What is the difference between ant bites and mosquito bites

Mosquitoes thrive near water. This is a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that causes hives , throat swelling, and difficulty breathing. If you or someone else may be experiencing anaphylaxis, seek emergency medical attention. Call or go to an emergency room. A mosquito has to be on the skin for at least six seconds to bite you.

The bites may be seemingly instantly itchy and visible. They will usually get better after one or two days. If they do, the reactions can be delayed by hours or days. Here are some other common bug bites and how to tell the difference. Kissing bugs are insects that can be infested with a parasite that causes a condition known as Chagas disease.

These bugs commonly bite a person around their mouth or eyes. The bites may be small, red, and round. Kissing bug bites that cause Chagas disease can be serious as the disease can cause heart and intestinal problems.

Spider bites can take on different appearances and symptoms based on the spider that bit you. The ones that do — such as a brown recluse or black widow spider — can cause severe symptoms. Signs a person may have been bitten by a spider include:. Serious spider bites can lead to illness and infection.

You should seek immediate medical attention if you think you were bitten by a brown recluse or black widow spider. Fire ants are insects that can sting and cause painful, itchy bites. Up to 30, cases of Lyme disease are reported each year in the United States. You may also have fever, fatigue, headaches, muscle and joint aches, as well as irregular heart rhythms.

But 20 to 30 percent of people who get infected never develop a rash. Symptoms such as swollen or painful joints, memory loss , or other autoimmune responses that mimic those of other diseases may present themselves when Lyme disease is in its advanced stages. A diagnosis may remain elusive because many doctors will not initially equate these nonspecific symptoms with Lyme disease.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever from a tick bite is rare, with about 2, cases per year in the United States. It causes a fever, a headache, muscle aches, and a skin rash. The rash of pinpoint red spots begins on the ankles and wrists after a few days of fever, but later the rash spreads to the rest of the body; in some people, a rash never develops.

Although this infection can be severe — and even fatal — it is preventable and can be successfully treated with prompt medical care, according to the CDC.

Another type of tick to avoid is the lone star tick. It can transmit several viruses, the CDC notes. Symptoms of flea bites may begin within hours after you're bitten, and the bites tend to appear in groups of three or four.

You may notice itching, hives, and swelling around an injury or sore, or a rash of small, red bumps that may or may not bleed. Flea bites are most common on your ankles and legs, but may also appear in your armpits, around your waist, and in the bends of your knees and elbows. A flea-bite rash turns white when you press on it and tends to get larger or spread over time.

Scratching the rash can lead to a skin infection, according to the NIH National Library of Medicine , and may need medical attention. In extremely rare cases, fleas are infected with the bacteria that causes plague. The disease can spread from wild rodents to pets and people. Over the past 10 years, as few as 1 and as many as 17 cases of plague were reported in the United States, according to the CDC , most in the rural West.

Symptoms of plague include swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever, and chills that appear from one to six days after the bite. Beestings cause a sharp pain that may continue for a few minutes, then fade to a dull, aching feeling. The area may still feel sore to the touch a few days later.

A red skin bump with white around it may appear around the site of the sting, and the area may itch and feel hot to the touch. If you've been stung by a bee before, your body may also have an immune response to the venom in the sting, resulting in swelling where the sting occurred or in an entire area of your body, including your throat and lungs.

If you have this type of allergic response, called anaphylaxis , it is a medical emergency that needs treatment immediately. Symptoms of a severe allergy to a beesting include hives, swelling, trouble breathing, dizziness, cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and even cardiac arrest.

Lice bites are tiny red spots on the shoulders, neck, and scalp from small parasitic insects that can live on your clothes or in your bedding. Some people may develop a larger, uncomfortable skin rash from lice bites. Continual scratching of the itchy spots could lead to an infection, marked by symptoms including swollen lymph nodes and tender, red skin.

An infected lice bite may also ooze and crust over; it will need to be treated by a doctor, but lice are not known to carry other diseases. Ant bites and stings are typically painful and cause red skin bumps. Some types of ants, like fire ants, are venomous, and their bites can cause a severe allergic reaction. Fire ants bite first to hold on and then sting, giving a sharp pain and a burning sensation.

If you're bitten by fire ants , you may see white, fluid-filled pustules or blisters pictured a day or two after the sting.

These last three to eight days and may cause scars. The bumps may also be itchy and red, and you may have swelling around the site. Medical reviewer: Dr Adiele Hoffman. Author: Dr Ann Nainan. Medically reviewed All of Healthily's articles undergo medical safety checks to verify that the information is medically safe. In this article. How serious are ant bites? What do ant bites look like? These may include: pain, redness, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin around the area where you were bitten a raised, itchy rash called hives urticaria — in some cases Sometimes, your symptoms may involve a larger part of the skin around the bite and you may have more pain, swelling and itchiness, and develop blisters.

Your health questions answered Do red ants bite? Answered by: Healthily's medical team. Was this article helpful? Yes No. Article information Last reviewed: 20 August Next review: 19 August More common in itchy bites. The bacterial infection spreads into the skin. Gives redness spreading out from the bite. The red area is painful to the touch. This is a bacterial infection that spreads up the lymph channels. Gives a red line that goes up the arm or leg.

More serious because the infection can get into the bloodstream. This is called sepsis. When to Call for Insect Bite Call Now Past life-threatening allergic reaction to same insect bite not just hives and bitten less than 2 hours ago Trouble breathing or wheezing Hoarse voice, cough, or tightness in the throat or chest Trouble swallowing, drooling or slurred speech Hard to wake up Acts or talks confused You think your child has a life-threatening emergency Call Doctor or Seek Care Now Hives or swelling all over the body More than 20 fire ant stings in a child less than 1 year old Fever and bite looks infected spreading redness Your child looks or acts very sick You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours Severe pain and not better 2 hours after taking pain medicine New redness around the bite starts more than 24 hours after the bite More than 48 hours since the bite and redness gets larger Redness or red streak around the bite gets larger than 1 inch 2.

Bellevue Everett Federal Way Seattle. Should your child see a doctor?