Unless you live inside an air-conditioned bubble, you’re likely to find yourself scratching your skin at some point throughout the year as you come into contact with different varieties of biting insects. Both indoors and outdoors, and especially during the summer, you might have run-ins with fleas, mosquitoes, horse flies, black flies, or even—shudder—bed bugs. Bed bugs can be very difficult to get rid of, so finding suspicious, itchy welts on your skin can cause momentary panic as you try to figure out the culprit. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to tell the difference between bed bug bites and mosquito bites or the bites of other insects, as long as you know what to look for. Read on to learn about various insect bites and the signs and symptoms indicating which pesky pest has taken a chomp out of you.

Mosquito Bites Vs. Flea Bites

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Key Takeaways

• Florida is home to several cockroach species capable of flight, including American, smoky brown, Cuban, and Asian cockroaches
• American cockroaches (palmetto bugs) are the largest, growing up to two inches — they can fly but usually glide rather than take sustained flight
• Smokybrown cockroaches are actually stronger fliers than American roaches and are strongly attracted to light, which is how many end up inside homes
• Flying cockroaches don’t bite or sting, but they do spread bacteria and trigger allergies — so a sighting warrants action, not just a scream
• Sealing entry points, fixing moisture issues, and replacing white outdoor lights with yellow bulbs can reduce infestations significantly
• If flying roaches are showing up regularly, professional treatment is the fastest way … Read Full Post »