bug bites

What are these bugs that seem to love to bite me?. I never see them and the bites are mostly on my arms and legs. Sometimes the bite ends up as a small red dot, other times a big red welt appears. Usually a day or so after I get bitten the area becomes very itchy. The bite takes about a week or 10 days to completely disappear. I used to think I was getting bitten at the beach, but this proved wrong as I was bitten on days I didn't go. It can't be mosquitoes. I sure I would see them. I tried using Deet spray I bought at one of the pharmacies, but to no avail. Any suggestions on how to stop this annoyance?

One good way to protect yourself against insect bites is to wear clothing. Long trousers with socks - not shorts and sandals; a long sleeve shirt - not a TShirt.

They could be bed bugs. You can get a DDT powder to treat your mattress in most pharmacies.

It could be spiders or sand flies. Spray your room thoroughly with Baygon especially round the door and window frames and seal the room for a couple of hours.

If you are overweight it could be the result of a heat rash, if you are not used to the climate.

I have the same problem.

I have been assured by a variety of pharmacists over the years that they are mosquito bites and that unfortunately I have a bad reaction to these.

I wish I got the little red dots described by the OP! I envy my friends who get these minor irritations.

Instead I get large circular areas of itchy redness - up to and over 1" in diameter. The centre of the circle develops into a fluid filled blister which causes significant pain - especially on walking.

I have tried EVERTHING up to and including 100% DEET and filling the bedroom with those plug-in anti-mosquito "tablets".

As for wearing long trousers etc - and let me assure you that the little bastards seemto be able to either fly up or bite through clothing.

Some of the worst epidodes have not even been at the beach at all but walking through Sunee in the evening - so it ain't bed bugs.

The reaction does reduce somewhat over the years, but if anybody has some preventative ideas or treatments which do not fall into the category of "the bloody obvious", please share them.


:dontknow: :dontknow:

And it only happens in Thailand?

I've been suffering from the same mosquito / bug problem that you mentioned already. I'm thinking that it probably has to do with more rain than usual through high season....more nesting grounds for them. The bites I was getting would really swell up and get incredibly itchy. Sometimes the bite would weep for days and then another inspect get at it (flies / beach fleas) and it would get infected. I started using a Betameth cream to reduce the reaction from the bites and an antiseptic cream if it got any worse. I'm getting bitten most on the ankles, elbows and the knees and think I've got my worst bites this year at dinner....so beware what's under the table cloth!

I've heard that warmer than usual body temperature and high blood pressure attract mosquitoes. Moisturizers and body creams clog the skin and reduce its effectiveness to help keep you cool. Body powder, as the Thais do is much better skin care in the tropics. Avoid synthetic materials in your clothes and wear cotton as much as possible....nothing tight fitting. Stay hydrated, drink plenty of water. If we can avoid over heating throughout the day, we probably won't give off whatever scent it is that attracts mosquitoes to us......that's my 2 cents.

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Originally Posted by thonglor55

And it only happens in Thailand?

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Nope - to a lesser degree it happened in the Everglades in USA and once in a zoo in Central Europe (I was visiting - not in captivity) :occasion9: but by far the worst attacks happen in Thailand in general and Pattaya in particular.

I sympathise with your problem Scottish-guy. I had one really nasty mosquito bite once and had to go to a hospital for anti-histamine and antibiotic tablets after my knee swelled up and turned a nasty black and blue colour.

I now use Boots Repel insect repellant (at least 50% Deet as recommended by my GP). I also carry an insect bite cream (I use Boots Triamcinolone Cream) with me so that I can apply the cream as soon as I detect a bite тАУ nip it in the bud to prevent it developing into something worse.

Maybe think about changing your soap. IтАЩve tried using WrightтАЩs Traditional Soap (with coal tar fragrance). Other people have recommended taking garlic tablets or drinking tonic water, which it is said the mosquitoes donтАЩt like.

I also use Snake Brand Prickly Heat Powder after I saw my then Thai boyfriend using it. And all my тАЬThai guestsтАЭ make full use of it when using my bathroom. Hope this is of some help.

Useful info Jellybean.

Thanks.

:notworthy:

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Originally Posted by scottish-guy

but if anybody has some preventative ideas or treatments which do not fall into the category of "the bloody obvious", please share them.

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At the risk of stating "the bloody obvious" ... the worst thing you can do with any insect bite is scratch it. This breaks the skin and allows in bacteria that cause infection.

For temporary relief of the irritation I have found that the following remedies are quite useful until I can get some anti-itching cream on the bites:
Press moderately hard on the bite area with your finger for about 5 seconds; release the pressure and press again when the itch returns.
Or ...Moderate heat from a tea cup (or similar) applied to the area for a few seconds.
Similarly ... hold a lighted cigarette close to the bite so that you can feel the heat ... but don't burn yourself!
Or ... Tiger balm or white flower oil - many Thais carry this everywhere.
Or ... A piece of lemon rubbed gently on the area.

Bangkok and Pattaya are both overrun with pharmacies so get some antiseptic anti-itching cream on it quickly.

