Beware! Summer may bring more dangerous insects than just mosquitoes!

If we talk about the most annoying insects in summer, it must be mosquitoes. But what many people don’t know is that mosquitoes are not the only insects that may bring us danger in summer!

Small bites, big bites.

We are all familiar with mosquitoes, and their relatives, gnats, midges, and sandflies, also need to be vigilant. These insects are commonly known as small bites. Although they are small in size, they are not ambiguous when biting people and sucking blood. When they swarm around, they can quickly bite us all over the body, and many of them can spread diseases.

In fact, the bites of small bites are more brutal than those of mosquitoes. When bitten by them, not only will large patches of red spots and lumps appear on the skin surface, but also it will be extremely itchy. The more you scratch, the more uncomfortable it becomes. In severe cases, papules and blisters will appear. In addition, since some small bites may also carry viruses and parasites, there is a certain probability that after being bitten, there will be severe symptoms such as high fever, headache, vomiting, and unconsciousness.

Small gnats usually live in groups in the wild, wetlands, and parks. If you see a group of small flying insects from a distance, don't rush in. It's safer to stay away. In addition, dawn and dusk are the times when small gnats are active. You should also try to avoid hanging around in areas where small gnats are active during these two times.

Try to resist scratching after being bitten. You can use soapy water or calamine lotion to relieve itching. If more serious problems occur, you need to see a dermatologist immediately.

Mosquitoes have another larger relative - the horsefly. The horsefly is comparable in size to a large fly, and its appearance is also very similar. Not only does it have colorful compound eyes that sparkle in the sun, but it also has some obvious lines on its wings. Under natural conditions, horseflies usually prefer large mammals such as cattle and horses, and their bites are bothering even animals with thick skin and flesh like cattle and horses, so they can only roll in the mud to avoid them. Therefore, once horseflies become interested in our delicate skin, the pain can be imagined. Of course, it is also thanks to this intense pain that we react quickly when attacked by horseflies, which can also prevent us from having too much blood sucked away - after all, horseflies are not only large, but also have a big appetite. A large horsefly can suck up to 200mg of blood.

So, if you are surrounded by buzzing flies, don't worry about whether they are flies or not, just shoo them away - after all, no one wants to be bitten to prove their true identity, right?

Ticks

Ticks belong to the Arachnida class, Acarina order, Ixodidae superfamily, which is divided into Ixodidae and Soft Ticks. They usually parasitize on the body surface of rodents, livestock, etc. There are more than 800 known species of ticks in the world, and more than 110 species have been found in my country.

Ticks are vectors that can spread viruses, bacteria, parasites and other pathogens by biting and sucking blood. Ticks can carry 83 viruses, 31 bacteria, and 32 protozoa, most of which are important natural epidemic diseases and zoonoses, including the notorious Lyme disease, forest encephalitis and other serious diseases.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infectious disease that can be fatal in severe cases. Initial antibiotic treatment can effectively prevent the disease from worsening. However, if it is not discovered in time, as the disease progresses, Lyme disease may develop into a rash, pain, and arthritis all over the body, and eventually all organs of the body will be severely damaged, and even death. European and American singer Avril Lavigne was bedridden for several years because of Lyme disease, and at the worst, she was ready to die.

Forest encephalitis is also very dangerous. It is a viral infection that most often presents as meningitis, encephalitis, and may also cause myelitis, spinal cord paralysis and other symptoms. In about one-third of cases, long-term or permanent cognitive impairment will also occur.

Tick ​​bites are most common from April to October each year, with the incidence rate among people bitten by ticks as high as 10%, and tick bites cause at least 60,000 infections each year. Tick bites are very hidden, and in the early stages they may only be small ulcers or small red swellings on the surface of the skin. Many people mistake them for mosquito bites or scratches by foreign objects, and by the time they develop, the best time for treatment has often been delayed.

Many people think that ticks live in forests far away from us, but in fact, these dangerous creatures may be hiding in the grass, bushes, and farmland downstairs from your house. Therefore, you may encounter ticks when walking your dog outdoors, camping, gardening, picking tea, and farming.

