Thursday 1 July 2010

Why do insects keep taking chunks out of me?

I am getting seriously pissed off at whatever it is that keeps biting me. Why am I such a bug magnet?  I know that if there is a mosquito anywhere within two miles, it'll find me, but these are something else. What is making me so tasty?  Whatever it is, I need to work it out soon, before I start looking like I've got chicken pox.  (No, I don't have chicken pox for a third time.  I have clear memories of last time and these bites aren't it.)

And I don't even think it is all the same type of bug.  This is my arm, a week after I noticed the first bite appeared:



It wasn't itchy.  Then something else munched me around the elbow, and boy did THAT itch.  Then, on Tuesday evening as I parked up at my hotel, something took a bite out of my ankle.  Again, I didn't feel the bite.  I caught my ankle with my suitcase as I unloaded it and suddenly it was massively itchy and swollen.  Yesterday evening, it had a deep red ring around a white spot.  Today, not so much.


(Also, why is it when you wait for better light to take a photo bite marks go down?  It was furiously angry 8 hours ago.)

I haven't got a clue what bugs are doing the biting - I've reached the point of longing for the days when the enemy was just honest to goodness mosquitoes. 

- Pam

2 comments:

Mother of Chaos said...

Well, that's what you get for being so sweet. :)

Seriously, though, GAH. We once had these little critters that got into our carpet; my mom called them "sand fleas" and my dad called them "no-see-ems." We never did figure out what they actually were, but they surely did make my ankles and shins look like I had some form of virulent disease.

Hope you can figure out what is doing that to you. Itchy red sores are ZERO fun.

Unknown said...

Tea tree oil or lotion seems to take the swelling down and minimize the itching for me. Other than that, I don't know what's taking chunks out of you. Just know that you are more tasty than anyone else, and that's why they all want a bite of you!
Nancy FP