Itchy bite incidences increase with humid winter - help

[scubagirl01]

I know this topic has been on the boards in the past few years and there have been lots of people that suggest fleas, bed bugs, sand flies and even scabies, but I still feel like I don't have the answer for this particular situation.

1. Super itchy bites (not a rash) that take days to stop itching
2. Bites can be just a single one, or sometimes a cluster
3. Location is random, including upper torso (often at the bra line) and/or legs, back of knee or near armpit
4. I see a correlation with the winter and an increase in these bites
5. I sometimes feel like I get more bites after putting on different pieces of clothing
6. My husband never gets a single bite although we sleep in the same bed under the same conditions and he keeps his clothes in the same closet as me. He jokes that the bugs must be prejudice towards black people!
7. Every now and then I see just one bite on our daughter (I think almost always somewhere where her diaper covers). She sleeps in a different room in her crib.
8. We have no pets.
9. We don't travel.

Any ideas?


Also, someone once mentioned these tiny black bugs that run really fast and seem to aggregate near where the wall meets the ceiling or floor. We also have these bugs but I only notice them in winter with the high humidity. Does anyone know what they are and how to get rid of them without using chemicals?

[chi chi]

I think that bugs that bite love pretty girls.

I never get bitten by things and I am a gringo but my Peruvian gf often gets bitten.

But since I put a lot of garlic in our food, she gets bitten far less.

I think you should put more garlic in your food. I am not guaranteeing you good results but for my gf it Works. Hopefully it will work for you too. Garlic is healthy and avoid heart problems and blood problems.

[ardilla]

I know these bites well, they are flea bites (pulgas). Fleas for some reason bite right near tight fitting clothing, so if you are getting bites near your waistline, ankle, cuffs, etc. that would be the flea bite. Fleas are brown/black in color.

Some people who have lived in an environment with certain types of insects no longer produce the histamine reaction after they are bitten, or the insect is not finding their scent attractive in comparison to the newcomer. My Peruvian husband is constantly bitten by mosquitos in the US, and I am ravaged by zancudos, pulgas, pica picas, no matter where we go Peru. He gets bitten by none of these in Peru. Then again, you may have an allergy or special sensitivity to the flea bite.

Places where you can pick up fleas in Lima are public transport with cloth seats (including taxis), movie theaters, etc.

Your mattress, carpet and possibly clothing probably harbor these little guys. You'll want to treat the mattress and any cloth furniture regularly with an "anti acaro" spray or bomb or try these natural remedies:

http://hogar.uncomo.com/articulo/remedi ... 22222.html

http://remediosnaturales.about.com/od/S ... urales.htm

I have heard that using a solution of tea trea oil in water is also effective, the fleas hate the smell.

Unless you are using natural remedies, you should take your family out of the house when the treatment is being applied and afterwards. If it is really bad and no natural remedies seem to do the trick, you might consider bringing in professionals to do this the first time, to be on the safe side.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv ... ages/Fleas

[scubagirl01]

Thanks for the ideas. I don't think they are fleas as my husband actually has really bad reactions to their bites and he is symptom-free! I think it will be an unsolved mystery!

[caliguy]

i wouldn't rule out fleas as there are many stray dogs that carry fleas, and can easily jump to another host. i'm in the same boat as you. i get all the bites, and my wife nothing.

[chi chi]

i wouldn't rule out fleas as there are many stray dogs that carry fleas, and can easily jump to another host. i'm in the same boat as you. i get all the bites, and my wife nothing.

When taking the bus in Lima, I always avoid to sit on cloth seats. I sit on the plastic ones. Those cloth seat are dirty most of the time.

In the rare case I take a taxi, I pick out a newer car or preferably one that has leather seats.

Many people have low personal hygiene standards and also spread diseases.