What Bit Me?

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by annette77

I was awoken at about 6.30am this morning and my thumb was stinging like crazy. I could see two puncture wounds so I knew I'd been bitten. The pain was as intense as a wasp sting but it wasnt a wasp sting. We have a futon and are very close to the floor, but I can see nothing. It's like a large blister now. My main concern is that I'm 12 weeks pregnant, I know not to take anti histamines but I don't know if a sting can arm my baby? I made a docs appointemnt but can't get in until thursday.

Could be a spider bite. Got a photo of the bite?

[John_M]

Originally Posted by annette77

I was awoken at about 6.30am this morning and my thumb was stinging like crazy. I could see two puncture wounds so I knew I'd been bitten. The pain was as intense as a wasp sting but it wasnt a wasp sting. We have a futon and are very close to the floor, but I can see nothing. It's like a large blister now. My main concern is that I'm 12 weeks pregnant, I know not to take anti histamines but I don't know if a sting can arm my baby? I made a docs appointemnt but can't get in until thursday.

I think it's unlikely to be a spider bite, but even if it is, it's unlikely to harm your baby unless you're allergic (and by now you would know if you were!). Having said that, I'm not a doctor, and obviously proper medical advice is what you need.

[someblokedave]

Originally Posted by doorframe

Hi again...I'm in Essex, BTW.

When me and the missus, Anne, moved here from london, about 20 years ago, we were amazed at the size of the bugs, and within a few weeks Anne had bite reactions like golf balls all over her arms and legs. She had a course of injections at the local hospital, that seemed to not only reduce the swellings, but give her a bit more immunity as well. She still reacts to anything that takes a bite, but not as bad as before. On the other hand, I dont remember ever having even an itch from a bite, even when on foreign holidays. Apart from wasp stings, and one from a hornet!!!, no insect has ever done me any harm. Thats why I'm so shocked at these bites.

People have mentioned mozzies. The bugs I have always called mozzies are about half an inch long, with a snout of the same length. These have bitten me (or had a suck) thousands of times over the years, so I wonder if were talking about the same mozzies. If someone can post a pic of what you call a mozzie, it might help clear this up

Thanks for all the replys.

I'm in Basildon too, but of Essex stock going back in excess of 500 years. I've noted recently that in Basildon and surrounding areas we're experiencing midges of some variety. Unlike Gnats/Mosquitoes who seem to have a brain and are on the look out for your trying to swipe them, these black midges are chunky little flies that are found in small swarms and they seem to go for a mass suicide attack approach where they'll land on you in sufficient numbers where despite the fact that you'll kill most of them over a period of hours you will sustain bites. These bites make their appearance the next day. Again they're different in that they don't have a pimple/spot as in the case if Mosquitoes but a small rash as in the picture the bloke supplied. Additionally the area that itches is not localised as with Mossies, but a lot larger and far itchier meaning that in your sleep and during the day when you scratch it, you run the risk of breaking the skin surface far more. Additionally the irritation lasts in excess of a week and you're more or less guaranteed to break the surface of the skin and cause bleeding and scabs through re-scratching in your sleep. A couple of years back I dislocated my finger playing cricket and went up Basildon hospital (Which by the way is generally excellent despite what you hear on the news) and mentioned these bites. The nurse said that in recent years they had noticed more and more people with irritation through insect bites that had resulted in night scratching that had gone on to become infected and become a far more complex blood poisoning issue.

Anyone else down South have any simialr experiences and are these small black persistent and suicidal flies midges?

Actually reading the thread and looking around I reckon mine might be Simulim?

[doorframe]

He posted this in 2007, so hopefully he is better now (Doorframe was last seen here in March this year, so we know he lived for a few more years at least - if you read this Doorframe, give us an update ).
__________________

YES!! I'm alive! The scars have healed over quite well now, although I do forget and break the skin when I'm using a scourer to scrub oil etc off my hands and arms after working on the car etc. Then it's just the will power to resist the itching and the temptation to scratch.....aaarrrggghhh!

I havn't come across those flies someblokedave mentioned...don't think I want to! But did have what looked like the biggest blue-bottle in the world buzzing around my workshop the other day. It was close on 40mm long. Got some great pics of it and when I checked on the net it turned out to be a horse-fly. Rather pleased I didn't get bitten by that!! I understand they can be very nasty chaps.

I have noticed a large increase in the amount of dragon flies this year, but less damsels. I wonder if this corresponds to the explosion in my newt population eating the damsel nymphs? Also had a lesser-stag beetle hit the deck by my main pond a few nights ago. He managed to get himself totally wound up in a spiders web. I got the web off him before the obligatory pics...making sure to keep my fingers well away from those nasty looking pinchers!

It's really quite suprising how much wildlife we get in the concrete jungle that is Basildon.

[annette77]

Thanks for your replies Only today has the swelling gone down, although it's very purple and sore. My Partner and I just put a pond in a few months ago and the past week, we've been getting these little flies in our house. Really fast, and when you squash them there is a lot of blood. I don't think they are mossies as they are small and silent. I've also travelled quite a lot and never been bit, even once. Strange.

Glad to see the original author of this post is still alive and kicking!

[Watermelon_smile]

i had the same thing happen to me this summer, it was like a beetle i was at a national trust place and i was sitting on an old piece of wood it just seemed to crawl on me i ignored it because it just looked like a normal beetle that would just crawl off when it wanted to, but i suddenly felt this stinging like a pin sticking in me around the back of my arm near my wrist about the same place you got yours. when i tryed pulling it off it pinched me and i finnaly got it off...it didnt have pincers or anything it was a greeny brown colour and was really quite small, then it became a red bump and it lasted for a good 2 weeks.