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Insect Bites Warning in Ohio – Mites

photo courtesy of extension.umn.edu

First, it was bed bugs in Cincinnati, and now it is bothersome mites as a warning has been issued in Hamilton County, Ohio according to WLWT and WCPO. 

These mites, or Pyemotes herfsi itch mites (oak leaf gall mite), are known for their insect bites which can seem like a skin rash but can turn into a bacterial infection if not properly treated and maintained according to news reports in the Cincinnati area.

The County’s Health Commissioner said, “The mites cannot be seen and the bites are not felt, but leave an itchy red mark that can resemble a skin rash.”

Of the bites studied thus far, these insect bites appear to be just like those from tiny, almost invisible mites, which are thankfully not known to infect people with disease.  But, the infection can occur if the bites are scratched and openings or breaks in the skin occurs.

Anyone who thinks they may have the bites is urged to seek medical attention for the proper medication.

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Brown Recluse Spider Bites Increasing

from MyFoxKC

One of the more painful spider bites is from the Brown Recluse Spider and in Kansas City they’re seeing nearly 70% of homes penetrated by the Brown Recluse according to Fox News in Kansas City.

The result has been an increased number of patients in the emergency room according to Dr. Gary Wasserman who says that the KC-area is a hotbed for the spider because it’s just north of where Brown Recluse spiders are known to concentrate.

In the interview, Wasserman suggested that he has seen the number of patients who have had severe reactions to the spider bites nearly double in five years.

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Fire Ants Bites in Nova Scotia

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

In Picatou County in Nova Scotia, they call it the ‘red menace’ and its bringing the community together to try to find a solution. The area’s fire ant problem is out of control according to The Chronicle Herald.

How bad is it? So bad that area residents who have experienced severe allergic reactions to fire ant bites are scared to go outside. In fact, one carries an EpiPen, in case the worst happens.

“It felt like I was on fire from my wrist to my shoulder,” Teresa Jordan said Thursday of the wound that appeared red, swollen and eventually blistered [two years ago].

On Monday, Ms. Jordan and community members are gathering to discuss how to combat the aggressive, Europen fire ant infestation that have made a home on their properties. Disconcerting to residents is how the ants (which are reddish-brown and 4 to 5 millimeters in length) stay adhered to one’s body even as one swats and tries to brush them away.

In an interview with The Chronicle Herald, Lise Charbonneau, pesticide program coordinator for Clean Nova Scotia says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed that European fire ants are formidable and numerous pests in the area. Ms. Charbonneau has received an increased number of phone calls about the pests since mid-summer.

Residents have every reason to be concerned in the United States, for example, 80 fatalities have been recorded from anaphylaxis brought on by fire ant bites.

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Wolf Spider Bites UK Man

An Englishman required hospitalization after being bitten by a Wolf Spider in the UK according to the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard.

The spider which “hails” from Europe, but is also in North America, is not considered dangerous but can obviously inflict some pain by injecting venom into its victim if provoked. Wolf spiders are a part of the same family of spiders which include brown recluse spider, black widow spider, hobo spider, grass spider, mouse spider, huntsman spider and several others.

No word as to whether or not the man was teasing the spider and the spider had just had enough.

Most spider bites from Wolf Spiders have symptoms such as itching, swelling and moderate pain.

For this gentleman, who was bitten in outdoors while working in on a compost pile in a garden center, anti-venom was given upon arrival to the hospital before the eventual cause (spider bite) was determined.

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Typhus In Texas; Flea Bites Suspected

The Daily Texan is reporting that murine typhus cases are on the rise and flea bites in the Austin-Travis County area are the culprit.

With 15 cases of the disease reported this year and four in the month of August, officials were so concerned that they decided it was time to alert the public so that hey could institute prevention measures such as making sure pets are kept flea-free and that any animals (which can bring fleas) living under a home are eliminated.

Symptoms of typhus, which can be fatal if left untreated, include fever, body aches, abdominal pain, a hacking, dry cough, chills, vomiting and rashes along the back, chest, legs and/or arms according to the National Institute of Health.

University of Texas personnel believe that even though its a serious affliction, they don’t see the recent typhus outbreak as a reason for residents and students in the area to panic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is performing an inspection of the environment.

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$740 Bug Extermination Bill Does Not Stop Bugs in PA

Renters in Harrisburg, PA, have been fighting the good fight in their quest to rid themselves of a bed bugs infestation and, at one point, attempted to “circle the wagons” in order to get away from the biting bugs according to PennLive.ocm.

But, to no avail. The little bugs found them and continued to suck the family’s blood. Attempts by the family to use a vacuum, spray the bugs with liquid detergent or exterminate with Lysol did not work out and even a professional exterminator whose bill came to $740 (paid by the landlord) was unable to kill the little devils.

What’s next?

The family was not ready when the landlord’s exterminator visited a second time two weeks later. The allegedly important second spray was delayed at least week. That can’t be good.

The landlord and tenant are now fighting over whether the landlord is responsible for the bill related to all of the furniture destroyed by the infestation according to the tenant.

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Black Widow Spider Bite Takes Down Firefighter

In Grand Island, Nebraska, a firefighter who was on a call was bitten by the poisonous black widow spider according to KHAS-TV.

The spider bite proved nearly fatal as a clot developed in his leg even though his arm had apparently been bitten and started changing color with strong pain .

The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet on Black Widow Spiders details the symptoms of a black widow spider bite which can sometimes go unnoticed:

The venom travels in the bloodstream throughout the body and acts on the nervous system, causing varying degrees of pain. Some people report very intense pain. There typically is no necrosis (sloughing) of tissues and no conspicuous swelling.

Even if it may not have been apparent at first, the bite could have killed him.

Captain John Mayer of the Grand Island Fire Department said, “The swelling, the bruising, the internal bleeding and the tissue looks real bad, even more serious than that was that he developed some stroke like symptoms for a short time.”

To prevent future bites by black widow spiders, Grand Island has evidently already paid for fumigation of the house. In addition, a relief fund has been set-up by colleagues for the stricken firefighter to help pay for his medical bills.

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Bed Bugs and Their Bites Invade Cincinnati

WBNS 10TV

With ravaged furniture in its wake, bed bugs are running wild in some parts of Cincinnati, Ohio, leaving homeowners with welts and frustration according to WBNS-TV.

In the space of year the City’s Health Department is reporting – and it’s excerpted here – that bed bug cases have doubled. This isn’t the first time the City has heard complaints. Even back in 2007, there more reported cases of bed bugs than cockroaches. Current stories are gruesome and leaving residents with little choice other than to move out and leave all their furniture behind.

Last Thursday, looking to the community for solutions on bed bugs, Cincinnati held its first bed bug conference. BedBugger.com has the link to the video.

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Encephalitis or EEE Discovered in Mosquitos in Massachussetts

In Carver, Massachussetts, the first positive mosquito sample in the state of EEE, or eastern equine encephalitis, has been confirmed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. West Nile Virus has been discovered in samples of birds and mosquitos, also.

West Nile and EEE can both infect humans through insect bites such as mosquito bites and it is recommended by authorities such as the the Centers for Disease Control that people take precautions by:

• Use DEET in order to repel insects.
• Clothes with long sleeves are also said to prevent insect bites that might bring on EEE or West Nile.
• Reduce outdoor evening activity is recommended.

The CDC also reports that it may take anywhere from 3 to 10 days to develop symptoms of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) after a human is bitten by an mosquitos carrying the virus with the largest number of incidents occurring in Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey.

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Flea Bites and Kids

In what has to be a horror story for any responsible parent, children in Missouri were covered with flea bites and suffered from what appeared to be scabies and ringworm according to the News-Leader in Missouri.

The adult who took care of the children was charged with two counts of child neglect.

The local Humane Society reported that with over 100 animals in the living area where the children spent each day, it’s no wonder that the children experienced multiple flea bites and more. Bugs and roaches crawled the home as the children and their caretaker slept amidst the feces and debris.

The children were not the only ones abused. Animal control officers reported widespread infestation of the dogs and cats with fleas and ticks in addition to other medical issues.

The final total of animals at the home came to the following: eleven cats, ten goats, one pig, twenty-five chickens, twenty-six ducks, seven donkeys, twenty-one guinea pigs, forty-three rabbits, two kangaroo rats, 170 goldfish and koi and fifty-three dogs.

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