Being bitten by a bug is an experience many are familiar with. The prickly sensation of having your skin bitten is usually followed by an allergic reaction to the insect’s venom. This sometimes leaves you with a throbbing, itchy, and sometimes painful welt on your skin. You may not notice this welt until much later.
Insects bite for various reasons, some insects such as mosquitoes bite because they survive off human blood, some consume skin cells, and others bite when they feel disturbed or threatened. While most insect bites have no serious effects other than discomfort and itching, some insect bites can leave you with serious diseases such as malaria and Lyme disease. Some are severe enough to trigger anaphylactic shock.
Regardless of what the cause is, treating the bite is easier when you can recognize that an insect has bitten you. Insect bites are generally characterized by itchiness, pain, redness or rash, and heat or numbness around the location of the bite. Not all insect bites look the same. This article explores how to recognize these bites in different types of insects.