Ticks cannot fly, and usually lie on the tips of grass, leaves, or branches, waiting for warm-blooded animals to pass by and then take the opportunity to lie on the warm-blooded animals. Therefore, when we or our pets enter the outdoor environment, they may be targeted by ticks, quietly sucking blood, and leaving behind endless harmful pathogens.

Therefore, be sure to take insect repellent measures when going outdoors. Spray mosquito repellent containing 0.5% pyrethroids on your clothes in advance, try to avoid walking in tall grass and shrubs, and avoid sitting or lying for a long time in grasslands, woods, etc. If it is unavoidable, try to wear light-colored long sleeves, long pants, and long socks to facilitate the detection of ticks, and try not to expose your skin and wear sandals.

Ticks are very small before they suck blood, but they become very large after sucking blood, and can become dozens of times their original size, like a small ball. And because there is almost no feeling after a tick bite, it is important to check in time to prevent ticks from continuing to suck blood, which can cause serious consequences. Ticks can continue to bite people and suck blood until their body size expands to hundreds of times its original size. Therefore, if the ticks on your body are already very large, you also need to consider whether they have been bitten for more than 24 hours.

After returning from the outdoors, you should immediately check your body surface, especially the armpits, around the ears, around the navel, behind the knees, inside the thighs, waist, ankles, scalp and other easily overlooked areas. In addition, clothes brought back from the outdoors must also be checked and washed at high temperatures in a timely manner to avoid ticks lurking.

If you take your pet out, be sure to take deworming measures and check it as soon as you get home.

If you find a tick on your body, don't panic, just remove it immediately:

Then clean the wound thoroughly with soapy water, medical alcohol, and iodine; if you are worried about the need for medical treatment later, you can soak the tick in alcohol to preserve it or take a photo for preservation.

If you want to discard it, do not squeeze or crush it. Just wrap it and throw it into the sewer.

In particular, be careful not to damage the tick's body when cleaning it, and don't leave the mouthparts inside the body, otherwise it will easily cause wound inflammation. If you experience wound infection, enlargement of the bite, fever, fatigue, muscle aches, etc. within a few weeks after removing the tick, be sure to see a doctor as soon as possible and accurately inform the doctor of the recent tick bite, the time of the bite, and where the tick was most likely to be infected. If you suspect that the bite has been more than 24 hours, you should also see a doctor as soon as possible.

Not all tick bites may cause disease, but we still need to be vigilant to avoid accidents.

Rove beetle

Rove beetles are a common type of small beetle. There are many species. Although only a small number of them can cause harm to humans, they are more harmful to humans. Rove beetles that can cause harm to humans are called poisonous rove beetles. They are usually red and black (orange and red) in color, look slender, and have black heads and tails. Therefore, when you see this obvious warning color, you must be vigilant.

Image source: Tuchong Creative

Poisonous rove beetles prefer humid environments and are usually active at night, but because they are phototactic, they tend to gather under street lights, and indoor lights may also attract them. During the day, if we pass by wet river banks and grass, we may also disturb them.

When poisonous rove beetles land on our bodies, many people will subconsciously slap them to death like mosquitoes. However, once we slap the poisonous rove beetles to death, they will secrete corrosive body fluids, which may cause skin erythema, blistering, ulcers, etc. once they come into contact with the skin. If the rove beetles land on our face, disfigurement is also possible.

Therefore, if you live in a humid area, you must keep doors and windows closed to prevent rove beetles from entering. As long as we do not touch the rove beetles and cause their body fluids to leak, even poisonous rove beetles can live in peace with us. Therefore, if a rove beetle falls on you, try to blow it away instead of touching it. If you must touch it, be sure to wear gloves to protect the exposed skin before operating.

If your skin accidentally comes into contact with the body fluids of the rove beetle, you need to clean the contact surface with soapy water or calamine lotion. If swelling or ulcers occur, try to see a dermatologist to avoid the wound from getting bigger.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Hydra Science Author

Reviewer: Yin Haisheng, Senior Engineer, Researcher-level, Shanghai Insect Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences