Knowing how to prevent and treat common insect bites and stings, and knowing when to not overreact, can help keep your kids safe and healthy.
Symptoms
The symptoms that can be caused by insect bites depend on the type of insect and how sensitive you are to it. Symptoms can vary from mild swelling, pain, itchiness and redness to large blisters or life threatening anaphylactic reactions.Reactions that stay localized to the sight of the bite or sting are usually not serious.
More serious signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, a type of life threatening reaction, can include trouble swallowing, throat and chest tightness, low blood pressure (hypotension), diaphoresis (sweating), dizziness, weakness, itching, hives, wheezing and difficulty breathing. These symptoms usually develop fairly quickly and usually within 30 minutes of being stung. You should seek immediate medical attention or activate your local emergency services if your child has these symptoms following an insect bite or sting.
Mosquito bites commonly cause itchy red bumps, which can vary in size from being very small to 1/2 inch. They usually also have a central raised area. Fire ants are notorious for causing severe local reactions, including pustules or pimples and red, swollen, and extremely itchy areas, which may turn into blisters. They often bite multiple times, most commonly on the feet and legs. A large number of bites, more than 10-20, in a young infant can lead to serious reactions and may require medical attention.
Bees, wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets usually cause painful red bumps. Honey bees have a barbed stinger and usually leave it behind at the site of the sting. The stinger will usually appear as a black dot inside the bite if it has been left behind. More serious local reactions can cause swelling of an entire limb. Unlike other bites, tick bites are painless and usually don't itch.
Bedbugs also usually cause painless bites, which then become itchy. Since bedbugs usually only come out to feed at night, and they feed infrequently (often just weekly), they can be hard to detect.
Chiggers or harvest mites also commonly bite children, especially in the southern United States, where they are found in grasses and bushes. Chigger bites usually occur on the legs and along the belt line and can appear as small red bumps and are extremely itchy. Chigger bites are often confused with chickenpox infections.
Flea bites also commonly affect children, causing multiple, grouped red bumps with a central area of crusting.
Spider bites cause a lot of fear in parents, but rarely cause serious reactions in children. Only two spiders in the United States, the black widow spider and the brown recluse spider usually cause poisoning. These spiders can be readily identified by their characteristic markings, including the red or orange hour glass shape on the abdomen of the black widow spider and the violin shaped markings on the back of the brown recluse. These bites are usually painless or cause mild irritation. More serious reactions usually occur quickly and within 3-12 hours and can include muscle pain, diaphoresis (sweating), nausea, vomiting, headache and high blood pressure.
Papular Urticaria
Papular urticaria is a delayed hypersensitivity type reaction to many bites and stings. Children, usually between the ages of 2 and 7 years, with this condition will commonly develop multiple small, red itchy bumps in clusters on the upper arms, shoulders and other exposed areas. New crops of bumps commonly appear and each last about 2-10 days.
