Welcome to My World – Bugs You Shouldn’t Mess With

Dangerous Bugs You Don’t Want to Mess With

Out of all the insects and other creepy crawlers in North America, we’re lucky that only a handful are dangerous enough to worry about. But the ones to watch out for definitely deserve your attention. Knowing which bugs to avoid will help keep you and your loved ones safe.

1. Black Widow Spiders

Black widows have a shiny, black body and a red, hourglass-shaped mark

on their abdomens. They live alone and avoid people, often building webs in hidden corners away from well-traveled areas. These spiders are naturally non-aggressive and will only bite in self-defense.

Their venom is reportedly 15 times more potent than a rattlesnake’s. A black widow bite can cause muscle aches, nausea and difficulty breathing. Death from a bite is rare, although small children and the elderly are at higher risk.

2. Brown Recluse Spiders

You can recognize these spiders by a violin-shaped mark on their upper

body and light brown legs. Their venom is toxic to cells and tissues, so the danger of an infection following a bite is more serious than with a black widow. Children have the highest risk of death following a bite.

A brown recluse bite is often painless. Sharp pain at the bite site usually starts a few hours afterwards. You may feel nausea, fever, chills and itching. In more serious cases, an ulcer may develop, which can become gangrenous. Seek medical attention right away if you think you’ve been bitten.

3. Sac Spiders

These spiders likely cause the most spider bites compared to all other

spiders. Several types of sac spiders are native to North America. They come in different colors, typically with a large, round abdomen and thin legs. You can find them both indoors and outdoors.

Their venom is not fatal to humans, although a bite can be quite painful. You’ll usually develop redness, swelling and itching near the site, which will heal within a week or two. It’s possible to develop ulcers and a secondary infection from a sac spider bite, but fairly uncommon. Their bites can be misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites by health care practitioners.

4. Tarantulas

Despite their formidable appearance, tarantulas are not actually poisonous

to humans. Their venom typically only causes redness and swelling at the site, similar to a bee sting.

Although, some people are allergic to tarantula venom. If you’re bitten by a wild or a pet tarantula and you begin to experience possible allergic symptoms like puffy eyelids, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate or skin rash, get medical help immediately.

5. Mosquitoes

Globally, over one million people die from mosquito-borne diseases each

year. In North America, mosquitoes can spread different types of encephalitis and West Nile Virus. They can also transmit heart worms to domestic animals like cats and dogs.

Only female mosquitoes will suck blood. Interestingly, they don’t use it for their own nourishment. It’s actually a source of protein for their eggs. Both male and female mosquitoes eat nectar and other plant sugars.

6. Scorpions

A few species of scorpions are found in North America. They primarily live

in desert regions. Most scorpions are not poisonous, although they can be dangerous for children under 6 years old.

Arizona bark scorpions are the most venomous species. They live across the southwest United States, the Baja Peninsula and western Mexico. Their stings are excruciatingly painful and the venom can cause numbness, tingling and vomiting for up to 3 days. In Mexico, over 100,000 people are stung by this scorpion each year. Luckily, a sting is rarely fatal.

7. Fire Ants

Fire ant is the common name for several closely related species of ants.

They all share distinct copper brown heads and darker abdomens. These ants are especially dangerous because they tend to swarm and attack as a group when their nest is threatened.

They bite and spray formic acid, which can be extremely painful. In more serious cases, a bite can form a pustule that becomes infected. A bite can be fatal to anyone with an allergy to fire ants. If you experience difficulty breathing, chest pain, sweating or slurred speech after being bitten, seek medical help immediately.  **I truly hate these little guys as they are overly prevalent in southeast Texas, and they are truly annoying. **

. Deer Ticks

Also known as the black-legged tick, deer ticks are responsible for

transmitting Lyme disease to humans. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium present in small mammals, particularly the white-footed mouse. Ticks pick up the bacteria when they feed on these animals and can transfer it to a human if they bite you.

Lyme disease starts with a red rash in a distinct ring around the bite. Early symptoms can be non-specific, such as a headache, swollen lymph nodes or a fever. If Lyme disease is not caught and treated early, it can progress to include muscle pain and weakness, heart irregularities, loss of concentration or memory, and development of what’s known as Lyme’s arthritis. These symptoms can go on for years.

9. Fleas

Fleas have transmitted numerous diseases between animals and humans

throughout history, such as the bubonic plague. Although not as significant today, people still occasionally contract the plague from fleas, which have primarily picked it up from feeding on rats.

You can also contract cat scratch disease from fleas. This can cause serious headache, fever and fatigue in humans. In addition, your dogs and cats could be at risk of contracting tape worms, flea allergy dermatitis or haemobartonellosis, which is a disease of red blood cells.

10. Africanized Honey Bees

Africanized honey bees are a cross between European and African honey

bee species. In 1957, this hybrid bee was being tested in Brazil to increase honey production and some swarms were accidentally released into the wild. They have since spread throughout much of South, Central and North America.

They look very similar to European honey bees. The difference is in their behavior. Africanized honey bees are extremely defensive of their hives, and will seemingly attack anyone who gets too close. Their venom is not stronger than a regular bee, but they have the common name “killer bees” because the sheer number of stings you can receive in an attack can be fatal.

11. Wasps

Most wasp species are fairly docile. There are only a few species that are

more aggressive and will attack and sting humans, such as hornets, paper wasps and yellow jackets. Yellow jackets can even mark their aggressors and pursue them when provoked. Wasps also have the ability to sting repeatedly, unlike bees who only have one stinger.

Wasp stings can be very painful and leave a temporary welt, but they typically don’t have any serious side effects unless you have an allergy.

12. Centipedes and Millipedes

Centipedes and millipedes both have a pair of venomous claws, known as

forcipules, capable of biting a human. Their venom is not poisonous, but a bite can cause severe swelling, chills, fever and weakness. People with allergies to other insect venoms, such as bees, are also at risk of a centipede or millipede allergy.

 

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Well, I’ll be itching the rest of the day, but I thought these was good information to get out there so you can see what to avoid, especially in the summer…

Have a great day!