insect bites

[Aava.Wong]

my 2 year old son has got insect bites on his arms and legs. it looks like a mozzie bite by the way the bitten area puffs up but i haven't seen many mozzies around our flat or parks.

one of the bites got swollen so we took him to the doc and he just gave some cream and a bottle of syrup. that bite has gone down but he is still getting new bites almost everyday.

we think it might be ants or bed bugs???! i sleep with him so i dont get bitten so kinda lost on what to think?

we do spray him with off-spray when going out but seems like he gets bitten inside the flat.

anyone gone through similar experience? what did you do to minimise these bites?

thanks!

[howardcoombs]

A 2 year old spends a lot of time crawling around and playing on the ground.
1) Check any carpets, cushions and similar things that he comes in contact with. Does he have a special soft chair?
2) Check floors, under sofas etc -- anwhere where your 2 year old goes to but you normally dont can be a place where he is picking up the pests.

[Aava.Wong]

it's a small flat and we dust, wipe and mop it everyday. he normally plays by the windows or the floors.

we think that it might be the bed's mattress or the bedframe as it has attached drawers underneath. we have hoovered the attached drawers and the storage space under the bed today.

the bites are kind of getting on our nerves now as we've thoroughly cleaned every corner of the flat. is there a shop which cleans big heavy mattresses? we're also thinking of giving blankets/duvets/pillows/etc. for dry cleaning again!

[penguinsix]

There are plenty of mosquitoes out there right now. Are you leaving the windows open? They're more than happy to come in and rest during most of the day, popping out at nightfall.

Is the bump a classic mosquite bite bump--a hard bumped area with an insertion point slightly redder spot? You can also try baking soda and water mixed to help relieve the itching.

[nicolejoy]

I find that HK has these TINY little bugs that give me bites like mosquito bites, but these bugs are SO small. There are LOTS in Victoria Park. Could it be those kinds of bugs instead? They are much harder to see and could easily fit through any fly screen...

[AndreaSB]

I've been "attacked" by the little black bugs too. Some kind of fly, very small, hard to see and never catch them on me, just see/feel the bite. They are extremely itchy bumps!!! They even get me when I'm wearing Off. Around Pokfulam I've noticed they're worse around 5pm but I've also been bitten in Causeway Bay in the middle of the day. Could those be the ones that are getting your little one? I find in the winter they weren't around but they sure are back now.

[Aava.Wong]

god knows what is biting him?! :( i dont see many bugs inside our flat - sometimes there are 1 or 2 mozzies and little black ants (prolly need to throw the orchid plant away!) but we get rid of them pretty quickly.

well, it does look like a mozzie bite but mozzie bite often goes down when we apply vicks/water but this one puffs up more and goes hard around the bitten spot...eurghhh!

poor bubba goes crazy scratching it *sigh* we're just applying the remaining cream given by the doc last time....

[bagel]

yes, i am dealing with the exact same thing. i can't understand why the bites appear so vicious on my toddler. have yet to figure out why the reaction on the skin is that way and in fact if these are mosquito bites.