![]() HorsefliesĪ large, hairy fly whose bite can be extremely painful, the horsefly tends to bite on warm, sunny days, especially your head and upper body. Don't be embarrassed - bedbugs aren't a sign of a dirty home. What to do: If you think your home is infested with bedbugs (tiny black spots on your mattress and bed are a giveaway), get a pest control expert to treat it straight away. Some people have a serious skin reaction with blisters that can become infected. ![]() They don't carry disease, but their bites cause itchy red bumps. Bedbugsīedbugs are a growing problem in the UK. Protective gear, such as mesh covers for your face, can be very effective, too. Prevent midge bites: Midges and gnats tend to attack in swarms, especially in hot weather, so use an insect repellent and cover up at dawn and dusk. Midge bites don't transmit illness, but they're painful, itch intensely, and can swell up alarmingly. Midges (often also called gnats) are the scourge of trips to the Scottish Highlands and a common feature throughout the rest of the UK, especially on damp and cloudy summer days. Flower bugs are great for the garden, so don't be tempted to use a general insecticide to get rid of them. You could use insect repellent when gardening or, better still, cover your bare skin and wear gloves to stop them nipping. Prevent flower bug bites: The common flower bug bite isn't serious, but it's very annoying. They're pretty to look at, but their bite can be very itchy and slow to heal. They can be found on flowering plants in meadows, parks and gardens. Flower bugsįlower bugs have tiny oval bodies, reflective wings, and orange-brown legs. Send any mosquitoes you come across to Public Health England's mosquito recording system to help their research. Read more about how to treat mosquito bites. Try to stay indoors when mosquitoes become most active, around dusk and dawn, or use insect repellent if you need to be outside. Remove leaves and change the water regularly in bird baths and paddling pools. Prevent mosquito bites: Cover water butts. Other types of mosquitos do bite humans, but unlike in the tropics, mosquitoes in this country aren't currently known to transmit any infections. Most mosquitoes in the UK feed on the blood of birds, not humans. Send any ticks you collect to Public Health England's Tick Recording Scheme and they'll identify them for you. See a doctor if: you get a circular rash spreading out from where you were bitten or you develop the symptoms of Lyme disease. Prevent tick bites: Wear long sleeves and trousers when you're walking in forested, overgrown areas and use a tick repellent. The bite doesn't really hurt, but certain types of tick can transmit a condition called Lyme disease. You should remove a tick as soon as you spot one on your skin. Once they've latched on to you, ticks cling to your skin and suck your blood. Ticks are a common presence in UK woods, moors or thick grass. See a doctor if: you develop symptoms of a serious allergic reaction. Bees normally only sting in self-defence, so avoid provoking them. Prevent bee stings: Stay still and calm while a bee buzzes around you. But bumble bees aren't aggressive and are unlikely to sting unless provoked.īee stings are painful, but unless you have an allergy to bees, they're unlikely to cause serious harm. It's unusual to be allergic to both bees and wasps. Find out how to remove a bee sting.īumble bees don't have barbed stings and can sting you many times if they want to. It's important to remove the barb to stop infection setting in. The honey bee leaves its barbed sting inside you and then dies. A bee sting feels similar to that of a wasp. In the UK, we have two types of bees: honey bees and bumble bees.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |