Bites and Stings The bites of mosquitoes, chiggers, and no-seeums are irritating but not usually dangerous. More troublesome are ticks, some spiders, and some ants. To avoid getting bitten by ticks, wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt whenever you are in tick-infested woodlands and fields. Button your collar and tuck your pant cuffs into your boots or socks. Inspect yourself daily, especially the hairy parts of yo ur body, and immediately remove any ticks you find. Ticks bury their heads beneath the skin of their victims. To remove a tick, with gloved hands, grasp it with tweezers close to the skin and gently pull until it comes loose. Don't squeeze, twist, or jerk the tick, as doing so could leave its mouthparts still buried in the skin. Wash the wound with soap and water and apply an antiseptic. Thoroughly wash your hands after handling a tick. Because some ticks carry diseases, you should seek medical care if you get sick or develop a rash after being bitten by a tick. The female black widow spider (which is responsible for bites) is glossy black with a red-orange hourglass When removing a tick, marking on the underside of its abdomen. do not burn the tick, These spiders like to dwell under prick it with a pin, or stones and logs, in long grass, cover it with petroleum brush piles, barns, garages, jelly or nail polish . Doing latrines, and other shadowy so may cause the tick to release more of the spots. Its bite can cause reddisease-carrying bacteria. ness and sharp pain, sweating, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain and cramps, and severe muscle pain and spasms. Breathing might become difficult. Black widow spider
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Brown recluse spider (enlarged)
The brown recluse is a medium-sized, yellowtan to dark brown spider with a violin-shaped mark on its back. These spiders often hide in little-used storage areas such as cellars and closets, and outdoors in protected areas under rocks and loose tree bark. A victim might not notice the bite at first, but within two to eight hours, there will be mild to severe pain with redness at the bite site. The area becomes swollen and tender, and a small blister usually forms, followed by an open sore. The victim might suffer fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, and a faint rash. Wash the bite site with soap and water, and apply a cold pack to the area. Seek medical attention immediately. The sting of a fire ant can be extremely painful. If disturbed, fire ants will swarm and attack cooperatively and aggressively, often grabbing hold of the victim 's skin and stinging repeatedly. Be careful not to break the tiny blisters that form from the stings. Wash the injured area well, using antiseptic or soap and water. Cover with a sterile bandage and, for relief, try a paste made of baking soda and water, and take a mild nonaspirin pain reliever. The blistered area should heal within a week.
Fire ants live in loose mounds of dirt. If you see suc h a structure, do not disturb it.
Some people may be highly allergic to fire ant bites, which can cause the life-threatening reaction called anaphylactic shock (anaphylaxis). For more information, see "Life-Threatening Emergencies:•
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