Contents
In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.
Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.
They bite all day long and can make your vacation a bit more painful. A mosquito, a nap, a bittern (horse fly) can be really very annoying. How to protect yourself from them? Dr. Jarosław Pacoń from the Department of Parasitology at the University of Life Sciences in Wrocław talks about the habits of mosquitoes, flies and horse flies. The text is part of the Onet Holidays series.
- Although a mosquito looks harmless, its bite can be very painful
- Some species of mosquitoes can carry dangerous parasites
- According to researchers, in order to avoid problems, it is best to use agents that repel insects, i.e. repellants
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
When are mosquitoes, black flies and farts most active?
Mosquitoes start stinging as soon as it gets light, around 5 – 6 a.m. They attack until around 9, in cloudy weather they can be active all day. Farts, if the day is sunny, also look for a victim from the morning, as soon as it starts to get warm. In the evening, mosquitoes bite again. The midges do not like sunny days very much, but on cloudy days they can attack in swarms. Interestingly, fluff clouds can travel with the wind at a speed of 100 km.
Are female insects more dangerous than males?
– Only females bite. They need blood to lay eggs. It is often so in some species that the female can fertilize only when she is drunk with blood. Or, it takes blood only after fertilization, sometimes ovaries do not develop until after a meal. The life cycle of all is related to water. Mosquito larvae develop in the water – it can be a puddle, a pond, a barrel with rainwater – says the expert.
- Check if mosquitoes can transmit the coronavirus?
– The larvae also thrive in the water, but it must be running water. It can be swift mountain streams or lazy rivers. They feel good when the water is cool and clean. Depending on the species, bitterns need marshes, backwaters, lakes, although sometimes they only need moist soil by a puddle – says Dr. Jarosław Pacoń.
Mosquito, fluff, bittern – how do they attack?
– Mosquitoes are the most refined when it comes to collecting blood – says Dr. Pacoń. – They puncture the skin and put saliva there. This saliva prevents blood clotting, it is also allergenic and slightly inflammatory. Komarzyca sucks this non-clotting blood.
On the other hand, fluff and bitterns collect blood very aggressively. – The toppings sit on the victim and first cut the skin quite deeply with their mouth apparatus, then press the suction cup into the cut. They press in hard, their eyes are so close to the skin that they cannot see what is going on around. Hence, another name for them “blinds”. They are so busy drinking blood that when such a horse fly lands on a human, when it is hit, it will stick to the skin with the suction cup, even though it will no longer be alive – says the scientist. – Because when the farts draw blood and nothing bothers them, they drink it so much that they are full of blood. They drink, and on the other hand they shed blood. They are so voracious – he adds.
Fluff bites even differently. They also cut the skin. – But their mouth apparatus has thorns and when the fluff enters the mouth apparatus into the skin, the thorns get caught there and cause the tissue to tear apart – says Dr. Pacoń.
To protect yourself from insect attacks, reach for the Tick, mosquito and fluff kit. Together with this set, you will receive a disinfectant spray for free.
After the bite, the fluff may have inflammation that looks like a pustule with a scab on top, sometimes there are scars. As soon as possible, it is worth using the Mini-Click, which soothes the symptoms of insect bites, thanks to which you will avoid the urge to scratch and the place of the bite will heal faster.
Mosquito-borne diseases
After a mosquito bite, we basically only have a slight itchy swelling, smaller or larger, depending on how sensitive we are. – Mosquitoes in Poland were sterile for some time, but for several years they can transmit parasites – says Dr. Jarosław Pacoń.
And he adds that in Poland until 1963 there was malaria transmitted by some species of mosquitoes. – Especially in Żuławy Wiślane and on the Vistula Spit. But they did it, and in 1968 Poland was declared a malaria-free country by the World Health Organization. Now malaria is sometimes brought in by tourists, but this is not our native malaria – he says.
Our mosquitoes, however, can carry the nematode Dirofilaria repens, which develops in the skin. – This is a species that has been present in Poland for several years. It was brought from Southern and Western Europe, from the Mediterranean basin, most often by dogs brought from there or taken there for holidays, because it was originally a dog parasite – explains Dr. Pacoń.
The mosquito attacks the dog, draws blood, but releases the nematode larvae with its saliva. These larvae circulate in the animal’s blood, mature, fertilize, and the female nematodes locate under the skin.
– Female Dirofilaria repens can be up to 15 – 17 cm long. Six – seven years ago, there were the first reports that they were detected in humans in Poland. The location of the nematode can be different. It can be, for example, a small bubble, like after a mosquito bite, with a pimple at the top, it can be inflammation of various shapes, slightly itchy, burning, lasting for a long time. Antiallergic and anti-inflammatory drugs are weak. Sometimes a long, coiled thread (female) is visible in the skin or mucosa (e.g. in the mouth). The only treatment method is surgical removal of the nematode – explains Dr. Pacoń.
The female in the tissue will give birth to the larvae into the bloodstream, and the mosquitoes that attack us will take these larvae with blood and transfer them to the next person, to the next hosts, including dogs.
– Interestingly, these larvae appear in the evenings around 18 – 21 and in the morning, more or less at 6 – 9 – when mosquitoes are feeding – says the scientist. – In Wrocław, I pulled something like that out of a dog several times. It looks a bit like thin soy noodles or a thicker fishing line. And this is what mosquitoes can infect us with – he adds.
A bite by a fluff or a fart – symptoms
The fluff has very toxic saliva that causes it to swell. They can attack with a larger pack, and that is dangerous. – That is why you should not leave a small child in a stroller without a mosquito net or a regular diaper covering the stroller, so that the naps do not have access – says Dr. Pacoń. – In turn, in an adult, the bite by the fluff itches, the person begins to scratch. For example, dirty hands can lead to bacterial infections – he adds.
- Flies – insect bite and allergy. Poisoning the body after a nap bite
Dr Jarosław Pacoń: – Meszki have substances in their saliva that prevent blood clotting and have a hemolytic effect in some way, i.e. by breaking down the blood, toxins can also affect the nervous system. Yesterday we were pricked by our nap, today we are itchy a bit, and tomorrow we can feel very bad. Because there is a rapid breakdown of blood cells, a decrease in hemoglobin, such a sudden anemia. Additionally, you may experience severe headache and flu-like symptoms. This does not happen often, but it does occur when a person is bitten very badly by the fluff. That is why you have to be careful when, for example, you fall asleep outside.
Even a small open wound after a nap bite, especially when scratched, can lead to serious inflammation. The infection may be accompanied by a fever and you will need to see your doctor. Therefore, it is worth washing the places bitten by fluff with a disinfectant and then rubbing it with a soothing agent.
The bite of a horse fly itches, and this itch is much stronger than the bite of other insects. There is erythema, which should not be scratched so as not to increase the inflammation of the bite site. This inflammation may last for several days. Erythema can be ice packaged to reduce the itching sensation. You can apply chamomile compresses, lubricate with anti-inflammatory ointments. After a bite, remember to take lime, it will inhibit allergic symptoms.
For insect bites, you can buy Maroon Chrysanthemum herb, which you can buy at Medonet Market.
When itching symptoms persist for a long time or the erythema increases in size, please consult your doctor.
Komarzyca – how to protect yourself from being bitten?
Dr Jarosław Pacoń advises: – When we are attacked by a mosquito, it is the female – a mosquito. It pierces our skin, begins to emit pheromones that are recalled by other mosquitoes. So you have to kill such a mosquito quickly or drive it away, because there will be more of them soon. Mosquitoes react primarily to the smell of sweat. And it is true that some people have sweat that smells more temptingly. A group of people can go, and 2-3 people in the group will not be attacked by mosquitoes because they have a different smell of sweat. There have been reports that mosquitoes prefer pregnant women.
Do you want to protect yourself from mosquitoes? Find out which mosquito remedies work best for you.
- The editorial board recommends: Six things that work like a magnet against mosquitoes
Komarzyca is so aggressive that it can sting through clothing, even pierce through jeans. Neither fluff nor farts can do it.
Dr. Pacoń advises to use insect repellent, i.e. repellants. They are available in the form of liquids, creams or sprays. They keep away not only flies and mosquitoes, but also ticks.
– It’s important that they contain DEET, a chemical that masks our smell. Preparations used in Poland have up to a dozen or so percent of DEET, while tropical preparations sometimes have up to 30 percent. this measure – he explains. It should be remembered that only some preparations are intended for children, so you should read the leaflets carefully.
- Check how insect repellants work?
– I completely do not believe in all kinds of natural resources – says Dr. Jarosław Pacoń. – They can work for several minutes, maybe an hour. Unfortunately, the concentration of their oils is low.
The scientist also does not recommend electricity devices, tanks with insect repellent substances that emit fumes. “We’re surrounded by various chemicals in the air anyway, so why not add more,” he says.
The simplest protection is a mesh in the window and it is often enough.
– And if we already use such a device, it is best to turn it on at bedtime, let it drive away mosquitoes. Then you need to ventilate the room and then go to sleep – he advises.
Dr. Jarosław Pacoń: – There are also preparations that attract mosquitoes, they are sprinkled with, for example, a handkerchief, they are often used in campsites. Such a sprayed handkerchief is put somewhere on the side and mosquitoes fly towards the handkerchief instead of towards us. You just have to read the labels carefully, so as not to get confused and not to splash yourself with this preparation attracting mosquitoes. Because instead of scaring away mosquitoes, we will attract them.
Also read:
- Lyme disease – questions to which it is good to know the answer
- Mosquito and tick repellants can endanger your health