Among the more common biting insects in the United States are the following:
Sand flies
Horseflies
Deerflies
Blackflies
Stable flies
Mosquitoes
Fleas
Kissing bugs
Wheel bugs
Certain water bugs
Ticks, spiders, and mites are not insects.
(See also Introduction to Bites and Stings.)
All of these, except wheel bugs and water bugs, also suck blood, but none is venomous. The bites of these insects may be irritating because of the components of their saliva. Most bites result in nothing more than a small, red, itchy bump. Sometimes, people develop a large sore (ulcer), with swelling and pain. The most severe reactions occur in people who are allergic to the bites or who develop an infection after being bitten. Fleas can cause allergic reactions sometimes without biting.
Infectious Disease Spread by Insects
More significant than the bites themselves, certain insect bites in certain parts of the world can spread infectious disease.
Mosquito bites can transmit several diseases, including
Flea bites can transmit
Lice may transmit
Some other insect bites and the diseases they can cause include
Sand fly bites: Leishmaniasis
Horsefly and deerfly bites: Loiasis
Deerfly bites: Tularemia
Blackfly bites: Onchocerciasis
Kissing bugs bites: Chagas disease
Tsetse fly bites: African sleeping sickness