I offer a word of caution. The bugs may be worse than stated above. A week after I returned from Thailand, I developed the exact same symptoms described above. I used Gold Bond Medicates body cream and it reduced the itching and the spots and blotches seemed to become less. But soon the cream had little effect. I went to the doctor and he gave me two perscribed creams that help again for a short time. Then the doc sent me to a skin specialist who did a biopsy on one of the larger welts and the results....SCABIES.

A little gift from one of the boys I suspect.

I was perscribed a cream, Kwellada-P, and was told to cover my entire body from chin to the sole of my feet with the cream then leave it on for 12 hours then shower. I had to wash and dry my clothes and bedding with as much heat as possible. Bedding everyday for 4 - 5 days.

That treatment worked immediately although there is some itching still as expected but the spots are disapearing.

The treatment is easy so next time spots appear, I won't be so embarrassed to tell the doc I've been "bad" in Thailand.

Friend of mine picked up scabies last year from a guy that he picked up in Dj... Like Doug it was an awful thing for him to get rid of...

For Mozzie bites i find that "Soov Gel" is the best solution... pity in only seems to be available in Oz or NZ and i usually stock up when i visit sydney:

http://www.pharmacydirect.com.au/produc ... pid=000575

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Pain and itch relief gel with antiseptic for stings and insect bites. For fast acting, temporary relief from pain and itching due to insect bites (sandflies, mosquitoes, fleas, etc.) and stinging plants (e.g. nettles). Soov bite contains lignocaine hydrochloride to anaesthetise the skin and stop the urge to scratch. It also contains an antiseptic to help prevent infection

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Originally Posted by come and go

What are these bugs that seem to love to bite me?. I never see them and the bites are mostly on my arms and legs. Sometimes the bite ends up as a small red dot, other times a big red welt appears. Usually a day or so after I get bitten the area becomes very itchy. The bite takes about a week or 10 days to completely disappear. I used to think I was getting bitten at the beach, but this proved wrong as I was bitten on days I didn't go. It can't be mosquitoes. I sure I would see them. I tried using Deet spray I bought at one of the pharmacies, but to no avail. Any suggestions on how to stop this annoyance?

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From personal experience and and your description, it sounds like bed bugs. Once place I stayed at in Jomtien had them - their solution, take antibiotics.
I managed to catch two as proof. I was bitten mostly on the arms, around the hands and feet, some on the arms and legs and a few on my body.

If the bites are exclusively below the knees and on the feet, it could be ticks. I encountered these in a condo we rented in Hawaii.

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Originally Posted by Doug

Then the doc sent me to a skin specialist who did a biopsy on one of the larger welts and the results....SCABIES.

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I spend the night with this guy I met at the DJ. Upon returning to the hotel and stripping down, it wasn't hard to notice that he had bright red blotches all over his body, that were dry and scaly. Thankfully I noticed it in time - his diagnose, 'Allergies'!

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Originally Posted by soi_toi

it sounds like bed bugs

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Agree. The "small red dot" sounds like bedbugs. In addition to sharing a bed with flesh-eating insects, there's also the problem of them getting into your luggage and everything else. Might want to leave your luggage in the shower. The only way to get rid of them is to burn the mattress, which of course your average hotel probably won't do. You might want to do a Google Image search for bed bugs to see if what you have looks similar. Here's link the search results:

http://www.google.com/images?&q=bed+bugs

It must be bed bugs. I suffered from those bites in Siem Reap last November. Only below the waist thankfully !
Nearly all of my fellow travellers had the same problem. I complained to the hotel without any success.
The hitching disappeared after one ot two days helped by a prescription cream I had with me. But the marks lasted
a good week.

I had bed bugs about 2 years ago in my home. I would wake up in the morning with little drops of blood on the sheets. I never had a single mark on my body that I could find. These bites I'm getting here are a bug for sure but aren't "bed bugs" as I know them. Sometimes it's a small red dot...other times it's a big welt which has a slightly off color centre. There's never any blood on the sheets...I checked. I got them while I was in BKK, I got them while I was Pattaya and then again when I went back to BKK. All three times I stayed in different rooms. I get them every year I come and I've seen them on other people too. Now that I've left Thailand that should be that for now...I hope.

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Originally Posted by come and go

Any suggestions on how to stop this annoyance?

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I also had that problem but I solved it by not staying at the Malaysia any more. That final visit they were worse than ever!

Now after three years at Pinnacle Lumpinee I do not understand why I put up with all the crap associated with staying at the Malaysia for so long.

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Originally Posted by come and go

I tried using Deet spray I bought at one of the pharmacies, but to no avail.

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Some insect repellents are weak because they contain low levels of DEET (the main active ingredient).

Try using an insect repellent with a high DEET content like Aeroguard "Tropical Strength".

Be aware, in large concentrations (i.e. spilling a whole bottle in your bag) DEET can slowly melt through plastic and fabric so don't use it heavily (i.e. saturating it) around expensive clothes and keep the lid secure. Just spray it on your skin...

Having said that, DEET isn't the healthiest of substances to absorb so I only ever use it if I'm in an area where there's a serious mosquito/malaria problem. But then, I've never had a big problem with mozzies or bugs in urban areas.