Have a mysterious bite on you and you’re wondering what caused it? Well, it turns out that it’s not as straight forward as you might hope to identify what bit you. When it comes to bites, everyone’s body reacts differently. A mosquito bite may cause little to no reaction in one person, and a major reaction in the next. It all depends on your immune response to the bite.

With that being said, here are some general guide lines for identifying what has bitten you:

• Bedbugs typically leave a small bite mark on the skin that is red and itchy and can cause a serious allergic reaction. It is not uncommon for these bites to appear in a line formation on your skin. They may be inflamed and itchy for several days.
• Bee stings cause a red skin bump with white around it. A bee sting will have a persistant stinging sensation rather than an itch. You may often see part of the stinger still embedded at the center of the bump.
• Flea bites leave an itchy welt on the skin, often on the ankles, shins and legs.
• Mosquitoes leave a raised, itchy pink skin bump or in rare cases a severe allergic reaction.
• Spider bites cause minor symptoms like red skin, swelling, and pain at the site or very serious symptoms that need emergency care.
• Ticks bites can range from hardly noticeable to leaving a rash that looks like an expanding bull’s-eye. If you see this bull’s-eye rash seek medical attention promptly as it may indicate lyme disease.
• Chiggers will leave small itchy red welts on your skin that will feel hard.
• Scabies will burrow into your skin causing an intense burning/itching sension and if you look closely you may see small tunnels caused by their burrowing.
• Kissing Bugs typically do not cause a reaction when they bite. However in some people it may cause mild itching and redness in a small, tight cluster.

Again, when it comes to identifying bug bites by analyzing the reaction on your skin you may find it’s an imperfect science. For that reason, if you are dealing with persistant bug bites in your home I highly recommend setting up sticky traps. Only then can you be sure of what is biting you.