What Bit Me? #whatbugsme

Bed Bug, Mosquito, Flea, Tick, or Spider Bites?

It’s unsettling to find itchy red spots or bites on your body but what do you do about it? Most of the time it is no more than an annoyance. However some people are more sensitive than others and can have different reactions. These reactions can be affected by your body chemistry and sometimes by blood-pressure. So you could react differently to different bites from the same pest.

          Besides the people who are allergic, there are a few bugs to really be concerned about. Those would be the black widow, brown recluse, and the mosquito. Spiders are not poisonous, they are venomous. This venom is uses to subdue their prey and these two spiders can cause some ugly problems in humans and pets, especially for the young and old.

          Mosquitoes are only dangerous because they can transfer disease. Everyone has heard about West Nile and Zika. While this is a serious concern you have to realize that warm blooded animals (including us) receive millions of bites a day from them and we are still here on earth. In our area statistically, you might as well say that its not a concern although that could change. Don’t let other pest control companies scare you into thinking your whole family will die from a mosquito bite. Its a lie perpetuated by the sensationalist media and repeated by pest control companies to scare you into buying services.
So back to the bites, there are symptoms that are tell tell signs of the POSSIBILITY of a certain bug. But remember, everyone reacts differently. Unless your skin is rotting away or you have that Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever “ring” from a tick, its hard to tell. Listen closely….A DOCTOR CANNOT IDENTIFY WHAT BIT YOU BY LOOKING AT THE BITE! To be fair, neither can I. Let pest control inspect and treat based on what they find, then let the doctor treat the symptoms of your “bite.”
Also remember, bites don’t show up right before you notice them. Take the mosquito and bedbug for instance. If you felt the bite then they would not get to eat because you would swat them away. That’s

why they numb you and this causes the reaction later. You could get bit by a mosquito on your morning run but it not show up till lunch. So don’t assume your breakroom is infested when you find it.          

As always, see a doctor for anything medical. Just don’t expect him to identify what bit you. Some medical conditions can manifest visually as insect “bites.” I had a customer that swore she had fleas but I could not find any. Turned out to be a staph infection. Not a bug at all. Recently a customer requested an inspection for bed bugs. After not finding anything and asking more questions, I found out they had recently started using a different fabric softener because it was on sale. Everyone had “bites” so I told her to go back to the normal product they had been using. After a week, no more “bites.”

To find out if there is something in your house “bugging” you, call us. All you have to lose is the bugs…. And the bites.
Www.phoenixpestcontroltn.com

Blount (865) 455-8571