Insect Bites - ID Help
A large number of visitors that have contributed pictures of insect bites but are not sure exactly what bit them; if you have been bitten, but are not sure by what, then this page is for you.
If you have been bitten and would like help identifying the insect, please take photos and post them here for everyone to view. Without pictures of insect bites it is very hard to determine the insect.
If you have been bitten by a spider, but are not sure what type of spider, then please post your questions and photos on this spider bite page.
Please send photos of insect bites to jim@badspiderbites.com and I will make sure they get posted for everyone to see.
Of all the posts about bites on this site, the following tips seem to be repeated throughout, no matter what type of insect bite it may be.
* Do not pop the bite to get pus out.
* Do not wait to go to the doctor, a few days can do incredible damage!
* Capture the insect that bit you if possible.
Written by Jim on August 3rd, 2007 with
341 comments.
Read more articles on Spider Bite Pictures.
- [+] Digg: Feature this article
- [+] Del.icio.us: Bookmark this article
- [+] Furl: Bookmark this article
I have a bite on my belly blow my navel and towards one side. Two days ago I thought it was a chigger bite because it itched and is where my jeans fit tightly. When I finally looked at it yesterday I was quite surprised. It is pink in the middle, about .6 inches across, with a white ring around that, about an inch in diameter. Radiating from the white ring are four bruised looking areas, about 3 inches from one edge to the other. Today it appears that there are 2 or 3 little punctures in my skin. (It is hard to see well because of where the bite is, and I am alone, so can’t get someone else to look right now.) The area does not hurt, the center just itches. More pictures of spider bites, please! I’ll call the emergency room. (Austin, Texas area.)
i have a bite on my back that I noticed about 4 days ago. The itch and redness is not going away. Oddly enough, about 4 days prior to my knowledge of a bite, I had a terrible headache and my backached in the same area of the now noticable bite,for two days. The bite is about 3″long and 1″deep. Afterlooking at the websight, I am sure I have a spider bite or two or three. My ribs on that same side have been sore as well. Yikes, maybe I should see a doctor. (Overland Park, KS)
Bitten early Feb. 2007, outside of left knee, wearing jeans, working in garage. Initial bite looked like fire ant bite, dime-sized white pustle with red ring around it. Never felt the bite, just itched like crazy. Bright red, burned,sore, dried, itched, peeled from inside out like a flower. Grew to the size of a silver dollar. Continued to burn, dry out, peel and itch.
It’s now 10 weeks, site is now about the size of a quarter. Used rubbing alcohol morning/night and Aquaphor to control itching. Experienced extreme weakness in my knees, fatigue and numbness in both hands.
Would love to see more pictures of initial bites to I.D. this.
I was doing some work at a garage in the country today and when I returned home this evening I noticed six sites on my back near my shoulder. Each site looked like a bruise in the center about 1/2 inch across and out around that bruise about 1 1/2 inches in diameter was a faint red ring around each bruise site. Can anyone tell me if these might be spider bites and what kind?
Thanks
Ted
I was bit on the knee and the back of my thigh. at first the bite looked like a ant bite so it just itched then it started to look like a pimple it started to trun red and the mucle around became hard an it had so much pain it got to were i could not move leg. My mother told me to burn a niddle and pirce the center or just remove the head and squezze the pus out of it. I then put some neosporin on it which help and now it gone. but still would like to see more pitcures of bites
hi there, 2 days ago i was bitten by somrthing i don’t know what but i suspect it was aspider it is on my right hip about the diameter of a soft ball it itches very badly it even feels hot to the touch. I hve been feeling vry diszzey and have had bad headaches i would like to see some pictures of more spider bites to compare my too if you can help mr please do. thanks sincerly
Woke up one morning with three small red spots on my head. the tree red spots turned into three scabs and then disappeared completely. However, I have been exhibiting pain for the last three months. Like to know if this could be a spider bite.
