Bug bite on finger: Everything You Need to Know About Mite and Flea Bites
All About Bedbugs
Good night, sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.
The popular children’s rhyme gets it right: Bedbugs do most commonly feed on humans at night while they’re sleeping (though they can sometimes bite during the day), and they’re the type of pest you really don’t want to have to deal with. (1)
Bedbugs (or Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus, their scientific names) are blood-feeding parasites that can be found all around the world. You mostly hear about them in urban areas or places with a great deal of occupant turnover, such as hotels, apartment buildings, and college dormitories, because that’s where they spread most easily. (1)
Bedbugs were nearly extinct after World War II thanks to the use of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT). The United States banned DDT in 1972 because of its negative environmental effects, and the less-effective pesticides that came after it, along with a rise in international travel and immigration, has contributed to the bedbug resurgence we’re experiencing today.
(3)
What Do Bedbugs Look Like, and How Do I Know I Have Them?
Bedbugs are reddish-brown insects that feed on blood, primarily blood from humans. (4) Bedbugs crawl, but cannot fly or jump like many other insects do. (1) Also unlike cockroaches and flies, bedbugs have no relationship with cleanliness and can be found in the cleanest homes and hotel rooms, says Scott Svenheim, an associate certified entomologist with Truly Nolen Pest Control in Tucson, Arizona.
“Many people believe that bedbugs are too small to see with the naked eye,” adds Jerry Lazarus, president of Braman Termite & Pest Elimination. Not so: Adult bedbugs range in size from 1 to 7 millimeters. But they’re very good at hiding. To spot them, you’ll have to catch them moving to or from their hiding spots, which can be hard to do, since they’re most active while people are sleeping. They have six legs and their bodies are small and flat, which makes it easy for them to hide within the cracks and crevices of your home.
Female bedbugs produce about one egg per day. The eggs are white and are very hard to see without magnification, Lazarus says. The eggs take about one week to hatch in rooms that are between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (F). The nymphs that hatch from those eggs look like adult bedbugs, but they’re smaller and are translucent until they have their first blood meal, Svenheim says. (1) The nymphs take about five weeks to mature, and during those five weeks they shed their skin five times, each time after feeding. (5)
Learn More About How to Know You Have Bedbugs
Bedbug Bites Can Be Intensely Itchy — or You May Not Even Notice Them
Bedbugs are sneaky insects. They bite in the middle of the night (usually about one hour before dawn), injecting an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that makes it painless and unlikely that you’ll feel a thing. After feeding for about five minutes, the bugs will retreat back to their hiding places.
For most people, the first sign of bedbugs is bites on the body.
The bites will show up in any place that’s exposed while you sleep, such as the arms, legs, back, and neck.
More on Bug Bites
What Bit Me? Spot These 11 Bug Bites
You could have a single bite, but more often it’s three bites in a row, forming somewhat of a line—what’s colloquially called “breakfast, lunch, and dinner” and is a telltale sign of bedbugs.
Bites can look different from person to person. “In some people, they can cause allergic reactions, although some people don’t react at all,” Lazarus says. In most cases, a bedbug bite looks a lot like a mosquito bite — a red, itchy bump on your skin that appears within 24 hours of your being bitten.
Though the idea of having bedbugs in your home can be troubling, the bugs themselves don’t pose a threat to your health (nor do their bites). (1) “These bites can’t spread disease to humans, but they can be itchy and uncomfortable,” says Steve Durham, president of EnviroCon Termite & Pest in Tomball, Texas.
You likely won’t need to visit a doctor as a result of getting bitten by a bedbug. (6) Usually, the bites will heal within two weeks on their own, though you may want to apply an anti-itch cream or corticosteroid cream to the area to relieve itchiness. (7)
If you experience an allergic reaction or the area shows signs of infection, such as if the area oozes pus, it may be time to visit a dermatologist. He or she will likely prescribe an antihistamine and corticosteroid to treat an allergic reaction, or an antiseptic or antibiotic ointment for an infection.
Learn More About Identifying and Treating Bedbug Bites
Bedbugs Are Notoriously Tough to Get Rid Of (But You CAN Do It)
“One of the main reasons people fear bedbug infestations more than most other pests is because they are notoriously tough to get rid of,” Durham says. That’s why many people turn to professionals for help. “Most do-it-yourself attempts end in failure and frustration, since over-the-counter products can be misapplied and infested areas can be easily missed,” Lazarus says.
“Often, this means spending a lot of your own money and time and still having a problem.” (Plus, failure to correctly use DIY extermination products can be dangerous to your health and those you live with.)
If you decide to go the professional route, there are three common treatment options the pest control expert may take:
- Insecticide Application Use of insecticides is the most common route to get rid of bedbugs. Treating bedbugs this way requires preparation, such as washing bedding and clothing and placing items that can’t be washed in garbage bags out in the hot sun. Sometimes, a few rounds of insecticides are needed to get rid of the bedbug population entirely.
- Heat Remediation A pest control professional will heat the infected space to temperatures that kill bedbugs, usually between 120 and 130 degrees F. This method requires much less prep work than insecticide application and usually will successfully eliminate the bedbugs and the eggs on the first treatment, so there’s likely no need for a follow-up visit.
- Fumigation This option is less commonly available. It works by injecting a vacated building with a gas that kills the bedbugs inside.
You can also try to apply insecticides yourself, though the products available to professionals are usually more effective than those available to consumers. When choosing a product, look for one that is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and specifically lists bedbugs on the label. (8) You’ll likely need to do a few rounds of treatment, because it can be very difficult to find and kill bedbug eggs.
To successfully get rid of bedbugs, you need to be extremely thorough. “Bedbugs are excellent at hiding and will be in places where most people wouldn’t check — behind peeling wallpaper, in the rails of drawers, in hollow curtain rods, and in electronics,” Lazarus says. If even just one bedbug is left behind, you’ll still be in trouble, Durham says.
Learn More About How to Get Rid of Bedbugs
The Insecticides Used to Kill Bedbugs Can Be Harmful to People (and Pets), Too, if Used Incorrectly
It’s important to approach bedbug treatment carefully, because insecticides that are used to kill bedbugs can also be harmful to you if you’re exposed to unsafe levels.
Symptoms of unsafe pesticide exposure include vomiting, dizziness, headaches, and trouble breathing. (9)
More on Safety
Insecticides and Autoimmune Disease: What Women Should Know
When they’re used safely and according to the label, insecticides shouldn’t pose a threat to you or any other family members or pets you live with, Lazarus says. Insecticides are sold as dusts, liquids, aerosols, and foggers. There are also organic and natural products on the market, though some research has found they’re not as effective at killing bedbugs as traditional insecticides. (10)
If you hire a professional to treat the bedbugs in your home, you’ll want to ask them a few safety-related questions, including:
- What insecticides do you plan to use? You can look up the products yourself (or consult your doctor or vet about them) to see if there are any precautions you need to take. (11)
- Do you have a list of references? Call the references to ask about their experience working with this company.
- Are you a certified, licensed pesticide applicator or a licensed technician?
- Do you use integrated pest management techniques? This effective approach attacks bedbugs from all angles and treats them with a combination of heat, steam, and insecticides. (12)
Watch out for insecticide products sold over the internet that come from outside the U.S. — they may contain ingredients that have been banned by the EPA, which could mean health (and potentially legal) issues for you. (13)
Learn More About How to Deal With Bedbugs Safely
To Prevent Getting Bedbugs, Be Smart About How They Spread
Bedbugs are excellent hitchhikers. They grab onto luggage and purses or find hiding spots within folded clothes to make it back to your home. Getting them is just bad luck. “There is no real reason one person would get bedbugs over someone else,” Svenheim says. “It’s just being in the wrong place at the wrong time where bedbugs exist.
”
And they can exist everywhere, from restaurant booths to seats at the movie theater to changing rooms at the mall. “It’s really about being educated about what they are, how you can get them, and doing things the right way to prevent you from bringing them back to your house,” says Eric Braun, a board-certified entomologist and technical services manager for the national pest control company Rentokil.
There are some precautions you can take to minimize the chances that you’ll end up taking home a bedbug on your next trip.
- When you check into a hotel room or settle into a home rental, inspect the space for pepper-like stains on the bedsheets and mattress seams, Lazarus says. That’s a sign of bedbug activity. If you think your room may have bedbugs, ask for a new room that’s not next to or directly above or below your original room, Lazarus suggests.
- Keep your luggage away from the bed and off the floor. Braun says not to use luggage racks or unpack your clothing into the hotel room drawers. He says it’s safest to keep your luggage stored in the bathtub.
- If you notice bedbug bites while on your trip, be sure to wash the clothing from your suitcase (whether you wore it or not) and dry on hot for at least 30 minutes for the best chances to kill the bugs before they infest your home — and use a portable steamer to apply heat to suitcases and any items that cannot go in the dryer, Lazarus says.
