Stephanie Larkin asked:

Most of the time there is little to worry about when one is bitten or stung by an insect. These attacks often cause very few problems other than initial shock and pain.

However, the same bite on small children and those with allergies can be serious. Make sure to heed signs that the victim may need medical attention. Rapid inflammation and other adverse reactions to a bite or sting could be an indicator of an allergy. The best way to keep calm and handle the situation effectively is to know what common reactions look like, so it is possible to identify emergency situations.

Ants

Even the most pristine summer day can be sullied by an ant bite. Thankfully most injuries caused by ant are only hurt at the time of the attack. In fact, the only species of at that cause serious problems in the United States is the fire ant. This insect originally came from South America and is only found in the southern states.

Fire ants sting any creature that is seen as a threat to their colony and usually leave a blister that may itch. Since they have very potent venom, the area may in some cases swell. About 15% of people may have an allergic reaction to the venom and go into anaphylaxis. Though the severity of the reaction can vary, in the most serious cases the victim may have trouble breathing, form hives, and feel faint. Cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, runny nose, and anxiety are less common symptoms. Those who are experiencing this reaction should be taken to a doctor as soon as possible.

Bees and Wasps

People who have been stung by a bee or wasp before know that though the sting can be very painful, it usually has no other adverse effects. In the case of a sting, remove the stinger immediately (in the case of a bee sting) and wash the infected area. A normal injury will be red and the area around it will swell, but some ibuprofen should virtually remove the pain and discomfort.

Being stung more than half a dozen times is always a concern. Multiple stings may cause serious reactions even in those who do not have an allergy. Children are especially susceptible to high doses of venom. Also, stings on the inside of the mouth or throat require immediate medical attention because they can swell and constrict the airway.

There are several symptoms that signal an allergic reaction for those who are unaware they have the allergy or cannot communicate the problem.

Itching or hives in other places than the affected area are a tip off that the venom from the insect is traveling through the body.

Problems breathing, difficulty swallowing, and faintness are all signs that the victim’s body is swelling rapidly.

Those who have severe common reactions may keep a dose of adrenalin around in the form of an Epi-Pen, but even after the shot is administered they should be taken to the hospital.

Mosquitoes and Ticks

Mosquito bites are mainly just a minor annoyance. Even those who are allergic to the bite may only experience uncomfortable swelling. A mosquito bite is never an emergency, but it can harbor dangerous diseases like West Nile virus and other types of encephalitis. Those infected will experience flu-like symptoms within a few days and should go see a doctor.

Ticks are found in wooded areas and tall grasses. They attach themselves onto animals and feed off of their blood. Most varieties of tick will leave no more than a small bite wound when removed, but the small deer tick can pass along Lyme disease to humans. Those who have been bitten by a tick will develop a bulls-eye rash or experience swelling if they have been infected and should seek treatment.

Spiders

Though spiders are not insects, their bite can be cause for emergency medical treatment. Bites from spiders are rare because they are extremely defensive creatures that usually shy away from humans. About 2% of bites are any cause or concern and even less are considered emergencies.

Only two types of spiders found in the United States are fatal to humans. The black widow and brown recluse are easily identifiable. Within a few minutes of the bite the victim should be in intense pain. Those who are bitten by one of these spiders should go to the hospital immediately.

Handling a Bite or Sting

Most bites or sting simply need to be washed with soup or water. In a few cases, cold should be applied to reduce swelling. If the victim has a known insect allergy, it may be a good idea to go to the hospital anyway. Those experiencing any severe reactions should be taken to the emergency room.

Stephanie Larkin asked:

There are only two deadly poisonous spiders commonly found in North America. One of these spiders, the black widow, has made its way into popular culture with its distinctive look and fantastic name. However, the equally deadly brown recluse is often overlooked. These spiders are not aggressive, but it is best to know how to identify one so they can be avoided.

Behavior

The brown recluse is named as it is because it does not often come out into the open. Brown recluses hunt at night and rarely stray too far from their web. It is very rare to see the spider unless one disturbs them from a quiet, dry place. They often make webs for homes in sheds and garages, but their natural habitat is in rotting trees. Since the spider is happy to avoid humans, most brown recluse bites happen when the spider is hiding and is caught up next to human skin in blankets or clothes. There are very few reported cases of bites each year, because they will not attack until they touch human skin.

Effects

Those who are bitten by a brown recluse may not even notice. The bites are fairly painless and the poison will start to degenerate the flesh immediately, leaving a deep wound that takes a long time to heal. This process is called necrosis. The symptoms that begin to develop within a few hours are known as loxoscelism after the scientific name of the spider. The victim begins to experience fever, nausea, vomiting, rashes, and pain. In very serious cases, the blood begins to clot rapidly inside the body and the red blood vessels stop functioning normally.

Those who are bitten should apply a cold pack to the area and call emergency services. Most fatalities from brown recluse bites are children under 7 or those with disabilities that have weakened immune systems. However, healthy adults also need to seek immediate medical attention if they believe they have been bitten. Treatment will be much more effective if the spider is identified as a brown recluse. Many other common afflictions are misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites. In actuality, the spider bites are not very common.

Native Regions

The brown recluse is a native North American spider. The heaviest concentrations of the spider are in the mid-southern United States. They are spread as far north as Ohio and as far east as Georgia. The concentration once stopped in East Texas and Kansas, but more recently the spiders have been found in the desert terrain of the Southwest. Now, the brown recluse can be found in Southern California.

Physical Characteristics

The brown recluse is a fairly small spider that ranges from one fourth of an inch long up to about an inch. Its legs are slightly longer in proportion to its body, but it should not be confused with other long leg spider varieties.

Obviously, the brown recluse is brown in color. The shade will vary from spider to spider. They have been documented as light tan all the way to chocolate brown. The color is soft and mostly even because of the fine hair that covers their body. The most effective way to identify a brown recluse is by the marking on their cephalothorax or prosoma (the “back” below the eyes). The marking is a dark spot shaped like the top of a violin. The marking looks as if the neck of the violin is pointing down towards the thorax. However, some young or unique spiders do not have as noticeable markings as others, so sometimes the violin mark is hard to see.

Most arachnids have eight eyes, but the brown recluse has six. This may be hard to see if the spider escapes, but a quick check of the eyes on the dead culprit will verify its identity. The eyes are set in pairs on the top and either side of the spider’s head. Most eight-eyed spiders have a large cluster of eyes near the front. Other six-eyed spiders look nothing like the brown recluse and feature stripes.

What to do

If you feel that a brown recluse may have bitten you, make every effort to find the spider. Proper identification can help avoid misdiagnosis. If you are not in a region where the brown recluse is found, finding and identifying the spider is doubly important. Wounds that look like spider bites aren’t likely to be from a brown recluse, but if you are experiencing the symptoms listed above, call a doctor immediately.

Most bites are not fatal, but a hospital stay will probably be necessary. Always practice caution around poisonous animals and do not provoke them.

Stephanie Larkin asked:

When you purchased your current home, it was most likely inspected for termites. You would have received a document from an inspection company to certify that no active infestations were present when you bought the home. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean your home doesn’t have termites. If you haven’t kept up termite treatments, it’s always possible that they might have entered your home.

Spotting a termite infestation isn’t difficult, if you know what you look for. And of course, sometimes the signs are unmistakable: an indoor swarm is perhaps the most definite sign that an active infestation is present in your home.

There are three main signs to look for if you’re trying to determine whether your home is infested: damage done to wood, mud tubes, and indoor swarms.

Wood Damage

Damage done to wood, drywall, and other materials might seem like the most obvious sign of termite infestation, but strangely, it is often the easiest to overlook. Termites eat from the inside, so the damage done is often not visible. Don’t assume that your home is free from termites simply because you cannot detect any signs of damage.

Signs of termite activity may appear in the form of pin holes in wood or drywall, but there may be no outward signs at all. If this is the case, try hitting wood you suspect to be infested with a hammer or other implement: hollow sounds are a sign of termite activity. If you do hear hollow sounds, try gently probing wood with a screwdriver or icepick-if it’s infested, it will be soft and may break apart easily.

Prime places to check for infestations are in basements, and in structural beams above cellar walls. Any locations near furnaces, hot water heaters, and chimneys-any area that gives off warmth-will also be ripe for infestation.