daughter and I were both bitten, her on the back and leg , .. me on the bum haha, but no this was super painful, red swollen the siMyze of a sand dollar I had 3 huge ones then 5 small ones. The small ones resembled fire ant bites the big ones take a day or two , then they are at the full size. You can feel a hard sac of pus wich usually starts coming out on day 5 or six. Its more pus than I have ever seen thick and yellow with blood.. My sister gave me neem and emu salve to put on it, and that night I put some on with a bandage, over night the swelling went down by half, so I will continue to use this on both my daughter and I . I hope to speed the healing process : )We think it might have been a jumping spider, since this morning one jumped on the counter in front of us, it was small kind of brownish yellow , def a baby…So there is more.They got us at night in our beds. Still trying to fing out for sure what it was ….
I was bitten by something on April 9th. I went to my doctor who thought it was ringworm. It didn’t respond to antifungal medication. I went to Quickcare who gave me oral antibiotics, an antibiotic cream and it didn’t get better.
My family got me into another doc who prescribed very strong antibiotics and steroid cream. It was better and just one day before the meds were done, I got so sick. I felt like my body was breaking in two, I hurt so bad. I didn’t take the last days worth and by then, the bite was looking good. It was just a faint round red spot, where before was an oozing angry red spot that got bigger.
Today, it is oozing again or at least with lesions and I ache but not as bad. I went to Quick care again and suggested perhaps Lymes Disease, maybe from a bite by a deer tick, but the doc in Q.C. said he is referring me to a dermatologist.
It sounds like that is a waste of time.
What do you think?
Awoke to find large, silver dollar size (now soft ball size) one/each thigh. Very red and hot. So far, no other symptoms; i.e., fatigue, etc. mentioned above. Took a Benadryl but did not help much. Today, tried a baking soda paste. Live in TX where it is quite “buggy”. Came here from CA, where I seldom saw a bug except small ants in the Fall.
I have a real aversion to bugs. Orkin tells us that we are the only family that has monthly spraying. I know that it is not environmentally correct, but …
Hello, i have a bite on my right hand that is red,dark area in middle of reddness. The red as spread up my arm to the elbow area. I noticed red area,I didnt feel anything bite me and dont know for sure if its a sprider. Im taking medication 4 times a day,no change at this time. The doctor advised if blackness notice report back. My hand and arm is very sore. I hope it goes away soon.
My son is on his way to the emergency room. Has a small pinhole bite on his thumb. No pain at first, swelled up, he pierced a puslike pimple and pus and blood oozed out. He now is having severe pain in his muscles up his arm and elbow. Can anyone relate to this. Thanks
Dealing with the one lady with the white ring around it, to me that sounds like it could be a nice size ring worm. My granddaughter had one on her thigh. We took her to the doctor and he confirmed that it was a ring worm.
As for myself, I was always getting bit by spiders because I work out in my yard. I am just trying to help when I say don’t wait around to see whats gone to happen with these spider bites. Get in and see your doctor as soon as you can.
Thank you for your time. Please don’t wait around!! Go be seen by your doctor.
I woke up 2 days ago to my right eye almost swollen shut. I just thought it was allergies but during the day it started to itch, burn and turn red. I went to the E.R. and they said it was conjunctivitis and gave me an antibiotic, however there were visible small dark bite marks in the center of my eye lid. Yesterday I went in to see the eye Dr. He said it was possibly an allergic reaction to a bite, He recommended ice compress and gave me a script for a allergy eyedrop. I am convinced its a spider bite.
Last Saturday morning I was working in my yard. After a while my leg began to itch and I looked to see if I had been bitten by a mosquito. All I saw was a blood spot. It continued to itch for most of the day. By Sunday morning, it was still itching and I noticed what I thought were two small punctures. Later that day, I noticed some fairly small blisters. By Sunday evening I had a blister the size of a small birds egg.
I went to Urgent Care, but was told they woldn’t do anything for it as it could possibly become infected. It was larger on Monday, so I went to my family doctor and was told the same thing. The blister is very yellow, with what appears to be something white floating in the serum. There is erythema around the bite, which appeared to be fairly warm on Sunday and Monday, but is cooler today. Anybody else had the same experience.
I live in Eugene, Oregon and have very fast black spider (hundreds) scurrying in my flower beds which have old bark dust and I see them going into cracks in the ground. Also have spiders in the same area that are light brown with a white rear end in the flower beds.
Thanks.
I have the same exact bite as the lady from middle Tennesee (Terry) and I was bitten June 23rd. I now have a pimple like cyst and it is rimmed with a 1″ red circle. It itches and burns. Can you tell me if I should see a physician?
My wife and son were recently biten by somthing as they took their naps the other day. My son who is 4 1/2 was bitten on the back 3 times all close together. My wife was bitten on her waist 2 times. Looks almost like a bed bug bite only not as large of a welt.
We live in central Ohio and this happened in an air conditioned bedroom. Can anyone tell us what is doing this ?
Thanks,
Dennis E.
I work around lot of boxes and coffee and recently I have been feeling sick and dizzy and then I notice several bites on my behind area only because it became very sore. Now there are knots and they hurt so bad.
I been trying to doctor them myself using alochol, campho-phenique but nothing is working. I am still feeling sick and not sure if it’s spider bites or not, but I’m going to the doctor in the morning and I will be gladly to tell you what they say.
I’m in a lot of pain!
I didn’t descibe the knots (bumps) and they are red, hard and very sore to the touch. These bites are the size of a dime and located right next to each other. I tried to bust one but it made it worst and more sore. I then put hot water on the bite and it made it feel a tad bit better, but just for a minute and then the pain was back.
I would like to see more pics of bites by different spiders because it will make it much easier to know if you were bitten by one or not.
Please make this easier because I am affraid my doctor will just say it’s an insect bite and give antibotics without regard to the type of spider bite. So we can prevent our family from getting bitten if we can by what we learn about spiders bites.
Thanks!
Hey there,
Ok- I just moved into a new apartment, not too shabby of a place but SUPER bright which attracts all kinds of bugs, most notably spiders. I woke up two days ago with a monster zit, at least that’s what I thought it was. It REALLY hurt, but zits can do that… I work at a hospital doing research, and really started to notice that something wasn’t right….
First, when I lean my head to the left (the side of the bite), it throbs and pulses, resulting in extreme pain.
My first notion–get the venom or whatever it is out… but it didn’t work. There is a hard knot within the lump.
The tissue has started to necrose. When I washed my makeup off today it started to bleed, and bleed, and bleed and would not stop… I forced more blood out, hoping to wick the infection… it didn’t stop.
I finally used intense pressure.
I am not sure what bit me… or what it is…
I don’t want to go see a doctor because I work with them and if it was a zit I would NEVER hear the end of it…
What to do?
I noticed a dime size red spot on my buttock 4-5 days ago. On the second day, there were 6 tiny pus postules that appeared. The red spot has not grown any larger and it doesn’t itch.
Today there are 3 little pus postules–not 6 any longer—and they are a little bigger but not much. I’ve had no symptoms of which I’m aware.
Is this a spider bite?
I reside in southeastern Tennessee and was bitten yesterday at work while talking in the parking lot with friends. I thought it was a sweat bee (?) sting. It was extremely painful at the time of the bite/sting and I was jumping and yelling very lady-like epithets. Within 10 minutes the area (tendon on the back of the knee) was swelling and getting red.
I met my husband for lunch and by the time lunch was finished my leg was stiffening horribly and in intense pain. I thought I was having an allergic reaction to a bee, which I have never had, but I was told as you get older you may become allergic… I took benadryl and propped up the leg, but it continued to get progressively worse.
A friend mentioned a spider bite. (We are both avid gardeners) and I used your handy-dandy web-site to confirm. The bite-site was identical to the diagram that you have and by this point the swelling had gone all the way to my ankle (which became a cankle!).
My husband took me to the emergency room and the Dr. said it was indeed reacting like a brown recluse spider. I got a hormone shot, more benadryl and pain reliever. Today, the redness is for the most part gone, but I have a dark purple blotch about 3-4 inches across my calf, I am still in pain but I feel much better having done something about it.
All you have to do is look at one of the recluse wounds to know that you don’t want that to happen to you!
For all of you that have written saying you think you have a bite, what are you waiting for? GO, GO, GO!
I got bit by something in the woods. The center looks like a blister and it has a red ring around it. Does any spider outher than a Recluse give this kind of reaction?
My wife slept on a sleeping bag from the attic in Wisconsin and got bit on her leg. She felt bad cramps all through her leg throughout the day, no swelling noticed, fifty-cent piece black/blue mark around the bite, large fang holes present in the center of the black/blue that were red around each one. No discharge from the holes or blisters. In about a week the marks disappeared. Any ideas????
Hi, this is for Deanna
It sounds like you may have been bitten by a tick which are all over the Midwest and the U.S. in general. You may need one or several courses of antibiotics to rid your body of the infection — it can cause severe fatigue, headaches, arthritis-like symptoms, heart/lung weakness and the list goes on. There is some good information (and also some pictures) online about Lyme Disease, you may need to find a Doctor that specializes in it to rid yourself of this. Also, there are other nasty infections that you can get from ticks that may also need to be treated, since you could have these at the same time.
Hey! I like the site! I just woke up and i noticed my left thumb nuckle had a swollen little bite on it, it had two white spots (fang marks i think) so i squeezed it and clear stuff has been coming out. on the same hand there is the same bite on the other side (on my palm area but still on my thumb nuckle). It hurts and there are two distinct fang marks in each. They hurt. Someone please write to me on this and let me know what you think it is Thanks!
On 7/9 noticed several bites on my thigh and back of knee. Two had bullseye look but others were hard and itchy. The next day I noticed one with bullseye was starting to get very itchy, hard and redness was spreading in a circular pattern. By 7/10 the other bullseye bite was behaving the same.
I went to the doctor where I was told I was probably having allergic reaction to spider or tick bite (although I never found evidence of tick) and to treat area with icepack, antibiotic ointment and anti-itch ointment (itching was much worse than mosquito bite). Today, the swelling and redness are beginning to dissipate and itching is not quite as bad.
I have an order for a blood test for Lyme Disease but advised to wait 4 weeks before having it done as it usually takes a while for Lyme antibodies to build up. I work in the garden every day and our area is wooded and frequented by deer. My next door neighbor has had Lyme Disease twice in past 7 years.
I would advise anyone with anything that behaves worse than usual mosquito bite to get checked at a medical clinic or doctor’s office.
I was blackcap picking (wild black berries in Michigan) when I returned home later n the evening covered in notes and scratches. The next morning I awoke to a large swollen red hard spot on my lower left leg. It appeared to have a bite in the center of it (a large spot)
A day or two later it began to ooze a clear liquid which lasted almost a week, as it oozed a rash appeared around the area, then other spots around my legs appeared mainly on my feet and legs, a spot behind my right knee that looks like a burn. All are itchey the original spot especially and the skin lookes wrinkly and dry.
The doctor gave me hydrocordizone cream and said it was probably a spider bite that was aweek after it happened. Now its been two weeks and I am still extremely itchy. Although it seems to be getting better it is still itchy and painful.
What Could It be??????
Please help I am desperate for answers!!!!!!!
I have bite on my leg and went to the emergency room and they said they don’t know what it is. It started out looking like a masquito bite but feeling like a splinter in the back of my leg. The next day it was a little bit bigger and felt like I had a thumb tack sticking into my leg. The following day, it was about the size of a lemon, and felt like someone had a small screwdriver and was digging it into my leg.
Today, I can hardly walk and it is about the size of as baseball. The bite is DRIVING ME CRAZY. I am on antibiotics and pain pills seems like they are not helping.
IT HURTS!
I recently had 8 bites around my knee. I was wearing long pants. Each appeared as two small pustules. Here is a photograph of 5 of the bites taken about 2 days after they first appeared.
Are these spider bites? I assumed they were because they did not itch as a mosquito bite would, and the two little pustules are all about 2 mm apart. Fortunately they do not seem to be getting necrotic.
One of my friends was bitten by something and we dont know what it is. He says, the bite is swollen, turning black, and he’s veins are bulging. There’s also throbbing and it hurts a little and there was a big brown stinger like thing sticking out and it was curved. ans about a guarter inch long. Please give me feed back on what this maybe!
Possible spider bite? Anyone have any ideas? Or
treatment? If so, please post!
On Tuesday (7/17) afternoon I had an itchy spot on my hip that I thought nothing of. I didn’t see much there, thought perhaps it was a tiny mosquito or other bug bite. I also had swollen glands on my neck - when I turned my head sideways I could feel a lump - but chalked it up to allergies, which have been bad this week.
By Wednesday (7/18) night the itchy spot was no longer itchy but was hurting painfully enough that leaning or pressing on it was very uncomfortable. It had a little bit of what looked like a bluish bruise. I also had an allergic reaction to a medicine I noticed around 10 pm that night.
I had been put on it about a week prior and the doctor told me to watch for a rash and told me that particular medication is known ‘in rare cases’ to cause Stevens-Johnson syndrome (’a painful red or purplish rash that spreads and blisters, eventually causing the top layer of your skin to die and shed…) that can lead to toxic epidermal necrolysis (a life-threatening, and usually drug-induced, dermatological condition. It is characterized by the detachment of the top layer of skin, (epidermis) from the lowers layer of the skin (dermis) all over the body.’) and if I get the rash to see a doctor immediately.
The medicine’s website said, ‘It is not possible to predict whether a mild rash will develop into a more serious reaction. Therefore, if you experience a skin rash, hives, fever, swollen lymph glands, painful sores in the mouth or around the eyes, or swelling of lips or tongue, tell a doctor immediately, since these symptoms may be the first signs of a serious reaction.‘ At 10:00 p.m. I only had hives, but by 11:00 p.m. I had a sunburn-like rash which also had small white spots from about my waist to my knees, plus I also had the swollen glands, so I went to the ER. They gave me a shot of Benadryl for the itching, which helped (but also put me promptly to sleep). I mentioned that spot was hurting but they didn’t pay attention to it.
Thursday morning (7/19) - The redness on my trunk and legs was gone and the painful spot just looked like a blue bruise, but by Thursday afternoon the area of redness around it had enlarged and there were a few places that looked like the skin was breaking down some and there was one section that looked like a flattish blister which then later wept a little bit. The sunburn-looking rash and hives were also back. I went to my family doctor, who said that she doesn’t think I have the SJS (thank you, God!) and that spot looks like an insect, probably spider, bite, and that I was having a separate issue with the allergic reaction to the medicine. She gave me a shot of a steroid (decadron), which took away the hives and redness.
Friday morning (7/20) - The glands are no longer swollen (I am so happy - I hate that feeling when I turn my head) - and the area of redness is still larger and there are more areas that are blistered and pus-filled. You can still sort of see the bruised-looking area in the center. I will not pop the blisters - it still hurts a lot - I can’t even sleep on that side. I am just keeping gauze on it. I have included the pictures below.
Friday evening (7/20) - During the day at work it oozed some and I had to change the gauze. The areas that were blistered this morning are sort of raw and there are new blisters. The blue/gray color below is expanding.
I’ve looked at a lot of websites and this looks like a brown recluse spider bite, and there’s nothing I can do about it, and all that blue/gray skin is going to die. It makes me sick to think about it.
“Central blistering with a surrounding gray to purple discoloration at the bite site may appear. The site is surrounded by a ring of blanched skin that in turn is surrounded by a large area of redness, producing the “red, white, and blue” sign typical of a brown recluse spider bite.” - acponline.org/bioterro/anthrax/brownrec_spid.htm
“Blisters frequently appear at the bite site, accompanied by severe pain and pronounced swelling. A common expression is the formation of a reddish blister, surrounded by a bluish area, with a narrow whitish separation between the red and blue, giving a “bull’s-eye” pattern. By 12 to 24 hours, it is usually apparent if a Loxosceles wound is going to become necrotic because it turns purple in color; if necrotic symptoms do not express by 48 to 96 hours, then they will not develop. If the skin turns purple, it will then turn black as cells die. Eventually the necrotic core falls away, leaving a deep pit that gradually fills with scar tissue.” creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/spiders/brown_recluse_spider.htm
“Most bites are uneventful. A minority develop the dermonecrosis that has made the spider famous. In these cases, a bluish sinking patch with ragged edges and a surrounding redness appears within 24 to 72 hours, says William V. Stoecker, MD. He described clinical aspects at an arachnidism symposium that Vetter organized as part of June’s American Arachnological Society meeting. This is the “red, white and blue sign.” Bruising may spread along lymphatics, or with gravity. Often there is a central blister.” ama-assn.org/amednews/site/free/hlsa0805.htm
Saturday (7/21) It is still very painful… I can’t wear jeans because it rubs. I forgot to take a picture today. lol
Sunday (7/22) Today is the worst pain so far. I did nothing much but lay on the couch all day because moving around makes it hurt worse. I did get up to make dinner and had to lay back down immediately afterwards. My glands are a tiny bit swollen again - just enough that I can feel them when I turn my head.
Monday (7/23) - It still hurts today, but not like it did yesterday, thank God! The surrounding redness seems to be expanding, and the gray area is getting darker. Blisters keep forming, popping, and re-forming.
I went back to the doctor this morning and she put me on Prednisone (steroid) for 5 days and gave me a painkiller called Ultram. She said it “looks good” for a brown recluse bite but of course to me it looks HORRIBLE. She said there is no secondary infection and that the redness is just part of the reaction to the spider venom. There’s nothing I can do further, just keep it clean and covered, and leave it open to the air a few hours a day. She wants to see it again in a week.
And here is a picture of the Brown Recluse Spider Bite with a penny for size comparison.
Below are photos of my sons insect bite from 4 days ago and today. It looks a lot like the ones posted on this spider bite page. The doctor put him on 2 antibiotics and a topical cream, plus he cleans the area 3 times daily and puts on a bandage.
My son was bitten during a birthday party outside on Saturday, and this photo was taken 4 days later, and I have my fingers in the photo to show the scale. The redness on his leg was about 2-3″ in diameter, and very tender. The inside where the bite was is looking darker than in the beginning. Originally it looked like a huge pimple, now the infected area is starting to blacken and crust up. I hope it starts to ooze so that the bacteria comes out of the site and not into the system.
We do not know what type insect bite it was exactly, but the boys were playing outside in the bushes and he does not remember getting bitten. We have had a lot of bites so we think this was a spider and not another insect
because it has gotten worse over time, and not better. Here are the pictures of the insect bites.
The doctor is worried about the flesh eating disease (which is prevalent in some hospitals, so she gave him TWO antibiotics). He is now on 2 antibiotic pills and bactroban on the skin. The doctor does not want the infection to spread.
I will let you know how it looks in a few days. We are thankful it is not worse.
We thank the Lord for HIS blessings and medical care.
I live in Ashville, Alabama and Sunday July 15th I was outside working in the yard later took a shower that evening and felt some discomfort on the back of my thigh. I didn’t really think much of it just thought that an ant or some insect bit me so just blew it off and put neosporin on a band-aid and went to sleep.
