Summer is often a time to relax and enjoy nature… but time outside can also leave you with itchy, red bumps on your skin from mosquito bites.
While you may already know these bugs bite us because the females need blood to reproduce, it’s only natural to wonder why the bites are so itchy and painful.
What Makes Mosquito Bites Itch
What Makes Mosquito Bites Itch
Female Mosquitoes insert their long, needle-like proboscis into their hosts’ skin to draw out blood. The proboscis and bite do not cause pain or discomfort—instead, our reactions to mosquito bites come from chemicals in the mosquito’s saliva that get left behind.
Mosquito saliva contains many different chemicals. These allow the mosquito to feed on the blood it needs and leave us with an irritating reaction after the fact. A mosquito’s bite may include:
- Chemicals that keep blood from clotting so it flows freely for feeding and doesn’t get stuck by the mosquito’s proboscis
- Chemicals that cause hosts’ blood vessels to expand to increase blood flow
- Chemicals that temporarily prevent an immune response
- Chemicals that temporarily prevent inflammation
- Microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and others that can cause disease
Mosquito saliva temporarily prevents inflammation and immune responses to give the mosquito easy access to your blood. However, once the mosquito removes its proboscis from your skin, your immune system will react, causing those itchy bites.
Mosquitoes and Histamine Reactions
Mosquitoes and Histamine Reactions
If you have allergies, you’ve probably heard the word “antihistamine.” Allergy medicines tone down a common physical reaction to “intruders” in your body—a histamine reaction.
Histamine is a chemical made by your body that sends signals to other parts of your body. When something unfamiliar comes into your system—like pollen, animal hair, or chemicals from mosquito saliva—histamine becomes active.
Histamine signals the body to do many different things in the name of preventing harm from chemicals that are “invading” your systems.
- Histamine makes your blood vessels easier to pass through so white blood cells—the body’s defense cells—can attack the “invaders.”
- Histamine wakes up your brain. (This is why antihistamine medicines like Benadryl can make you feel sleepy.)
- Histamine increases blood flow to the body parts that are affected by the “intruder,” which can cause swelling.
- Histamine can cause nerves to itch—an impulse that can help you scratch off the intruder.
Histamines are supposed to help your body fend off intruders—like mosquito saliva and the chemicals it includes. However, sometimes that reaction can cause a lot of discomfort and can even be life-threatening.
Allergies: Histamine Gone Rogue
Mosquito Bites
We call histamine reactions, worse than the intruders themselves, allergies. Sometimes our bodies go overboard to defend us.
In the case of mosquito bites, you’ll usually see a red, swollen bump from inflammation. It will itch because your body wants you to scratch that spot and get rid of the offending intruder.
Some people have very large histamine reactions to mosquito bites. While most people experience a red bump and some itching, some people’s bodies react in a more intense way, causing significant discomfort. This reaction is called Skeeter Syndrome.
Skeeter Syndrome
When your reaction to mosquito bites goes beyond the typical small, itchy, red bumps, you might have Skeeter Syndrome. Symptoms include:
- Large, swollen red areas (larger than a typical bite)
- Skin that is hot to the touch
- Intense itching and pain
- Blisters
- Fever
You can use antihistamine medications like Benadryl to decrease your body’s histamine reaction. Steroid creams like hydrocortisone can also decrease histamine symptoms because they decrease immune and inflammation responses.
If you have pain or a fever, you might want to take Tylenol or ibuprofen (and as a bonus, ibuprofen also decreases swelling). If your reaction is really strong, a doctor may prescribe you a steroid pill to decrease inflammation throughout your entire body.
Other Issues
Sometimes, mosquito bites can cause more serious issues. People with extremely high histamine reactions can experience anaphylaxis—when they are unable to breathe because the blood vessels in their lungs are swollen and their blood pressure drops.
Anaphylaxis is rare from mosquito bites, but if it does occur, it’s a medical emergency.
Mosquitoes can also carry diseases in their saliva that are passed on to the people and animals they bite. Common diseases of concern include West Nile virus, malaria, and Zika. For animals, heartworm infection is an important risk to pets.
What’s the Answer?
Bug spray is a temporary way to keep mosquitoes away from you and your pets.
So what is the best way to reduce exposure to yourself, your loved ones, and your pets from the inconvenience of itchy bites, as well as more serious risks?
- Get rid of standing water. Mosquitoes are attracted to water because they lay their eggs there, and even a small amount can cause a problem.
- Stay inside during peak mosquito times. Mosquitoes are most active from evening until morning when the air is cooler. Staying inside during these times can prevent bites.
- Use bug spray. Bug spray is a temporary way to keep mosquitoes away from you and your pets.
- Have your yard regularly treated for mosquitoes. Prevention is a long-term, effective solution. Getting your home treated for mosquitoes will allow you to enjoy your time outdoors and stay itch-free.
Let Mosquito Shield Help!
Mosquito Shield Professional
Getting your home and yard treated is a comprehensive way to stay itch-free. Mosquito Shield uses a multi-faceted approach to get rid of mosquitoes and prevent them from coming back. To learn more about how we can help, contact us at 1-800-908-7076 or get a free quote.
