Big trouble for little people! Flea bites on a child, why they are dangerous, what to do, and photos

Two-tailed insects are a whole order of insects. Some of its species live on the territory of Russia and are not much different from each other, if you are not interested in this issue as an entomologist. The doubletail lives mainly in the ground, most often found in gardens, but can sometimes be found indoors. Due to some external similarities and cerci on the tail, it is often confused with the earwig.

The earwig is a larger beetle up to 2 centimeters in length, covered with dark chitinous plates. In the tail part there are massive pincers with which the insect grabs prey and defends itself. On closer examination, two-tailed ones differ from them quite strongly. What does this insect look like at different stages of development?

Double-tailed: photo

To make sure that the insect you noticed is the two-tailed one, compare the typical signs of these pests with the appearance of the parasite you found. A photo of the insect will also help you make sure that it is a two-tailed insect.

• The two-tailed fish has an oblong body with a length of 2 to 5 millimeters.
• The color varies from gray-transparent, almost colorless, to copper.
• Two-easted birds have no eyes.
• There are long mustaches on the head.
• In the tail part there are cerci - thread-like or pincer-like processes.
• What the cerci look like depends on the type of insect and the conditions in which it lives.
• The double-tailed larva looks like an adult, but is smaller in size.

If you still have doubts about the type of insect, also study the external signs of earwigs

, with which the bivost is often confused.

Autumn flies

Stomoxys calcitrans. Externally, biting flies are very similar to common flying insects. And after their painful attacks, confusion arises as to whether house flies bite. There are differences in appearance, but they can only be noticed after careful consideration, these are:

• widely spaced wings;
• dark stripes on the back, located longitudinally.

Double-tailed insects: why are they dangerous?

Double-tailed insects can look menacing, so the question of why they are dangerous arises for almost everyone who has encountered them or similar parasites. The repulsive appearance, agility and caudal cerci can cause real panic and horror in some people when meeting or coming into contact with a pest. However, by and large, two-tailed fish do not pose any danger to humans.

Double tails:

• Cannot carry dangerous diseases
• Do not feed on blood and are not interested in humans as a food source
• Not interested in any specific types of products
• Do not damage things and furniture

However, if two-tailed insects appear in a house or apartment, they, like any other insects, contribute to the formation of unsanitary conditions in which harmful bacteria begin to actively develop. For hygienic reasons, it is also highly undesirable for two-tailed animals in the house to have access to food from people and pets.

Allergy to insect bites

Allergic reactions can be caused by various insect bites. In central Russia, the most severe allergic reactions occur from the bites of insects from the order Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera) - bees, wasps and ants. True bees (Apidae) include the honey bee and the bumblebee. Representatives of paper wasps (Vespidae) are the common hornet, American hornet and wasps. The penetration of the poisons of these insects into the tissue is accompanied by a rapid (within 20 minutes or even earlier) reaction to the bite.

Among the ants (Formicidae) that can cause allergic reactions are the red ant and harvester ants.

Allergic reactions can also develop after the bites of blood-sucking insects - mosquitoes, horse flies, midges, mosquitoes, but the bites of these insects cause less severe reactions.

A normal reaction to an insect bite is pain, redness of the bite site with the formation of a red or whitish spot rising above the surface of the skin, burning, itching. These changes should disappear within a few hours. In some cases, severe swelling and pain may occur at the site of the bite, but this should also subside within a few hours. The general reaction of the body to insect bites is a signal of the onset of an allergic reaction. At the first stage, this is a burning sensation around the eyes, a dry, frequent cough, the spread of the rash to other areas of the skin, and spasms in the throat. Shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and dizziness may occur. More serious signs of an allergic reaction include difficulty breathing and swallowing, wheezing, and difficulty speaking. They may be overcome by confusion and a feeling of impending disaster. If help is not provided, blue skin, low blood pressure and loss of consciousness may occur.

In cases of simultaneous numerous (more than 100) insect bites, a toxic reaction of the body may develop, accompanied by headache, drowsiness, swelling, rise in body temperature, nausea, diarrhea, and sometimes convulsions with loss of consciousness.

A delayed reaction to insect bites can develop 6-12 hours after the bite, and sometimes 1-2 weeks after it. A delayed reaction manifests itself as malaise, headache, rash on the body, joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Weakness, rapid heartbeat, and shallow breathing may appear.

You should consult a doctor immediately in the following cases:

1. when the bite causes the eye, throat or nose to swell. A bite near the eye is dangerous because its complications can be a threat to vision;

2. when excessive swelling of two joints of the leg or arm appears at the site of the bite;

3. when signs of the body’s general reaction to the bite appear, even if they are very mild;

4. when signs of a toxic reaction of the body appear due to numerous insect bites;

5. when signs of a delayed reaction appear;

6. when after several hours the swelling does not subside.

What to do in case of an insect bite?

If the lesion is limited to signs of a normal reaction to a bite, then in this case it is enough to limit yourself to observation or carry out minor treatment.

1. Using a dull knife, remove the sting from the wound. Do not squeeze out the sting: pressing will cause an additional sting to get into the wound. It should be remembered that the poison passes from the sting to the skin in 1-2 minutes. Wasps, bumblebees and hornets do not have barbs on their stingers and therefore do not leave them in the skin. Flies don't have stingers.

2. Wash the bite area well with soap and water or ammonia. If a fly bites, treat it with an antiseptic (solution of fucorcin, iodine).

3. Place an ice pack or soak the bite area with a water solution of baking soda to relieve pain.

4. Place your arm or leg higher to reduce swelling.

The most important thing is not to overlook the signs of the body’s general reaction. Do not apply tourniquets, suck out venom from the wound, or make an incision at the site of the bite.

If a child has previously had allergic reactions to insect bites, then when walking and in the countryside you should have a first aid kit, which includes a tourniquet, a syringe with needles for adrenaline, antihistamines and corticosteroids for injection. The method and technique for using these drugs, the dose must be prescribed to you by a doctor, and this instruction should be stored along with the medications.

In order to avoid bee stings, you must:

1. do not approach the hives;

2. remove wasp nests as long as their size allows;

3. be careful when using a hay mower, trimming hedges and similar activities;

4. do not walk barefoot through clover fields, flower gardens and other “working places” of bees;

5. Try not to resemble a flower with your appearance. Preferable clothing is light green, beige, white or khaki. There is no need to use cosmetics with a sweet smell;

6. braid long hair or put it under a headscarf, since insects entangled in long hair or fluttering clothes can cause maximum harm “in anger”;

7. have a sprayable insecticide in your car in case a bee or wasp flies into it;

8. If a bee or wasp has become “attached” to a child, do not wave your arms or try to crush it. You need to retreat slowly, without making sudden movements, and if this does not help, lie on the ground and cover your head with your hands;

9. Beware of rotting fruit under trees - these are favorite places for bees, wasps and ants;

10. During the warm months, do not eat ice cream outside or drink sugary drinks.

It is also not recommended to use preparations containing propolis in treatment. Propolis contains substances in common with bee venom.

To avoid ant bites you should:

1. do not approach ant heaps;

2. do not walk barefoot or with bare legs;

3. remove food from the table after eating in sealed boxes, cabinets or refrigerators, since food left behind is an “invitation” for insects.

If insects live in the apartment, then the fight against them should be carried out without the use of highly toxic chemicals, which themselves are the strongest allergens.

Recovery without special treatment can occur, but such cases are very rare. Special treatment (specific immunotherapy with insect venom) is carried out only for those patients who have had systemic allergic reactions. The course of treatment is long - about 5 years, and it can only be carried out in specialized allergy centers.

Where do double tails come from?

Two-tailed insects live and reproduce in the soil and on its surface, so insects are found indoors quite rarely and, most often, by accident. Where do double tails come from?

• Insects can come from the dacha with you on cut flowers, lettuce, and herbs.
• Find yourself in the harvest.
• Live in a bouquet, seedlings or indoor plants that you recently brought into the house.
• In private buildings and on the first floors of apartment buildings, two-tailed birds can crawl independently through open windows and vents in the warm season.
• If two-tailed animals live in a heated basement, they can crawl into the apartment through ventilation, garbage chutes and elevator shafts.
• Two-tailed insects can get into the house by accident, ending up on shoes or pet fur after a walk.

In the Central region of Russia, two-tailed insects are active in the warm season, so the appearance and increase in the number of these insects occurs mainly in late spring, summer and early autumn, depending on the temperatures of the current season.

Fighting parasites in the apartment

To get rid of parasites, animals in the house are treated with insecticides. They are washed with flea shampoo, treated with sprays and put on flea collars.

In all rooms, floors are washed, carpets and upholstered furniture are vacuumed, floors and walls are treated with aerosol insecticides or dust is spread. Mattresses are sprayed with insecticides and bed linen is changed. If fleas enter an apartment from the basement or attic, they contact the sanitary and epidemiological station to destroy them.

To prevent re-infestation by fleas, preventive measures are taken:

• The child is regularly examined to detect parasites in time.
• Bed linen is changed frequently.
• Pets are removed from the children's room.
• The child is not allowed to communicate with stray cats and dogs, or to pet or hug them.

If flea bites are found on the baby’s skin, then urgent measures are taken to get rid of the bloodsuckers, otherwise they will quickly multiply in the house. The apartment and the pets living in it are treated with anti-parasite agents. Bite wounds are lubricated with medicinal preparations, and the head is washed with tar soap.

What do two-tailed fish eat?

Two-tailed fish, depending on the species and seasonal conditions, can be herbivores, carnivores or omnivores. In nature, they live in the ground and can eat:

• Decaying remains of insects and animals
• Humus
• Smaller insects
• Insect eggs and larvae
• excrement
• Fungi
• Microorganisms that develop in moisture and heat

However, doubletails are not always found in the garden; they can also live indoors. What do doubletails eat outside of their natural habitat? In apartments and houses this can be:

• Fallen plant leaves
• Nutrients in the soil of indoor flowers
• House flies
  and other small insects
• Mold
• Organic plaque in the bathroom
• Remains of food in the trash can and the cabinet where it stands
• Lost hair and pet fur, flaking skin particles

Two-easts are of little interest in food and feed, but sometimes they can be found in them. Most of the time, the pest prefers to hide from sunlight and people, so it looks for food mainly in the same places where it hides. In residential areas, the most attractive places for bivostok are bathrooms, kitchens and, if available, any other rooms where it is warm, humid, dark, secluded and food can be found.

Treatment of flea bites in children

Treatment of bites in children
Treatment of flea bites in a child should begin as soon as the parents notice red spots and wounds on the baby’s body. The first step is to wash them with a disinfectant: hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine or soap and water.

On a note!

When treating flea bites in children, rinse wounds only with cold water, since warm and hot water will only increase the unpleasant irritating sensations.

To relieve itching, apply a cotton swab soaked in soda solution or a piece of ice wrapped in a cloth to the wound. An aqueous solution of apple cider vinegar relieves burning well.

One of the problems in treatment is relieving itching; parents can be advised how to apply flea bites on a child:

• ointments Boro-plus (90 rubles), Rescuer (220 rubles), calamine lotion (560 rubles);
• Fenistil (RUR 330) – antihistamine cream that relieves itching, redness and inflammation;
• Bepanten (from 220 rubles) - with the help of dexapanthenol, it has an anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, cooling and moisturizing effect, is harmless to babies;
• Psilo-balm (210 rubles), containing diphenhydramine, which is good for relieving itching and possible allergic reactions;
• Nezulin (RUB 112) is a medicinal product with components of plant extracts and oils, suitable for delicate children's skin, relieves itching and inflammation.

For treatment, you can also use herbal and folk recipes:

• make an aqueous solution of 1 teaspoon of soda and ammonia in 1 tbsp. boiled water and treat the bite areas;
• make a compress from grated potato or raw onion;
• prepare a mixture of 1 tbsp. l. honey and 1 tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed, and apply to areas of inflammation;
• To reduce the inflammatory process, it is recommended to lubricate the bitten areas with the juice of dandelion, plantain leaves and parsley, and rub with a clove of garlic.

Double-tailed bite

The following can be mistaken for a double-tailed bite:

• Direct bite by mandibles
• Damage to the skin by cerci, if they are hard

A doubletail bite is an extremely rare occurrence unless you try to catch and hold the insect with your bare hands or accidentally press it with a piece of exposed skin. Unlike earwigs, two-tailed earwigs are not aggressive and prefer to hide at the slightest sign of danger rather than defend themselves or attack. Many two-tailed fish are not even capable of piercing human skin, since their cerci are thread-like and do not have enough rigidity. The two-tailed fish bites only in a hopeless situation, when there is no alternative option for salvation.

A bite with the mandibles or damage to the skin by the cerci is felt as a sharp prick, sometimes with a burning sensation. The symptoms and the bite mark itself disappear quickly and do not require special treatment.

If the bite was painful, looks like two bleeding spots or a small laceration, you were most likely bitten by an earwig rather than a two-tailed one. In this case, disinfect the bitten area and do not worry, since an earwig bite is also not dangerous and does not threaten complications.

How to treat flea bites?

