Insect Bites Q & A

What are insect bites?

Insect bites are tiny skin lesions that bugs leave on your skin when they bite or sting you. Of the near-endless possible types of insect bites, most are generally harmless and cause no more than some itching or stinging. The types of insects you’ll encounter differ depending on the region that you’re in. In Massachusetts, some common insects that bite and sting are:

• Ticks
• Mosquitoes
• Flies
• Chiggers
• Bedbugs
• Scabies
• Lice
• Bees

Bug bites are much more common in the summer than in other seasons. However, don’t be too surprised if you find bumps, itching, or swelling from a bug bite during any season of the year.

When does an insect bite need treatment?

Even insect bites that don’t cause anaphylactic shock sometimes require medical care, too. For instance, tick bites can be more severe than they seem at first because of the risk of getting Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), and other conditions that ticks carry. Symptoms of tick bites and other insect bites that indicate your need for medical attention include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle aches
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Skin rash

Even if you don’t notice these symptoms but know that a tick bit you, you should make an appointment for an evaluation at Acton Urgent Care. The symptoms don’t always appear right away. For example, Lyme disease can take up to 30 days to show symptoms. 

How are insect bites treated?

Most insect bites are treatable with minimal home care like using an ice pack and cleaning the bite. At Acton Urgent Care, the team may give you antihistamines or topical creams to relieve the symptoms of an insect bite. If you have a severe reaction, they may give you an auto-injector of epinephrine after treating you to use the next time you get an insect bite. 

If a tick bites you, the team may give you a course of antibiotics to treat illnesses that come from ticks. They evaluate you for early signs and symptoms of an infection and prescribe antibiotics accordingly.

If you have an insect bite with severe symptoms, or if you’re concerned about an insect bite because of the type of insect that bit you, call Acton Urgent Care or book an appointment online today.