He says it’s safest to keep your luggage stored in the bathtub.Frequent travelers aren’t the only ones at risk of picking up a hitchhiking bedbug. People who live in apartment buildings and dormitories also have an increased risk (because higher rates of turnover and closer living quarters increase the chances bedbugs will have the opportunity to spread). Because of this, many universities recommend students wrap their mattress and box spring with a protective cover or mattress encasement to keep bedbugs out. (14) Look for ones made of high-quality cloth, which won’t tear as easily as plastic.
People living in apartments should also consider adding a door sweep to their front door to minimize the chances that bedbugs will sneak in from the communal hallway.
(15) Keeping cracks around electrical work or plumbing filled also gives the bedbugs fewer places to break in. (16)
Finally, be careful not to bring bedbugs into your home through secondhand furniture by inspecting the items before you purchase them.
Learn More About How to Prevent Bedbugs
Having Bedbugs Can Come With an Emotional Toll. Here’s What to Do About It
Bedbug infestations are treatable, and the bugs themselves don’t pose a threat to your health, but having to deal with bedbugs can be very stressful.
“Having an actual bedbug infestation is pretty psychologically traumatizing in general,” says Katherine Maloy, MD, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU Langone Health in New York City. “It’s extremely overwhelming — even just the logistics of getting your home cleaned — and it takes a very long time because the bugs have a long dormancy period in which they can go without food.” In the right conditions, bedbugs can live for more than a year without feeding.
Wondering if they’re truly gone or not can cause a lot of anxiety. People dealing with bedbugs may also experience: (17,18)
- Difficulty sleeping
- Nightmares
- Depression
- Social isolation
- Flashbacks
RELATED: When Doctors Diagnose ‘Bedbug Psychosis’
Additionally, dealing with bedbugs can make existing mental health issues worse. Researchers say the toll the experience takes on one’s mental health is similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. (19)
Dr. Maloy says if you’re dealing with bedbugs, talk to someone you trust, and visit a professional if it’s really taking a toll on your life. “It’s the same as with anything else that’s causing distress,” Maloy says. “If it’s interfering with your functioning, if it’s interfering with your life, it’s interfering with your relationships and your work, if you’re not able to function because you’re not sleeping,” she says — it’s time to seek help.
Learn More About Getting Over the Mental Distress Bedbugs Can Bring
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How to Know if You Have Bedbugs
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Everything You Need to Know About Mite and Flea Bites
What Bit Me? Spot These 12 Bug Bites
What Are Mites, and Do They Bother Humans?
Mites are arthropods, not insects, and are close cousins with spiders and ticks. (1) Most types of mites feed on other insects or on dead plant and animal material. (Dust mites, for example, feed mostly on dead skin cells.)
But there are a few types that bite or affect people: (2,3)
- Chiggers
- Scabies
- Rat mites
- Bird mites
- Northern fowl mites
Despite what you may have heard or read online, home mite infestations are fairly rare and tend to be much less of an issue than people assume, says Mike Merchant, PhD, a former professor of entomology at Texas A&M University in Dallas.
“A lot of the mite stuff on the internet makes it sound like [a mite infestation is] the end of the world, but it’s not,” he says.
Can Mites Be Harmful to Your Health?
Mite bites can cause skin lumps and rashes and, occasionally, more serious reactions, Dr. Merchant says.
Among outdoor mites, the only type that frequently bites people is the chigger. The word “chigger” applies to a particular species of mite that bites during its larval stage of development, and their bite produces an intensely itchy red welt, Merchant explains. “There are not too many other mite problems outdoors,” he adds.
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Chigger Bites
When it comes to indoor mites that bite or cause health issues, Merchant says most spring from animal nests. “Some mites will infest the nests of birds and rats and mice, and when they become abundant, they’ll leave that site and sometimes wander into the house and bite people,” he explains. In most cases, the bites of these mites cause an itchy skin rash, which may feature small lumps or pimples.
“The skin might be very itchy or red for a few days, but then that will taper off,” Merchant says of mite bites. Ice and anti-itch creams like hydrocortisone can help control the swelling and itching. But those symptoms should resolve within a week, he says. (Nearly all species of biting house mites cannot live on human beings, and so they don’t “infest people,” he adds.)
There is one outlier: scabies. These mites infest a person’s skin in order to lay eggs and feed, and are usually only passed by direct person-to-person contact. (4) Like other mites, scabies tend to cause an itchy, pimply red rash. But unlike other mites, those rashes will continue to appear unless the person gets medical treatment, usually a prescription-only skin cream or lotion designed to kill scabies.
Dust mites can cause allergies in some people, but these tend to be of the mild, seasonal allergy variety — stuff like a runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes. (5) Over-the-counter and prescription allergy meds can help quell dust mite allergies.
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Allergies
How to Get Rid of Mites in Your Household
You don’t need a crazy whole-house treatment or fumigation. You just need to remove the animals and animal nests that are bringing mites into your home, Merchant says. “Everybody always wants a spray to solve these types of mite problems, but the real solution is getting rid of any animals nesting in your home, and animal-proofing your home,” he says. Basically, call in a home pest pro.
The exception here, again, is the scabies mite; in addition to getting medical treatment, you can take steps to eliminate the mites from your household. Scabies mites don’t survive very long when they’re not on human skin. Vacuum your home the day you start treatment and decontaminate your bedding, clothing, and towels by washing these items in hot water and drying on high heat. You can also dry-clean or seal these articles in a plastic bag for at least 72 hours.
When it comes to dust mites, on the other hand, it’s almost impossible to get rid of them all. But frequent home cleaning and dusting, installing HEPA air filters, and buying bedding that can be washed in hot water and that resists dust accumulation can limit allergic reactions.
What Are Fleas, and What Do Flea Bites Look Like?
Fleas are blood-sucking insects that live on mammals — often dogs, cats, or other furry pets. (6) Fleas are brown and wingless. And while they’re small, usually around an eighth of an inch, they’re big enough to see or even feel with your hand, Merchant says.
While they prefer animals to humans, fleas can migrate off pets and onto their owner’s skin. “Usually flea bites are on the lower legs because the fleas get into the carpet and then jump up as we’re walking past,” Merchant explains.
What does a flea bite look like? Like many other types of insect bites, flea bites produce small red bumps that may be itchy and that tend to appear in groups of three or more.
Again, ice and hydrocortisone can help relieve symptoms, which tend to be short-lived — a week or less.
More Serious Health Complications Can Arise if You Have Mites or Fleas
Like all biting or stinging insects, mites and fleas can occasionally cause serious allergic reactions, including problems breathing or a swollen limb or throat. Those symptoms warrant a trip to the emergency room.
Also, anything that causes itchy skin or open sores can allow in bacteria, which could lead to a secondary infection. (7) If you notice swelling, pain, or a mite or flea bite that seems to be getting worse after a day or two, or if you have a fever or other flu-like symptoms, talk to a doctor. Those could all be signs of a bacterial infection.
Finally, both fleas and mites can transmit some potentially serious diseases to humans — namely types of typhus and spotted fever — though these transmissions are very rare. Symptoms include headaches, fever, rashes, and delirium. (8)
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Bitten by a Beetle: Consequences of Encounters with Insects, Treatment
Coleoptera is a large order of insects that people encounter all the time. Beetles live in nature in urban areas and in residential areas.
There are no blood-sucking representatives among them, therefore, for the most part, they do not pose a danger to humans.
Cases when a beetle has bitten a finger or a limb are very rare and, as a rule, this happens through the fault of the person himself.
Contents
Swimming beetle sting
This is perhaps the only insect that can cause some harm to humans. Swimmers are permanent inhabitants of fresh water bodies of Europe and Russia.
They are found everywhere, where there are banks with vegetation, among which they find their food. Adult beetles (imagoes) are distinguished by their large size and characteristic streamlined body shape, which is easily recognizable (see photo).
Mature individuals are well adapted for flight, which is used mainly for the development of new territories. Not infrequently, swimmers fly into the light. On land, they are clumsy and avoid any contact with people.
Larvae always live in water, lead a predatory lifestyle, eating small invertebrates and fish fry. They have a long worm-like body, three pairs of legs and powerful jaws.
Their appearance is quite frightening, rarely anyone dares to take a juvenile insect in their hands, since it is clear that it can stand up for itself.
Pay attention. Adults and larvae can bite a person in the aquatic environment.
The bite of the swimming beetle is quite painful and resembles a needle puncture. Unpleasant sensations can persist for a long time.
After the development of swelling and hyperemia, which are replaced by thickening of the tissues. Such a bump passes after two to three weeks, and until then the contact site will be painful.
If microbes or viruses enter, infection or the formation of a boil is not excluded, therefore it is advisable to immediately treat the wound with an antiseptic or wash it with soap and water. Damage is mechanical in nature, no toxic substances enter the bloodstream, so poisoning or allergic reactions are excluded.
