Biting Insects of Ireland

Wade in the Sea · 20-06-2010 8:15pm #1

Every summer I get a load of insect bites. I get murdered in foreign "hot" climates by mosquitoes. Been hospitalised once. But even here in Ireland, and I live in a city, I get savaged regularly whenever I go outside. I opened the window in my bedroom yesterday morning at about 8am and 1 hour later...........three great big bites on my arm .
I don't think I can stop them, but I would like to know my enemy?

cuddlycavies · 20-06-2010 9:39pm

Crane Fly or so called dallylonglegs. Doesn't bother most of us. Some people's blood vessels are closer to the surface of their skins and so get bitten more often. There are some biting mosquitoes in Ireland also.

Mothman · 20-06-2010 9:59pm

Crane flies don't bite

I'm the one in my household that gets bitten,
Mosqutioes
Horse Flies/Clegs
Midges

I don't get too big a reaction. Mosquito bites itch for about 3 days and swells a little. I would be commited insane without my antihistamine cream

E39MSport · 20-06-2010 10:09pm

Can't stand horse flies. I remember my first bite as a kid. Back of the knee. Horrible.

I get savaged by midges. There's a stream in the ditch by the house and they love it there.

Wade in the Sea · 20-06-2010 10:16pm

Crane fly I know. I always thought they couldn't pierce human skin? Midges are in my opinion the guilty party but first thing in the morning and don't they go for the scalp?

E39MSport · 20-06-2010 10:19pm

Don't think they're fussy tbh. I've had bites everywhere.

Wade in the Sea · 20-06-2010 10:19pm

Mothman wrote: »

Crane flies don't bite

I'm the one in my household that gets bitten,
Mosqutioes
Horse Flies/Clegs
Midges

I don't get too big a reaction. Mosquito bites itch for about 3 days and swells a little. I would be commited insane without my antihistamine cream

Thank God for anti-histamine

Though one pint and it's nutralised and the itching comes back:(

Wade in the Sea · 20-06-2010 10:27pm

Would you credit it. I've just been bitten again on the hand. Little feckers :mad:!

mymo · 20-06-2010 10:36pm

What are those little flies like daddylonglegs but smaller? And can they bite?
Also had a buzzing insect in my room last night and have 6 bites on my neck chest and arm(just measured them at 23mm accross:(), I always get eaten alive in summer, horse flies are biggest culprit.
I'm on my second tube of antihistamine cream so far this summer.

Durnish · 21-06-2010 7:54am

What a great thread. Don't forget ants, they seem very busy at the moment and I have to check my feet and shoes every time I walk on our grass. Two big ant bites on each arm from sunbathing last week.

Gormal · 23-06-2010 6:17pm

Have you tried Avon Skin-So-Soft Dry Oil Body Spray? I swear by it and have used it as a midge/insect repellant for years.

Wade in the Sea · 23-06-2010 7:01pm

Gormal wrote: »

Have you tried Avon Skin-So-Soft Dry Oil Body Spray? I swear by it and have used it as a midge/insect repellant for years.

Nope, do you get it in a chemist? I bought some standard spray that said it was for Tropical and home. I now have NINE bites since Sunday and they are feckin huge and bloody itchy! Although I got a cream called anthisan and that seems to take the swelling down.

Now the news flash. I got one. It was 100% a mosquito and same sort of size I have seen in Finland. Big stupid and slow which makes me wonder how I never saw one before.

wgsten · 23-06-2010 10:34pm

while out and about i have noticed that there seems to be an abundance of Clegs (horsefly) this year-

Cleg (horsefly)

wgsten

http://www.irishflyfisher.ie/

Mothman · 23-06-2010 10:52pm

wgsten wrote: »

while out and about i have noticed that there seems to be an abundance of Clegs (horsefly) this year-

Every year an abundance of these find me

fryup · 23-06-2010 11:01pm

ya i hate those horseflies too, they're so sneaky.....but also very dopey > easy to swat

Smart Guy · 24-06-2010 10:22am

My wife always gets badly bitten on holidays by mosquitos even with repelant on. Last year went to Bulgaria, same story, bit as soon we arrived. We went to the pharmacy who recommended she drink a 2 glasses of Russian vodka or Raki evening and whatever is in it would come out theough the skin as a repellant. Guess What ? It works. Not one bite for the rest of the holiday.

mymo · 24-06-2010 10:48am

Smart gut, I like your solution!:D
But don't think I could do it every night, can't see "I'm only drinking to keep the bugs away!" as being taken the right way:eek:;)
May try it for the alfresco dinners.

Sid_Justice · 24-06-2010 1:02pm

Ticks carry lymes disease.
Ants, Bees and Wasps sting but don't bite. If you were stung by these guys you'd immediately know where I find with midges and mosquitos it's only after they've come and gone to i notice a horrible bump.

Gormal · 24-06-2010 7:36pm

Wade in the Sea wrote: »

Nope, do you get it in a chemist? I bought some standard spray that said it was for Tropical and home. I now have NINE bites since Sunday and they are feckin huge and bloody itchy! Although I got a cream called anthisan and that seems to take the swelling down.

Now the news flash. I got one. It was 100% a mosquito and same sort of size I have seen in Finland. Big stupid and slow which makes me wonder how I never saw one before.

Nope, you have to get it from Avon or ebay. Currently on offer 2 for €6 [normally €7.50 each]at Avon, I am currently hunting down a rep in my area.

Oh and it has to be the orignal flavour

edellc · 24-06-2010 7:41pm

I HATE MIDGES
every time i leave my house i am eaten alive by the little b*****ds end up with red lumps all over
end up looking like a nut job flapping my arms all over the place and cursing like a drunk

Calibos · 25-06-2010 1:19am

Sid_Justice wrote: »

Ticks carry lymes disease.
Ants, Bees and Wasps sting but don't bite. If you were stung by these guys you'd immediately know where I find with midges and mosquitos it's only after they've come and gone to i notice a horrible bump.

You are wrong about the ants. The bite you with their mandibles and then shove their arse in the bite and squirt in some formic acid from their backside. At least bee's and wasps have a dedicated tool for the job!

leche solara · 25-06-2010 2:57pm

Just reading this makes me itchy. And here's one I squashed on my window.

Sid_Justice · 25-06-2010 9:44pm

Calibos wrote: »

You are wrong about the ants. The bite you with their mandibles and then shove their arse in the bite and squirt in some formic acid from their backside. At least bee's and wasps have a dedicated tool for the job!

I'm not wrong. Ants do bite to get a grip, they have no venom in their mouths/mouth parts. All ants bees and wasps sting through the ovipositor which is an adaption of a egg laying feature. The venom does not come from their arse. Ants and bees and wasps have a equivalent tool for stinging.

Wade in the Sea · 27-06-2010 12:05pm

leche solara wrote: »

Just reading this makes me itchy. And here's one I squashed on my window.

One down, just 2,000,000,000,000,000,000 to go!

recedite · 27-06-2010 2:07pm

I was under the impression that any mozzies we had here in the past were blown in on a southeasterly breeze from the Continent in the summer, and died off in the winter? Is that correct Mothman? you who knows these things. I know there are various species but I refer to the laymans "mosquitoe" which is the large slow moving, buzzing and biting creature.
Either way, it seems with global warming we are going to see a lot more of them.

supersportq · 27-06-2010 2:59pm

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Crane Fly or so called dallylonglegs. Doesn't bother most of us. Some people's blood vessels are closer to the surface of their skins and so get bitten more often. There are some biting mosquitoes in Ireland also.

Interesting, I cann't remember ever been bitten myself. Or maybe I just don't notice. Must be a tough guy !!!

supersportq · 27-06-2010 3:00pm

Calibos wrote: »

You are wrong about the ants. The bite you with their mandibles and then shove their arse in the bite and squirt in some formic acid from their backside. At least bee's and wasps have a dedicated tool for the job!

That's it, I'm not reading any more of this thread

smcgiff · 27-06-2010 3:08pm

Feeling decidedly unattractive for some reason. Often have to walk through (while wind milling my arms about) a haze of midges that would be over a stagnant pool of water and never get bitten.

Durnish · 27-06-2010 8:15pm

can bees sting more than once? I got stung once yesterday, never checked to see if the stinger was still on my clothes, got back to car and a bee stuck on my shirt stung me and I couldn't get rid of it offf my clothes.
Today, one side of my stomach is badly swollen and seems to have two puncture marks while my finger has one. AAAGHH.

planetX · 27-06-2010 11:03pm

no-one's mentioned fleas yet - thanks to my pets I'm getting bitten in the safety of my own home:(:(:(

28-06-2010 2:11pm

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Crane Fly or so called dallylonglegs. Doesn't bother most of us. Some people's blood vessels are closer to the surface of their skins and so get bitten more often. There are some biting mosquitoes in Ireland also.

The Crane Fly/Daddy Long Legs/Tipulidae oleracea does not have any teeth. They never bite. I wish people would not spread myths about animals. Cuddlycavies, are you thinking of the Daddy Long Legs Spider perhaps?

Biting Insects of Ireland

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