Typically, treatment for a single bite is not required. In this case, the itching does not cause severe irritation. But, if your home has been subjected to a massive invasion and parasites often bite, the first thing you need to do is not scratch the bite sites, this will only make the itching worse! Constantly scratching the skin can damage it, which can lead to a bacterial infection.

Use our recommendations on how to eliminate itching and cure skin after flea bites. However, remember, if your home is experiencing a massive infestation, contact a flea control service as soon as possible.

Common sites of injury

Insects do not choose the human body as their permanent residence. Here the temperature for their existence is low. They are comfortable living in carpets, upholstered furniture, grass and soil. In these places they lay eggs and hatch larvae. They only bite people. If there is an animal nearby, the insects fix their gaze on it.

Fleas, if necessary, can live for about a year and a half without food. But under normal conditions they eat repeatedly and greedily, receiving nutrition from the human body. The process of blood absorption lasts from a minute to several hours. Not all the blood is digested; a large amount is released with feces, which further increases irritation of the child’s skin.

As a rule, bite marks are found on the legs, arms, face and stomach, that is, on uncovered areas of the body. Individuals do not penetrate clothing and do not bite through it. Fleas feel great in a child’s head, leaving bite marks and spots. This can lead to such serious diseases as hepatitis, brucellosis, and anthrax.

Not all insects are infected, but if they see a similar problem on the baby’s head, they get rid of it urgently.

First, make sure that there are fleas in the child’s hair. You need to be able to distinguish them from lice. These insects require different approaches to treatment, and blood-sucking parasites can be recognized by the following signs:

1. Fleas on children's heads are in constant motion; they do not stay in the hair part, but jump from one place to another, while lice live and lay eggs in the hair.
2. The first ones jump on the head, and the second ones crawl.
3. They are saved from lice by using special hair products and combing out nits. You won’t be able to get rid of fleas on children’s heads this way. Complete disinfection of the home, clothes and shoes, and pets is necessary.

The most common types of fleas

• Dog and cat fleas. Their bites on the body appear when a person comes into contact with animals.
• Rat. They are more widespread in rural areas. This type of flea carries the most dangerous diseases.
• Avian and other species.

Flea bites can cause discomfort, cause allergies and cause illness. Typically, bite marks on the skin completely disappear after 4 days.

Important!

An insect attack is easy to notice. Boha can move quickly, so nature has not endowed it with an anesthetic enzyme in its saliva. A flea bite is quite painful.

Why is this so important?

As a rule, the allergen is eliminated from the body on its own after two to three days. But! The rash may be the start of a more serious allergic reaction. The main symptoms are:

• enlarged lymph nodes;
• temperature rise to 38-39°;
• swelling, nasal congestion;
• diarrhea.

Severe itching makes the baby restless and he begins to scratch the bites, increasing the risk of infection.

If flea bites cause severe allergies, you should not take it lightly, leave the situation uncontrolled, or self-medicate. Only an immunologist will prescribe competent treatment and select medications individually for your baby.

Eliminating the causes of the disease is the best prevention.

We told you how to recognize flea bites in children and how to eliminate unpleasant consequences. But, of course, the best prevention is the absence of insects in your home!

First aid

Tavegil

If your child is bitten by fleas, wash the wound with cold water and antibacterial soap. If you are allergic to bites, you should use any antihistamine. Suitable for treating children:

1. Diprazine.
2. Fenistil.
3. Diazolin.
4. Suprastin.
5. Tavegil.

Before giving medicine to a child, you need to read the instructions, which indicate at what age the drug can be taken.

Flea bites can be lubricated with the following products:

• ethyl alcohol or vodka;
• baking soda solution;
• Sulfuric ointment;
• calamine solution.

If a child scratches the skin, the wounds should be treated with brilliant green or iodine. If desired, you can use pharmaceutical ointments (Nezulin, Bepanten or Psilo-balm). To prevent further scratching, the treated areas are bandaged.

If an allergy starts

Allergies occur in a child due to the following reasons:

• weak immunity;
• predisposition to allergies;
• infection through scratching the affected skin.

Attention! With severe burning and pain, a baby can often experience anaphylactic shock due to flea bites. An allergy resulting from insect bites is called pulicosis. The appearance of such a reaction signals to adults the need for medical attention.

Advice! At the first sign of an allergy, the child is given an anti-allergy tablet (Diazolin, Cetrin). It is necessary to wash the wound with soapy water and apply a special anti-inflammatory agent.

It is necessary to treat the skin with an antiseptic: brilliant green, iodine. This will protect the wound from suppuration and the spread of infection.