Mud Tubes

Termites are largely subterranean insects. Those species that live underground must travel from the termite subterranean colony to their food source in order to feed. If a termite colony must do this, it will build tiny tubes made from mud to provide the insects with shelter when they are traveling from the colony to the food.

Look for tubes in locations such as wooden posts, exterior masonry, trim around windows and doors, and cellar walls. These mud tubes are very distinctive, simply appearing as small thin tubes (around the thickness of a pencil) made from mud.

It’s not possible to tell simply by looking whether an active infestation is present, however-if you spot mud tubes, they may be left over from a prior infestation. To determine if you have an active infestation, you’ll need to break open some of the tubes and check for termites.

Indoor Swarms

Indoor swarms are easily the most obvious sign of a termite infestation if you should happen to experience one. However termite colonies only swarm every few years, so it’s not something you can expect to see if you go looking for it. The more likely scenario is that an unexpected termite swarm will alert you to the presence of an infestation.

Termites swarm during the reproductive phase of their life cycle-usually early in spring. During the warmest, sunniest days, a termite colony may swarm. A swarm will usually occur following rain, but this depends on the species: different species of termites tend to swarm at different times. Drywood termites, for example, most often swarm after dusk, while subterranean termites usually swarm between mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

Regardless of the species of termite, a swarm generally lasts several hours. During a termite swarm, the insects will travel from the colony a short distance before seeking cover to mate. Most die before mating, if a swarm occurs outdoors. Any termites that do manage to mate will become the founders of a new colony that will grow for several years before swarming.

Swarms that occur outdoors are not usually noticed. If termites swarm inside your home, however, the signs are unmistakable, particularly if you are actually present in the room at the time. Indoor swarmers will emerge from a wall and fly towards light sources-doors, windows, and even light bulbs. If nobody is present when the swarm occurs, the signs are still difficult to miss, as thousands of dead termites cannot easily be overlooked. You’ll also likely find large numbers of wings at or near sources of light.

What to Do?

If you detect any signs of infestation, the next step is having a professional inspector come to your home to confirm that the infestation is an active one. Treating your home will come after that-but don’t panic if you can’t get all of this done immediately. Termites feed very slowly, and waiting a month or two to treat your home won’t cause much extra damage.

Reuben D. Rock asked:

There are many kinds of spiders in the world some good and some very bad, such as the Black Widow and the Brown recluse spider, but on the whole spiders are very harmless. They are harmless but can become an awful nuisance especially if they end up in your home or around it. In a way spiders are insect repellents themselves as they control any insects they come across by having them for dinner or providing dinner for some birds or bigger insects but all of this means very little when you find yourself with a spider problem. There are remedies for spider control.

The most annoying spider could be the wolf spider. This species is a little different as spiders go and they are UGLY! Even your pets, whether it is a cat or dog or both, will take the same attitude towards these spiders. One way to get rid of your spiders or at least control them safely is with a product called Victor (although there are great alternatives online). This spray comes in an aerosol can and is totally safe for your family and pets. It is an insecticide but the only active ingredients you will find in this product are mint oil mixed with a bit of detergent. The detergent is used to penetrate the skin of the spider and a bit of oil is also added to make the spray last much longer. You can find this product at most hardware stores. It is a natural spider repellent that does work. There are many aerosols on the market so be careful when you’re choosing your product and make sure it is completely natural and safe.

This can work outside as well as inside and gives off a lovely minty smell. This is one way of getting rid of annoying spiders and to make sure your home stays free of them. You do want the only inhabitants inside your door to be you and your family.

Stephanie Larkin asked:

It n& #39; there has that two vénéneuses mortals araignées finds in Amérique of North. One of these araignées, the black widow, made her way in the popular culture, with its look and fantastic name. However, also mortals brown recluse is often négligé. These araignées is not aggressive, but it is préférable knowledge how to identify a qu&amp kind; #39; they can être évités. & lt; br/& WP; Behavior & lt; br/& WP; The brown recluse is nommé, c& #39; is parce qu& #39; it not often on the public place. Brown recluse drives out the night and seldom égaré too far from their Web site. It is très rare to see l& #39; araignée, except if a disorder à to leave d& #39; calm and dry. They often make bands for houses in hangars and garages, but their natural habitat is out of trees in décomposition. à ‰ as well donné as l& #39; araignée is happy d& #39; éviter l& #39; man, majority of the bites of brown recluse to occur when l& #39; araignée hides and is taken à côté of the human skin in covers or vêtements. It ya très little case of bites each année, parce qu& #39; they do not want d& #39; jusqu&amp attacks; #39; à this qu& #39; they touch the human skin. & lt; br/& WP; &amp effects; lt; br/& WP; Those which are piqués by a brown recluse May même not préavis. The bites are relatively painless and the poison begins à dégénérer flesh immédiatement, leaving a deep wound which takes too much time à to guérir. This process is appelé the nécrose. The symptômes begin à développer in a few hours, is known like loxoscelism après the scientific name of l& #39; araignée. The victim begins à to make l& #39; expérience of the fièvre, the nausées, the vomiting, éruptions cutanées and the pains. In the serious cases très, blood begins à to coagulate à quickly  l& #39; intA©rior of the body and the red blood of the ships cease functioning normally. & lt; br/& WP; Those which are bitten should apply a cold compress for the région and d& #39; to call the services d& #39; urgency. The majority of the accidents fatal of the brown recluse bites are children of less than 7 years or the people handicapées who have a weakened immunizing système. However, the adults into good santé have également need to consult a médecin s&amp immédiatement; #39; they believe to have bitten été. The treatment will be much more effective if l& #39; araignée is identifiée like a brown recluse. Much d& #39; other épreuves are badly diagnostiqués like brown recluse bites. In réalité, the bites d& #39; araignées is not très common. & lt; br/& WP; régions & lt; br/& WP; The brown recluse is originating d& #39; Amérique of North araignée. The densité of l& #39; araignée in the semi-south of the tats-Plain à ‰. They are réparties in north, jusqu& #39; à l& #39; Ohio and of l& #39; Is jusqu& #39; à Géorgie. Concentration, once arrêté à l& #39; Is of Texas and in Kansas, but, récemment, the araignées have été trouvés in the désert south-west of the ground. Now, the brown recluse is in the south of California. & lt; br/& WP; Caractéristiques physics & lt; br/& WP; The brown recluse is small a araignée which s& #39; étend of a quarter of inch length jusqu& #39; à approximately d& #39; an inch. Its legs are a little longer in proportion of its body, but it does not owe être confused with d& #39; others variétés long legs d& #39; araignée. & lt; br/& WP; L& #39; évidence, the brown recluse is of color chestnut. The nuance varies d& #39; araignée à l& #39; araignée. They have été also léger bronzing any à fact à brown chocolate. The color is soft, and especially à cause l& #39; amends hair which covers their body. The most effective means to identify a brown recluse is by marking on their céphalothorax or PROSOMA (the & quot; retour& quot; under the eyes). Marking is a dark spot forms the top d&amp of it; #39; a violin. Marking occurs as if the collar of the violin is pointée towards the thorax. However, certain young people or single, the araignées are not as perceptible as d& #39; other marks, of manière sometimes the violin mark is difficult à to see. & lt; br/& WP; The majority of Arachnida have eight eyes, but the brown recluse has six. This difficult May-être à to see whether l& #39; araignée s& #39; échappe, but a fast vA©rification of the eyes on culprit deaths will allow of vérifier his identité. The eyes are fixés per pairs on the top and of each côté of the tête of l& #39; araignée. Majority of the eight eyes d& #39; araignées has a great group of the eyes, près of l& #39; front. Six others with the eyes of the araignées to seek anything such as the caractA©ristic brown recluse and the stripes. & lt; br/& WP; That to make & lt; br/& WP; If you estimate qu& #39; a brown recluse May bit, to make you all the efforts to find the araignée. An identification appropriée can help à éviter errors of diagnosis. If you n& #39; êtes not in a région oà ¹ the brown recluse is trouvé, research and l& #39; identification of the araignées is doubly important. The wounds which resemble à piqÔ LMBO d& #39; araignées is not likely d& #39; être d& #39; a brown recluse, but if you meet the symptômes énumérés above, call a médecin immédiatement. & lt; br/& WP; The majority of the bites are not mortals, but a séjour à l& #39; hôpital will be probably nécessaire. Always practical, prudence around the poisonous animals and not to cause them. & lt; br/& WP;