The next day I had to do some running around and just kept a band-aid on the area. By that afternoon the insect bite was red and irritated so I had my sister look at it for me. I have looked on several web sites and didn’t find much information, some say go to the doctor while others say it will take care of itself.
Well its been 6 days total since the bite and it is getting worse, now then hole is getting bigger and the area around it is really sore. My sister-in-law had some kind of a bite last year and her doc. said to put meat tenderizer on the area well I did that last night (I’m about ready to try anything) and this morning I can’t really walk on it. If you have any advice please let me know!
Here is a picture of the insect bite.
Thanks,
In need of help,
Samantha
My son was bitten at a youth gathering and this is what his bite looks like. Dr’s are baffled. We have since found 3 other youth leaders that have exact same symptoms and bites. Any ideas?
The pictures are
1) a couple of days into the bite
2) about a week after the bite
3) about 10 days after the bite
–Melanie K.
South Jordan, UT
Update: 07/22/07
This actually ended up being tularemia. There were 6 people from the same camp that tested positive for it. So, it was a bite, but with a little more behind it. My son has been in the hospital twice and is now receiving iv treatments of gentamyacin 3 times a day. After 3 weeks of being sick, he is starting to perk up a bit.
Melanie
I put fresh pulp from my aliva plant as soon as I relize that I have a bit. It stops the itching and some times the swelling. I got a insect bite that looked like 2 small donuts. Within 24 hours they had become one. I dont have a picture of the insect bite, but within two days it is all red around the outside and white over the rest. I have been keeping it bite clean and coverd. This morning the bandaid had blood on it. I am from Gibsonton, Florida.
The insect bite photos have helped me quit a bit. I now know that what I thought was bug bite is actley more like a spider bite. No matter how much I clean they seem to be back the next couple of days.
It started off looking like just a mosquito bite, so I figured that was what it was. Its now grown into what seems like a large hard lump…its on my upper leg/thigh area. It seems to be continuing to grow / swell. It’s very painful noticable that there’s some kind of infection inside of it
I’ve begin taking hot baths in hopes to “open it up” and get more of the infection out. I’ve been told by others that it sounds like a spider bite, and though I’ve never had one, that was my initial thought as well after the swelling and pain began.
Any help or ideas on what exactly what type of bite it is and how to make it better =) I can barely sit down =(
I’m not sure what insect bit me but it itches real bad and won’t heal. I’ve been putting hydrocortisone cream on it, or benadryl stuff and neosporin, but it’s still bad, it keeps getting bigger.
Below are pictures of the bite at day 6.
Please help, what should I do?
My insect bite closely resembles some of the already posted comments but I have different symptoms. I live in Texas!!!
I was in the garage and I sat down in a chair for aproximately 2 minutes, and when I stood up I felt a pin prick sensation on the back of my right thigh. My immediate reaction was to scratch I felt something foreign so it was brushed off. About 2 hours later the area was red but no swelling.
I woke up today and the area is really swollen and red. I have been experiencing muscle twitching in my left eyelid and both of my calf muscles get really tight when I bend my leg or change positions. In the center, of the area of my bite, there is two small dots. Also i have not been able to sleep it is now 6 a.m. in the morning. I took a hour nap but I didn’t sleep peacefully, when I awoke I was experiencing painful swallowing tha subsided in a couple of hours.
Benadryhl stopped the itching. Also last night my tongue felt swollen but I thought it was from my tongue ring which i have had for about a year so i ruled out that theory. I also experience minor to severe headaches since the insect encounter.
Just to go back over all of my symptoms:
*) swollen area
*) local fever in area
*) itching
*) headaches
*) eye twitching
*) muscle tightening in calf
*) restlessness
*) painful swallowing
*) un able to concentrate
*) oral swelling
Any suggestions?
I was bitten by something in the night, I awoke Saturday morning, the 21st of July. I am pretty sensitive to mosquito bites so at first I thought I was bitten while out side the night before. But they haven’t faded or seem like they are going away, I was going to call the doctor but I found this web site so I thought I would get your opinion first.
