young children, patients with immune system disorders, and travelers exposed to new types of mosquitoes are at a higher risk.
Severe mosquito bite allergy: Anaphylaxis
What it looks like: hives, lip/tongue swelling, trouble breathing, wheezing, coughing
What it means: While anaphylaxis from mosquito bites is rare, it can be fatal. “Patients with anaphylaxis to mosquitoes will have the typical symptoms of a severe allergic reaction,” Dr. Murphy says. He mentions hives, lip or tongue swelling, trouble breathing, wheezing, coughing, and—in severe cases—passing out or death. “Treatment is the use of injectable epinephrine and seeking immediate medical attention,” he adds.
🚨 If you suspect a mosquito bite is causing serious symptoms like fever, excessive swelling, hives, and swollen lymph nodes, seek emergency help.
How to treat and prevent mosquito bites
If you do fall on the minor to moderate end of the spectrum, there are a few things you can do at home to help get rid of mosquito bites faster.
First, swabbing the bite area with rubbing alcohol can help reduce your body’s histamine response (the chemical produced by your immune system that causes allergic reactions) by clearing away the mosquito’s saliva, according to Jonathan Day, PhD, a mosquito researcher and professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida.
Dabbing your skin with ice, calamine lotion, or 1 percent hydrocortisone cream can also help tame inflammation, relieve itching, and overall soothe the skin. If that’s not doing the trick, popping an oral antihistamine, like Benadryl, can also turn off your body’s histamine response to reduce swelling and itching.
REPEL Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent
REPEL Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent
$14 at Amazon
More importantly, preventing mosquito bites in the first place should be your first priority. That way, you don’t have to worry about mosquito-borne diseases like Zika or West Nile viruses, or even chikungunya, malaria, and dengue fever if you’re traveling outside of the U.S.
Avoiding peak mosquito hours (dusk and dawn), investing in an outdoor fan to prevent them from flying near you, and applying insect repellent that contains ingredients like DEET, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR3535, and picaridin can go a long way in keeping the bug bites at bay.
Additional reporting by Markham Heid
Stay updated on the latest science-backed health, fitness, and nutrition news by signing up for the Prevention.com newsletter here.
For added fun, follow us on Instagram.
Pain like a bullet wound. Insects with the most painful bites
https://ria.ru/20171011/1506632576.html
Pain like a bullet wound Insects with the most painful stings
Pain like a bullet wound. Insects with the most painful bites – RIA Novosti, 10/12/2017 Insects with the most painful stings
Some people panic at the sight of a wasp, a bee, a spider, and even a seemingly harmless ant. However, this panic is due to an instinct that … RIA Novosti, 10/11/2017
2017-10-11T17:22
2017-10-11T17:22
2017-10-12T07:55
/html/head/meta[@name=’og:title’]/@content 90 003
/html/head/meta[@name=’og:description’]/@content
884529e39.jpg
RIA Novosti
1
5
4.7
96
7 495 645-6601
FGU P MIA “Russia Today”
https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.
xn--p1ai/awards/
2017
RIA Novosti
1
5
4.7
96
7 495 645-6601
Federal State Unitary Enterprise MIA “Russia Today”
https: //xn—c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/Awards/
News
RU-U
https://rian.ru/docs/doCS/DOCS/ABOUT /copyright.html
https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/
RIA Novosti
1
5
4.7
96
7 495 645-6601 90 003
FSUE MIA Rossiya Segodnya
https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og .xn--p1ai/awards/
1920
1080
true
1920
1440
true
https://c dnn21.img.ria.ru/images/150663/57/1506635737_127:0: 911:588_1920x0_80_0_0_fe0bfa4089d73a825f0866d0a5a2022f.jpg
1920
1920
true
RIA Novosti 0003
7 495 645-6601
Rossiya Segodnya
https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.
xn--p1ai/awards/
RIA Novosti
1
5
4.7
96
internet [email protected]
7 495 645-6601
Federal State Unitary Enterprise MIA “Russia Today”
https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/awards/
MOSCOW, Oct 11 — RIA Novosti. Some people panic at the sight of a wasp, a bee, a spider, and even a seemingly harmless ant. However, this panic is due to an instinct that warns of danger, because for many thousands of years people have been in contact with insects, gradually remembering the degree of their toxicity.
Scorpion sting saves from pain
April 26, 2017, 5:23 pm
Of course, the stings of most of the listed insects are not fatal, unless there are too many of them, and the person is not allergic to their venom. But any bite is often accompanied by discomfort, and in some cases severe pain. At the same time, pain, as practice shows, is not an indicator of the danger of a bite, since even the most deadly of them are carried out with the use of special “painkillers”.
Our rating focuses on the degree of pain from bites, and not their consequences.
7. halict bee occupied the seventh place modestly. It is often called a sweat bee, since the salt of human sweat is a kind of “caffeine” for it, which enhances activity. The halict bee is a completely non-aggressive creature, it only bites if it sees a real danger, such as a palm trying to slap it. The bite is similar to a needle prick.
