Ticks

Many bugs look scary, but few get under our skin – quite literally – like the tick. If you enjoy the outdoors, be careful of ticks – they can attach to your skin as you brush past grass and plants. Ticks don't always carry diseases, and most bites are not serious, but they can carry Lyme disease. There were 973 laboratory confirmed of Lyme disease in the UK in 2009, but the Health Protection Agency says there could be as many as 3,000 if unreported cases are included.

Tick bites

Once a tick latches onto skin, it often moves to the warm, moist armpits and groins, feeding on blood and passing on any disease it carries. A tick bite can also trigger an allergic reaction. If you have a tick, it is important to remove it properly. To prevent tick bites, keep your arms, legs, and head covered when outdoors. Use tick repellant and check for ticks after spending time in grassy or wooded areas in some parts of the UK, including Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Thetford Forest in Norfolk, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Moors and the Scottish Highlands.

Lyme Disease

Ticks can carry Lyme disease bacteria. Infected ticks usually don't spread the disease until they've been attached for at least 36 hours. The first sign of infection is usually a circular skin rash. Early symptoms may also include fever, headache and fatigue. Untreated Lyme disease may spread to other parts of the body, including the muscles, joints, heart and nervous system. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics.

Head lice: Itchy!

You'll find headlice in your hair. They like to hide near to the scalp where they feed by biting the scalp and sucking blood. If you have headlice, you're likely to have got them from head to head contact with a person who has headlice. Headlice like long or short, clean or dirty hair, and can cause itching. Scratching can lead to secondary infection.

Head lice remedies

To kill headlice use wet-combing, or medicated lotions or sprays from a pharmacy or prescribed by your doctor. Check all household members and treat everyone who has live lice. Detection combing on a regular basis helps to identify headlice so they can be treated, reducing the chance of passing headlice on.

Fleas: Not just for pets

Fleas are small, wingless, agile insects that live off the blood of their host, and they don't just bite pets. They dine on people too.

Flea Bites

Some people are very sensitive to flea bites, but scratching can cause a wound or infection. The best solution is to get rid of fleas on pets and in your home. Keep pets out of your bed and vacuum mats and carpets regularly. Spray insecticides on infested areas. Follow your vet’s advice on treating and preventing fleas on your pet.

Bees and wasps

When a bee stings, it loses the stinger and dies, but a wasp or hornet can inflict multiple stings because it does not lose the stinger. These stings can cause serious reactions in people who are allergic to them.

Bee and wasp stings

If you don't have an allergic reaction, simply remove the stinger by scraping it out, clean the sting site, and apply ice. An oral antihistamine relieves itching, and ibuprofen or paracetamol relieve pain. If you have a severe anaphylactic reaction, lie down and carefully remove the stinger. Seek immediate medical care.

Scabies: Stealthy pests

When scabies mites get into the skin, they can cause a big skin problem. The mites spread through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or by sharing towels, bed linen and other objects.

Treating scabies

Intense itching and skin sores don't appear until several weeks after mites get into skin. The itching is very severe and usually worse at night. The rash typically is seen on the sides and webs of the fingers, the wrist, elbows, genitals and buttocks. Seek medical attention promtply. Wash all clothes, towels and bedding in hot water.

Bedbugs: Hitching a ride

Their name tells the tale, as these tiny insects tend to hide in bedding. They are often found in hotel bedrooms and can hitch a ride into your home in luggage and on pets.

Bedbug bites

Bedbugs leave itchy, red bites on the skin, usually on the arms or shoulders. More of a nuisance than a health hazard, it is possible to develop an infection from scratching. If you have an allergic skin reaction, seek medical advice. You may need to call in pest control experts to get the bugs out of your house.

Midges, gnats and mosquitoes: More than irritating!

Mosquitoes aren't just a problem abroad, they can be a bother at home too. Scratching a bite can cause a skin infection. Bites from midges, gnats and horseflies can also be unpleasant and may need treatment. To protect yourself, apply insect repellent and cover up when you go outdoors.

Houseflies: Dirty, hairy!

A housefly is a dirty insect, carrying more than one million bacteria on its body. It can spread intestinal infections by contaminating food. To control flies, keep food and rubbish in closed containers.

Cockroaches: Ugly trouble

They're not just ugly. Cockroaches carry diseases like salmonella, dysentery, and typhoid. Droppings from cockroaches have been linked to allergic reactions and asthma. If you live in a warm climate, getting rid of cockroaches can be difficult. Filling holes in walls, sealing food containers and pesticides can help keep cockroaches at bay.

Blandford fly: Tiny bug, big bite

A small fly is causing big problems with its painful bites during the summer months. The Blandford fly is a 2-3 mm bloodsucking black insect and can be a big nuisance with some bites needing medical attention. Named after the area of Dorset when it first became infamous, it is now found in other areas including Norwich and Oxfordshire. They tend to fly at less than half-a-metre from the ground, so most people are bitten on the legs.

Adder bites: Rare but dangerous

Not a bug, but a rare danger slithering through the undergrowth. Bites from adders, also known as vipers, are rare and each year in the UK there are only around 100 reported cases. In some cases, adder bites can cause allergic reactions, making skin go dark and requiring antivenom treatment in hospital. Adder bites are rarely fatal but they can be painful. Since records began in 1876 there have only been 14 reported deaths as a result of adder bites.

Oak processionary moth caterpillar

These don't bite. You may not even have to go near one to be affected. The caterpillar's tiny hairs can cause severe asthma attacks and allergic reactions – and can be carried in the wind in late May to early June. The hairs can also cause problems if the caterpillars or their nests are touched. Symptoms include an unpleasant rash, sore throat, breathing difficulties or eye irritation.

Related Reading

• Insect and spider bites
• How to prevent tick bites
• How to use insect repellents safely
• Take the stress out of holidays