They want me to itch them, but when I touch them they are sensitive and since they are on my back; I have included a photo of the bug bite below.
I live in the Salt Lake area. If anyone has any information about these bites, please let me know.
Update 7/26/07:
Today the bite marks have gone down, I have been swabbing them with alcohol to reduce moisture and hopefully dry them out. I am hoping the skin doesn’t turn brown, black, blue or any range of color. Thank you for your help.
I have something on my upper thigh that sounds very similar to the last comment by Crystal Roper. I don’t have a camera so can’t send picture, but it’s a hard red area about the size of a quarter with two small wounds at its center, which are leaking some blood and pus.
Around the the whole red area is a larger circle of pale red of about 2-3 inch diameter. It hurts considerably under pressure and sometimes just hurts without any pressure. It’s painful to walk on that leg. I have no other obvious sysmptoms, but am getting a little concerned as it’s been about 4 days no with no change. Have been putting antibiotic cream on and bandaids to keep it protected.
Thanks for this service. It will certainly make me feel more easy to at least know what it is even if there’s nothing I can do.
Hello I need to know please what’s wrong with me I have this big bite on my shoulders they look horrible I’ve been having this for almost two months now it seems like it grows and grows more I’m also getting it all around and it looks like a swollen worm.
It looks red and swollen please help it look like a ingrown hair or pimple but is not it has a deep hole inside and around it has redness and is swollen please help tell me what bit me please. Also I need to know what to put on my house so they stop biting please. Thanks!!!
Hillary C - I have the same thing - looks just like yours. Yesterday morning they were on my neck. This morning on my stomach and legs. I’ve stripped the bed and washed everything, vacuumed the mattress. I thought it might be spiders or mites. They itch and scratching makes them more sensitive and expansive. More came out during the day. If you find out what it is please post.
It has been 10 days and my sons spider bite from Florida looks much much better…he has been on 2 oral antibiotics and one topical.
The photos I sent in do not look as bad as some of the ones you have but in reality, I think my son looked pretty bad the day we took him to the doctor….and she must have agreed since she put him on meds.
Ughh…now I wish I knew where that spider or bug was living…he was in the backyard playing with other boys, but that is SCARY.
This is a great website.
My grandson was bitten by something tonight, and we don’t know how to treat it. Our chiropractor recognized the bite as that from a rocky mountain spider! It bit more than once, my daughter gave the little guy benedryl and put neosporin on it last night before he went to sleep. Here is the picture, it is a littly blurry but you can see the swelled areas.
Thank you for your reply, your website is AWESOME!
I am so frustrated trying to figure out what is biting my son! For the past
month he has been waking up with bites resembling red welts. He is covered in them. There are approximately 20 on him now. I took him to the doctor and she ruled out fleas. She said that whatever is doing it is causing a severe reaction in him (one morning a bite near his eye caused his eye to swell shut). Please help! Someone told me bed bugs, but the mattress is only a year old.
Roz, are you sure the bite is from a Rocky Mountain Spider? The red bites in the photograph look a lot like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, often referred to as Rocky Mountain Spider Fever. In short, it is from being bitten by an infected tic.
The Rocky Mountain national park has a few hazards, one being the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. This is usually spread through the bite of an infected tick. It is less frequent than Colorado Tick Fever (which has symptoms that include malaise and high fever); however, Rocky Montain spotted fever is fatal in 15-20 percent of cases that go untreated! You can expect high fever, malaise, headache, chills and muscle pain which can last for two to three weeks after a 14 day incubation period.
About 50 percent of these cases develop a rash of red spots starting on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet.
Hillary C and Mary,
I have woke up with the same thing, patches on my neck and head. The welts are not going away and affecting my neck muscles. have you had any luck treating them?
Elizabeth,
Can you take some pictures and send them in? It may help others identify the type of bite your son is getting.
Regardless, I hope a solution is found soon!
Best regards,
Jim.