Biting and Stinging Insects

April 1, 2008 · Print This Article

Bug	Description	Habitat	Problem
Chigger	Oval with red velvety covering. Sometimes almost colorless. Larva has six legs. Harmless adult has eight and resembles a small spider. Very tiny-about 1/20 inch long.	Found in low damp places covered with vegetation: shaded woods, high grass or weeds, fruit orchards. Also lawns and golf courses. From Canada to Argentina.	Attaches itself to the skin by inserting mouth-parts into a hair follicle Injects a digestive fluid that causes cells to disintegrate. Then feeds on cell parts. It does not suck blood.
Bed Bug	Flat oval body with short broad head and six legs. Adult is reddish brown. Young are yellowish white. Unpleasant pungent odor. From 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length.	Hides in crevices, mattresses, under loose-wallpaper during clay. At night travels considerable distance to find victims. Widely distributed throughout the world.	Punctures the skin with piercing organs and sucks blood. Local inflammation and welts result from anticoagulant enzyme that the bug secretes from salivary glands while feeding.
Brown Recluse Spider	Oval-body with eight legs. Light yellow to medium dark brown. Has distinctive mark shaped like a fiddle on its back. Body from 3/8 to 1/2 inch long, 1/4 inch wide, 3/4 inch from toe to-toe	Prefers dark places where it’s seldom disturbed. Outdoors, old trash piles, debris and rough ground. In-doors attics, storerooms closets. Found in Southern Midwestern US	Bites producing an almost painless sting that may not be notices at first. Shy, it bites only when annoyed or surprised. Left along, it won’t bite. Victim rarely sees the spider.
Black Widow Spider	Color varies from dark brown to glossy black. Densely covered with short microscope hairs. Red or yellow hourglass marking on-the underside of the females abdomen. Male does not have this and is not poisonous. Overall length with legs extended is 1 1/2 inch. Body is 1/4 inch wide.	Found with eggs and web. Outside: in vacant rodent holes, under stones, logs, in long grass, hollow stumps & bush piles. Inside in dark corners of barns, garages, piles of stone wood. Most bites occur in outhouses. Found in Southern Canada through US, except Alaska.	Bites causing local redness. Two tiny spots may appear. Pain follows almost immediately. Larger muscles become rigid. Body temperature rises slightly. Profuse perspiration and tendency toward nausea follow. It’s usually difficult to breathe or talk. May cause constipation, urine retention.
Scorpion	Crablike appearance with claw like pincers. Fleshy post abdomen or “tail” has 5 segments, ending in a bulbous sac and stinger. Two poisonous types; solid straw yellow with irregular black stripes on back. From 2 1/2 to 4 inches.	Spends days under loose stones, bark, boards, floors of outhouses.. Burrows in the sand. Roams freely at night. Crawls under doors into homes. Lethal types are found in the warm desert like. climate of Arizona adjacent areas.	Stings by thrusting its tail forward over its head. Swelling or discoloration of the area indicates a non-dangerous, though painful, sting. A dangerously toxic sting doesn’t change the appearance of the area, which does become hypersensitive.
Bee	Winged body with yellow black stripes. Covered with branched or feathery hairs. Stakes a buzzing sound. Different ’species very from 1/2 to I inch in length.	Lives .in aerial or under ground or hives. Widely distributed throughout the world wherever there are Flowering plants- from the polar regions to the equator	Stings with a tail when annoyed.- Burning and itching with localized swelling occurring. Usually leaves venom sac in victim. It takes between 2 and 3 minutes to inject all the venom.
Mosquito	Small dark fragile body with transparent wings and elongated mouth parts. .From 1/8- to 1/4 inch ‘long.	Found in temperate climates throughout the world where there is water necessary for breeding is available.	Bites and sucks blood. Itching and localized swelling result. Bite may turn red. Only the female is equipped to bite.
Tarantula	Large dark, “spider” with a furry covering.’ From 6 to 7 inches in toe-to-toe diameter.	Found in South western US and the tropics. Only the varieties found in the tropics are poisonous.	Bites produce a pin-prick sensation with negligible effect. It will not bite unless teased.
Tick	Oval with small head., the body is not divided into definite-segments. Gray or brown. Measures from 1/4:inch-to 3/4 !inch when mature.	Found, in all US areas and in parts of Southern Canada, on low shrubs, grass and trees. Carried around by both wild and ‘domestic animals.	Attaches itself to the skin and sucks blood. After removal there is danger of infection, especially if the mouth- parts are left-in the wound.