CC BY-SA 3.0 / Alvesgaspar / A female bee (Halictus scabiosae)
CC BY-SA 3.0 / Alvesgaspar / A female bee (Halictus scabiosae)
6. The bite of the next “laureate”, who received the sixth place, is dangerous not because of its pain. The tsetse fly, or Glossina palpalis, is a carrier of single-celled trypanosomes, the causative agents of sleeping sickness. Tsetse is a rather aggressive insect, constantly thirsting for blood, and in the literal sense, she will try to bite with her last strength and even try to attack the car, mistaking its hot body for a warm-blooded animal.
The venom of the fly is not dangerous, although it causes painful red bumps to appear in the stung area.
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Oregon State University / Tsetse fly Tsetse
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Oregon State University / Tsetse fly
Almost all species of these insects use acids that are injected in one way or another. Fire ants use their stingers to inject the toxic poison solenopsin under the skin, causing chemical burns. The sensations from such a bite are comparable to a fire burn – it is a sharp, sharp, sudden pain. A blister appears on the affected area.
© Photo : public domain Red fire ant
© Photo : public domain
People say that the pain caused by its bite starts ringing in the ears. Moreover, this pain lasts for several days, and around the bite site there is redness with a diameter of about ten centimeters. It is worth noting that, in general, hornets bite less often than the same wasps. Hornet venom is not intended for attack, but for defense.
CC BY-SA 2.5 / Richard Bartz / Vespa crabro germana with prey characterized by pain acute that it simply paralyzes a person. It is also called the “tarantula hawk” because it eats and eats tarantula spiders for breakfast and dinner. Her bite is compared to an electric shock, only this shock lasts for several minutes. The pain is so strong and excruciating that a person can hardly control his actions.
© Photo : public domain Wasp Pepsis
© Photo : public domain
These reddish-yellow insects have an average body length of about two centimeters, and their jaws are up to five millimeters long. No wonder they were called bulldogs! A stranger who dares to approach the anthill is in for a painful and poisonous bite. Severe pain may last for several days. Good thing they only live in Australia!
CC BY-SA 2.0 / JJ Harrison / Myrmecia forficata Bulldog Ant
CC BY-SA 2.0 / JJ Harrison / Myrmecia forficata
u gets Paraponera clavata, or ant -bullet .
By the way, he does not bite immediately, even if he considers the situation dangerous. First, the insect warns the enemy with a loud hiss and an unpleasant smell, and only then sets its jaws in motion. It is better to listen carefully and leave in time, because the bitten person will experience terrible pain that does not subside even for a minute for several days. Thanks to her, the insect earned its nickname, since the pain from a bite is comparable to the pain from a bullet wound.
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Bernard DUPONT / Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata) Bullet Ant
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Bernard DUPONT / Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata) iation, when “conversion” of boys into men. They also used the powerful jaws of ants to “sew up” open wounds on the body: the two edges of the wound were pressed against each other and an ant’s head was applied to them like a stapler. The insect immediately tightly compresses the jaws, squeezing the edges of the skin. A few bites – and the “seam” is ready.
The main thing is not to die from a painful shock.
Killer bug fake – Factcheck
4 years ago
Is there a killer bug and what injuries can it cause.
In the social networks Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, publications about the killer beetle reappeared. It is reported that a new species of beetle has appeared, which is deadly to humans. Posts with screaming headlines, and even more shocking photos.
Factcheck.kg decided to check the information. We paid attention to two things – the beetle itself and the consequences of its bite. Separately, they searched for information on the insect, and also found out the causes of lesions on the skin of the hands shown in the photographs.
The report says that the first cases of collision with a terrible insect occurred in India, but, nevertheless, people who disseminate this information advise the Kyrgyz people to be fully armed and bypass the beetle.
It is worth noting that information about the poisonous beetle was published earlier.
The message was widely disseminated in the group “***ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE…***))))))” on Facebook. There, the publication about the killer bug gained more than 80 thousand reposts.
A search query for a news title returned multiple links to the same information. In most cases, the same description. Publications and videos are dated 2017 and 2016. There are earlier ones. According to the dates, it can be determined that the “news” about the killer beetle pops up annually, having its seasonal “peaks of popularity” – autumn and spring.
As you can see from the results of the search query, this information is easily picked up and distributed by many infotainment sites, but no link to the original source is given anywhere.
What kind of insect?
So what kind of insect is actually depicted in the photograph?
Search by image allows us to determine that this is a representative of one of the species of water bugs – belostomy (lat.
Belostomatidae), or rather, a male with egg laying on its back. Representatives of this species protect their offspring in this way – the female lays eggs on the back of the male, and in this way he protects them from many threats.
It is very easy to find detailed information about this insect on specialized sites. Including what kind of threat it poses to humans.
Despite the rather large size (about 10 cm), the bug does not pose a particular threat to humans, and although its bites are painful, like the bites of many other types of bugs, they do not pose a danger. Moreover, in the vast majority of cases, the belostoma bug, when meeting with a person, prefers to pretend to be dead in order to avoid danger.
In a number of countries in Southeast Asia, this insect is even a delicacy.
Lesions on the arms
Now consider the injuries allegedly received from contact with the killer beetle. The report says that touching a poisonous insect on the hands and other parts of the body causes a small rash that affects large areas, and this leads to an early death.