Skin beetle bites
Kozheedy
These insects may appear in residential areas.
They feel pretty good there, so they begin to multiply en masse.
The sizes of skin beetles are small (0.3 to 12 mm), the body is oval, with a hard shell, painted in different shades of brown. The larvae are black, covered with many hard hairs.
Pay attention. Skin beetles feed on dead organic matter and do not belong to blood-sucking insects.
There is no evidence in the biological and medical literature that individuals belonging to this family can bite humans. There is also no reliable evidence of this.
But people often notice the relationship between the appearance of small red dots and irritations on the skin when they appear in the house. This is most likely caused by an allergy to the hairs of the larvae, which, with prolonged contact, irritate the human skin (which can happen during sleep).
Snow beetle bite
This is a terrestrial insect with a very hard chitinous cover. Wings are hidden under strong elytra.
The size of the imago is about three centimeters. Black color.
They are frequent habitues of meadow and forest vegetation. Flying through the air and seeing a person, he is perceived as a landing site, which is higher than the grass or bushes.
Most often they sit on the head and can get tangled in the hair. If you clumsily remove the beetle from this captivity, then a bite in the head or on the finger is possible. The oral apparatus is represented by strong jaws, but, as a rule, the skin does not bite through, but a painful pinch of soft tissues will occur.
If the wound does occur, then it is a normal scratch that will heal quickly. In order to prevent infection, it is better to disinfect the affected area after all.
Bug beetle
These are beneficial insects of large size and various bright colors. The basis of their nutrition is small insects, therefore blister beetles are means of biological control of parasites and pests of agricultural plants.
All members of the family prefer a warm climate, they are most common in countries with dry and hot weather.
The body of the insect is rather fragile, so it is easy to damage it with inept or careless handling. The beetles themselves are not capable of biting a person, but the hemolymph, which replaces blood, contains the toxic substance contharidin.
When this fluid comes into contact with exposed skin, it penetrates the soft tissues through various microscopic fissures or lesions, causing the formation of:
- wounds,
- inflammations,
- boils or suppurations.
Pay attention. Contharidin is a dangerous toxin. If it gets into the eye or mucous membranes, severe swelling or wounds will develop, which can cause serious health problems.
As a rule, poison gets on the skin when a person tries to inadvertently remove an insect from himself, while his delicate integuments are torn and the hemolymph comes into contact with the epidermis.
If the substance enters the intestines in large quantities, severe poisoning can occur or, in rare cases, death can occur, for example, if a person is severely weakened as a result of old age or a long illness.
Signs of poisoning, as follows:
- dizziness,
- nausea and vomiting,
- temperature increase,
- weakness.
Note. Ancient tribes used blister hemolymph for hunting, and a single member of the family was often used in folk medicine. This species is commonly known as the Spanish fly.
Other beetles
Among the representatives of the Coleoptera order, which are often found in humans, there may be red beetles or ladybugs, May, stag beetle, bronzovka and various types of click beetles and beetles. All of them are safe, but they can still pinch a little, which is absolutely safe.
The video in this article provides an opportunity to look at a wide variety of beetles in our country and what discomfort they can cause to a person. The table contains brief information about safe species that sometimes bite a person.
Table. Some species of common beetles:
| Name | Comment | Distribution |
| There are many varieties of them, some can easily bite the skin. This happens on the sea coasts during their peak breeding years, but contact is completely safe. Most likely, coccinellids perceive human moles as small insects. Poisonous is their hemolymph, when it enters the food tract. | Worldwide | |
The most famous representatives are the May beetle, bronze and marble beetle. When in the hands, they try to bite through the skin, but the oral apparatus is rather weak and their actions do not even cause pain. Larvae living in the ground can cause more severe discomfort, but this happens in isolated cases | Everywhere warm and temperate climates. | |
| Not infrequently it is called the stag beetle, by belonging to the family of the same name. Males have large mandibles, which is a consequence of sexual dimorphism. They themselves never attack a person, but they can cause quite unpleasant sensations if the individual is picked up and she manages to grab a finger or skin with her front jaws. | Europe, Asia, Iran and North America. confined to oak forests. |
Pay attention. The Asian 28-spotted Harlequin ladybug can attack humans.
See also:
- How dangerous a scorpion sting can be
- Why is a bumblebee sting dangerous and what are its consequences?
What to do
Coleoptera rarely bite and even more rarely cause inflammation or damage to the skin.