What makes flea bites so itchy

This makes the bites swell up after a few minutes and form an itchy blister or hives urticaria that lasts for several days or weeks. Papular urticaria is normally harmless and self-limiting, which means that it will go away on its own.

If you scratch your flea bites, they can become infected as scratching can irritate your skin and push harmful bacteria into any open sores. Infected bites may become painful, red and pus-filled, with signs of oozing or crusting around the original site of the bite. Infected bites should always be examined by a doctor, and you may need to take a course of antibiotics to help your body deal with the infection. Fleas in some parts of the world also carry diseases like typhus or bubonic plague.

Some fleas can also carry dangerous infections like bubonic plague or typhus. Typhus is a serious bacterial infection with symptoms of:. Plague is also a serious bacterial infection. It has many different forms, but bubonic plague is the most common. This causes symptoms of fever, chills, nausea and vomiting. It also infects your lymph nodes, causing characteristic swellings called buboes. You can treat a flea bite by washing the surrounding area with an antibacterial soap to prevent infection.

If your bite swells up, try applying an ice pack to the affected area, or talk to a pharmacist or doctor about using an antihistamine to relieve your symptoms. You should see a doctor if your symptoms get worse, or you see any pus leaking from your bites.

This could be a sign that your bite has become infected and you may need antibiotics to get rid of it. Read more about the best treatment for insect bites.

Fleas can live for several weeks or months in carpets, soft furnishings, animal bedding or soil. A bed bug bite will look more like that of a mosquito with a large, raised, irritated area. However, mosquito bites tend to be larger and do not appear in patterns.

Because of their habitat, the bed bug will produce intermittent bites. Both will itch, but bed bug bites can appear more inflamed.

Fleabites generally occur in small clusters on easily accessible skin. They can be anywhere on the body, but bites on feet and ankles are most common. Bed bug bites tend to appear in a straight pattern. Although they can also appear anywhere, they are most likely on the face, neck, and arms. Treatments for fleabites can range from simple home remedies to medications.

These include:. To avoid a secondary infection, it is important that people do not try to scratch fleabites. Treating the bites will help reduce the itching. In most cases, fleabites will resolve without treatment. As a result, it is important to understand how to resolve a flea infestation and implement flea prevention in the home. Pet owners should consult a vet to determine if their pet has any health problems caused by fleas. The vet can suggest a number of inexpensive and effective flea treatments.

After treating the pet, the infestation will need to be removed from the home. Fleas can be difficult to destroy, so people might want to consult a professional exterminator to learn more. If you are not sure whether your home has fleas, walk around your home wearing white socks. The presence tiny black bugs on the bottom of your socks probably indicates a flea infestation.

There are a number of ways to rid the home of fleas. Make sure both pets and the home environment receive cleansing treatment. Fleas can survive for more than days without a host. Flea bite treatment includes:. Be aware that many skin conditions have symptoms similar to those from flea bites, so your irritation may be due to an entirely different problem.

Many stores sell products to disinfect your home, but you may need the help of a professional to get rid of this biting problem. Online check-ins are a great way to let us know you are on your way. If you are concerned about a flea infestation , call a pest management professional. Bed bugs are travelers. Before moving into your mattress or settling down in your nightstand, they may have lived in a hotel, office, school or other place where people gather.

Because bed bugs can attach themselves to clothes, furniture, luggage and even your pets, they can also hitch a ride in your car, rental vehicle, taxi or rideshare. This gives them easy access to anything you transport with you and a free ride to everywhere you go, including your home. But there's a reason why this saying is so old and so well known: bed bugs have been around for a very long time. These pesky insects have recently seen a resurgence in population and now, it's more likely than ever that you or someone you know will eventually deal with some kind of bed bug infestation.

Suddenly, that phrase takes on a whole new significance! No one wants to share their bed with bugs, and this feeling especially applies to the aptly named bed bugs. Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that feed on our blood while we sleep. If you've spotted large, black ants in or near your house along with small piles of what looks like sawdust, there's a chance you may have wood ants. As their name might suggest, wood ants — also called carpenter ants — can cause structural damage to wooden parts of your home.

Bed bugs are tiny pests that love to hide in furniture and other common areas. In recent years, bed bugs have gone from living in obscurity to taking center stage in the United States.

But you don't just find them in your home — you can also encounter them while traveling. Learn how to check for bed bugs while traveling and what to do if you find them.