How To Treat Bites & Stings From Spiders & Insects

Bug Bites are most of the time the most annoying bite to have. They itch and burn and are just plain annoying. For our purposes, we will break down bug bites into more specific areas.

Tick Bites

Ticks are blooding suck bugs that bury their heads into the skin and begin sucking the blood out of their host. Most tick bites are not dangerous but some ticks carry Lyme Disease. It is best to remove the tick as soon as possible once you have realized you have one. In order to remove a tick, you are going to have to pull the head out of your skin. Take care though because sometimes when you pull on the tick the head will stay attached to you and continue to suck blood. If this happens then you are going to need to kill the head of the tick. In order to do this, you are going to need to burn it out, to accomplish this simply take a needle and heat it up, and poke the tick in the head. You can also use a stick or knife but it is simple with a needle.

If that makes you nervous then simply touch the tick with a hot stick from a fire and the tick should let loose and jump off. When it does just step on it.

Ant Bites

Ants are always an annoying bug to deal with. They usually come in the thousands and can be painful if they bite you. First aid for ant bites is extremely simple, if you get bit by ants more than likely you are just going to be irritated. If you itch then you can put some lotion onto the bites and that should help the itching.

The only real threat to ant bites is either those with allergies or of course thousands of ant bites. Both of these situations can cause anaphylactic shock, which if not treated very quickly can lead to death. The best thing to use for this is to use an epinephrine pen or epi-pen. This little device needs to have a doctor’s prescription, so you just can’t buy it. However, if you are going on a trip or have severe allergies talk with your doctor.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous bugs on the planet. They are responsible for more disease transfer than any other creature. Mosquitoes live in primarily warmer climates. They are known for carrying West Nile Disease, Yellow Fever, and Dengue Fever. Even if the mosquito bites you, chances are that you won’t contract a disease but their bite also tends to be very irritating and most people swell slightly and itch badly from the bite. In order to remedy this, you can either use a lotion-like Calamine lotion to cover the affected area or you can use a cold press, which is a towel with either ice or cold water, and then press it to the affected area and the swelling and itching should go away.

Stinging Insects

Stinging bugs such as Wasp, Hornets, Bees, etc. tend to be in hives when they are flying around. If you disturb one then typically multiple stingers will head your way. Once that happens you are probably going to have to deal with multiple stings. Not all stinging bugs sting the same way, for instance, Yellow Jackets bite, whereas Bees hit with a poison barb. Though there are different types of stings, they are dressed the same way. First, check the affected area for stingers. If the stinger is still in the wound then gently remove it. Make sure to remove it with a cloth so that you do not stick yourself again. Once the stinger is out you can dress the wound by simply either using lotion or not, and then covering with a bandage.

Stinging bugs tend to be what people are most allergic to in the bug world. However, the symptoms of anaphylactic shock can happen to anyone, especially if a person is subjected to multiple stings. If this happens you should try and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Chigger Bites

Chiggers are pretty annoying. They live in wooded areas and attach themselves to your skin. They bite the skin and cause itching. There is a chigger cream however after chiggers bite you they die, and the bite marks that are itchy should go away after a few days. Despite popular belief, chiggers do not burrow under your skin and last for weeks. Once the bite mark is visible protect the bite mark and use anti-itch cream, then cover the wound with a bandage and don’t scratch. Chigger bites go away after about 2-3 days.

Most bug bites tend to have the same effect itching, stinging, and swelling. Unless there is something in the wound then you should simply dress the wound with a bandage and try not to scratch. Remember that scratching only makes bug bites or stings worse and you should try not to do it.