Bites & Stings

When flies, mosquitoes, and spiders bite people, the sting can cause pain, itching and swelling. E Medicine online lists uncomfortable symptoms such as slight fever, tenderness, and dry skin....

When a ticks bites, it burrows it head into the skin of the host, then feeds on its blood. While most tick bites are harmless, some kinds of ticks, such as deer ticks and wood ticks, can transmit...

Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory and a pain killer. It is also an anticoagulant which helps keep the blood thin. Doctors advise people with heart problems to take a low dose of aspirin daily. It is...

If you believe your house or apartment may have bed bugs, or you are aware that others in your building have an infestation, you must be very cautious about how you handle the situation. The more...

Ticks bite their hosts by burrowing their heads into the skin to feed on blood. Most tick bites are completely harmless. However, some types of ticks, including deer ticks and wood ticks, can...

Once thought to have been eradicated 50 years ago, bedbugs are making a comeback. These tiny insects feed on the blood of humans and animals. Bedbugs were all but wiped out by the pesticide DDT....

Head lice can be an embarrassing infestation that may lead to public humiliation for you and your children if discovered by a school teacher. Coal tar is the byproduct of turning coal into coke...

Your young child suddenly jumps up from playing in the backyard screaming in pain. A bee has stung him, and bee stings hurt. A check of your medicine cabinet reveals that, just as you thought, you...

Bedbugs and scabies are two pests that feed on human blood, causing very uncomfortable skin rashes. Scabies can be passed from person to person, as the mites live on humans, but scabies can also...

Lyme disease is an illness that is acquired through bites from deer ticks feeding on the blood of humans and animals. When left untreated, Lyme disease can have a myriad of effects, including...

Bird mites, which are also known as pigeon mites and avian mites, are small, eight-legged insects that survive off the blood of warm-blooded animals such as pigeons, cats, and humans. An...

Consumers who are reluctant to use commercial pesticides, such as DEET, on themselves or on their dogs may wish to try homemade eucalyptus tick repellent. Although eucalyptus trees don't grow...

The leading insect carriers of illnesses to humans in the United States are ticks. They are second only to mosquitoes worldwide. Ticks are incapable of jumping or flying. They can be found on...

Among the many nasty little critters that outdoor enthusiasts may encounter is the tick, a tiny parasitic insect that feeds off an animal's fresh blood supply. A tick bites a host animal, then...

Bedbugs are little nocturnal bugs that feed on human blood. There are several different types of bedbugs, including some that feed on certain types of animals, such as chickens and dogs, but the...

Ticks are a concern for those who live in or around wooded areas. Ticks attach themselves to the skin and suck the blood out of their host. Ticks' bodies become engorged after feeding. They are a...

What to do if you get bit by fire ants.

"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite"! - No really, don't!! I know we've all heard of them in that context, but what do we do when we suspect they are living in our home?

Silverfish are silver and grey in color, with torpedo shaped bodies and they are approximately 12 millimeters in length. Silverfish also have no wings with two long antennae on their heads, with...

Bedbugs can be found in any type of dwelling from hotels to houses, though they are usually attracted to unclean areas and those that have nearby bats and birds. Bedbugs prefer fresh blood of...

Catfish are large, bottom-dwelling fish that can be found all over the world in freshwater or marine habitats. Catfish are known for their trademark large mouths and whiskers. In addition to these...

Thyme won't kill bedbugs. But it could make your bedroom so undesirable that they'll go somewhere else. Getting rid of bedbugs is notoriously difficult, even using pesticides. If you're...

All it takes is one person getting untreated head lice and before you know it, everyone has it. Millions of people each year get head lice especially little children. They play together a lot and...

Most of the time, tick bites are harmless to people. However, in rare cases, tick bites can cause serious illnesses, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF).

Horse flies are much bigger than other flies that bother your horses. Their bites hurt a lot, and they can drive a normally mellow horse into a bucking frenzy. They can be kept away with fly...

Lyme disease is an illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is primarily carried by deer ticks. It occurs when you are bitten by an infected deer tick and the bacteria enters...

Mosquito bites essentially are allergic reactions that leave you feeling uncomfortable for as long as they stay reactive. Excessive scratching causes swelling, which eventually breaks the skin....

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year dogs will bite some 4.7 million Americans. Most of these bites go unreported, but about 800,000 will require treatment. ...

The western and eastern diamondbacks of the U.S. Southwest/Mexico and Southeast, respectively, are the largest rattlesnakes in the world: the eastern may reach nearly eight feet. While they tend...

Lyme Disease is an inflammatory disease that's spread through deer tick bites. Late stage Lyme Disease is chronic and persistent. It's also called Stage 3, or tertiary Lyme Disease.

Bee stings occur when you unintentionally threaten a bee or colony. Honeybees lose the stinger, while wasps and yellow jackets keep the stinger. Venom is more than likely harmless for people who...

Have you encountered a sticky substance on cotton bud in your field? Well that's the 'sticky cotton' sign of a cotton parasite attack. Ranging from light yellow to dark green in color, cotton...

Though common, ticks are an annoying and sometimes dangerous pest due to the spread of Lyme disease. While many chemicals will kill or control them, not all are safe, and many are appropriate for...

Tick fever is caused by a bacteria in the saliva of the tick that infects a person during a bite. There are two kinds of tick fever: Rocky Mountain and Colorado. Rocky Mountain tick fever can be...

The majority of tick bites are not medically significant, but a number of conditions could develop. Often the symptoms of a tick bite are the best indicators for diagnosis. This leads to the best...

Lyme disease is caused by ticks called spirochete. When they bite your skin, they emit infectious bacteria that can cause nausea, vomiting, fever and joint swelling. Lyme disease can be picked up...

Tick bites can be dangerous. According to the U.S. Library of Medicine, ticks can carry diseases such as Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia. These disease can...

Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown insects that feed on human blood and cause skin irritation. They hide in walls, furniture or floors and are most active at night. Bed-bug infections are usually...

Read this article for advice on how to remove a tick in order to avoid dangerous (but rare) consequences.

If you encounter a wolf spider it will most likely running across the floor running away. Unlike other spiders the wolf spider tends to stay out of a human’s way and hind during the day and hunt...

Fire ant stings are incredibly itchy and burn terribly. Fire Ants use their mouth to grab their victim and inject their stinger and release venom. The site of a fire ant bite and sting is a very...

A yellow jacket sting falls into the category of insect bites referred to as hymenoptera, which includes stings or bites from bees, ants, hornets and wasps (yellow jackets). The hymenoptera sting...

The irritating itch or sharp sting of a bug bite is an unpleasant souvenir that can last for days after your outdoor excursion. Fortunately, you can find items that can soothe a bug bite around...

The bite of the hobo spider can cause serious tissue damage, and those living in the Northwestern U.S. and Europe should be aware of the stages and symptoms of this spider bite. The bite is...

For years we have all heard "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." We heard all these amazing things about apples. Well to my surprise I learned that bananas are a strong competitor...

Bedbugs are vicious insects that attack at night and feed on human blood. They are also extremely stealthy; according to bed-bug.org, the insects hide in cracks, electrical outlets and between bed...

Constantly being bitten by bedbugs can cause a person a good night's sleep. If you notice that you have bedbugs, you'll want to get rid of the problem as quickly as possible. Read on to find...

If you suffered from arachnophobia before you knew the meaning of the word, take heart. You are not alone. Although spiders are a necessary part of the ecosystem and for the most part harmless,...

Deer ticks carry at least five diseases, including Lyme disease. Ticks tend to bite around the upper part of the body. They are parasites that require the blood of animals to reproduce and eat....

It is very important to be able to identify different kinds of spiders because some spiders are venomous but not poisonous and others are both. The Brown Recluse spider is very important to be...