Posted by Ilene on January 2, 2004, at 11:33:29
In reply to Re: Phantom bug bites Dinah, posted by dragonfly25 on January 2, 2004, at 9:26:31
What I've read--it's not that some people taste or smell better to bugs, but that some people react more. It's an allergic reaction. Animals are the same; some cats and dogs lick or scratch themselves raw, while others aren't bothered.
My kids and I always know when the fleas and mosquitoes are biting. My husband is not as sensitive. When my daughter was about 7, she got so many bites on a camping trip she ran a fever. I took her to the clinic, and the pediatrician was so impressed he measured one hugely swollen welt on her neck so he could tell his buddies. He said there was no way to tell if one of the mosquitoes had injected some germs along with the mosquito venom, or if she was reacting directly to the bite overload. I think it was the former, as it hasn't happened since, and she used to come home from sleep-away camp covered with bites.
Vocabulary time: "formication" is the sensation that bugs are crawling around on your skin.
Ilene
poster:Ilene
thread:295344
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031231/msgs/295720.html