Don’t you hate it when you are having a perfectly normal day and feel extreme pain out of nowhere? By the time you realize what happened, a sand flea bit you, and now you need to look for ways to cure the condition! Here, we will talk about sand flea bites and what you need to treat your condition!
If you just experienced a sand flea bite, you have to think about ways to treat it immediately. There are specific steps to take by which you need to cure the condition. However, an insect bite can be concerning and injurious. Thus, you should not avoid it and start the healing process with utmost care.
We are here to discuss sand flea bites treatment, prevention, and other important things to know about it!
Table of Contents
What do sand flea bites look like?
Sand fleas are tiny insects present inside the sand, so it justifies the name! These little creatures usually live at the beaches, which is how they come with human contact. Well, other beach organisms are not safe around their presence either!
People usually refer to these fleas as insects, but sand flea does not fall under this category. In reality, sand fleas are crustaceans. Thus, they belong to the family of crabs, shrimps, lobsters, and others. Although many people call the creature sand flea, there is confusion surrounding the identity. Well, no matter how you consider the creature, sand flea bites on humans can be pretty painful!
This confusion is due to the various names used when referring to a sand flea. People often also call them beach fleas, sand hoppers, biting midges, and many more.
More or less, when these creatures bite, they tend to make our skin red and itchy. Also, sometimes mole crabs are called sand fleas. A sand flea bite can irritate your body and cause skin-related health issues. Thus, detecting it and treating it is necessary as soon as possible.
Allergic reaction sand flea bite
When people discuss sand fleas, they refer to similar creatures that bite and cause skin conditions. These organisms may include sandflies, mole crabs, bugs, and more.
People usually get these from visiting the beach where these organisms generally live. It is hard to notice a sand lea bite as it happens as these fleas are very small, thus hard to detect.
They usually grab you by the ankle, feet, or other parts of your skin and are almost unnoticeable due to their small size.
One skin disease called tungiasis is caused mainly by female sand fleas. However, this is not due to the regular biting of a sand flea or a mole crab.
Instead, these diseases occur by the infestation of Tunga penetrans and are spread through their egg-laying process. Generally, the method includes the female sand flea burring its head into human skin while sticking out the rear end.
This activity makes them lay eggs on the ground, and it dies after the laying process is over. The main problem here is the issues don’t occur immediately, making them challenging to detect. Instead, it takes a couple of days to show?primary?symptoms?like?redness,?irritation,?itching,?and?pain,?and?so?on.
When a person gets sand flea bites, it is a real problem. No one wants to face the consequences?of?a sting. Thus, one can follow precautions to avoid such a condition from happening in the first place. Alternatively, there are also types of treatment for sand flea bites.
Causes of sand fleas infestation
The bite of a sand flea can cause various problems like red spots, itching, irritation, burning sensation, or pain. These organisms usually stick with your skin and bite you without you noticing.
These organisms live inside the sand, and thus you may get bitten by those while visiting the beach or other sandy areas.
However, their domain is not restricted to the area of sand. They can live and infest your home and cause trouble. Indeed, they do not originate in human dwellings, but they can certainly travel to your place through an external medium.
You might attract sand fleas to your clothes and bring them home. The process can promote infestation. (Xanax) They can even get into your pet’s body using their furry as a breading and living spot.
Although they prefer the sandy region, certain places at your home can also be their staying and laying zone. Naturally, too many of these creatures can cause the problem, and being bitten by a sand flea can be a severe issue. Thus it would help to take specific precautions and measurements to control this issue.
How long do sand flea bites last?
The sooner you address the bite, the quicker you can expect it to leave your body and make your skin feel normal again.
The first and obvious prevention of this problem is avoiding going to the beaches or other places with sand fleas. This method can help you avoid dealing with sand flea bites.
But realistically, we all need to go to the beach and other certain places that might have sand fleas. So, you need to follow other preventive methods for dealing with this problem.
Identify home infestation
The first thing you need to do is identify the type of pest infestation in your home. As there can be different pests, one can be mistaken for another. Thus, identification is exceptionally vital.
From a distance, they are a size of a grain of rice and tend towards sticking themselves to your feet. They can also be attached to other parts of your body, but they choose it since your feet are the closest to the ground.
But if you notice tiny grain-like creatures crawling on the floor or your clothes, most likely it is a sand flea.
Itchy skin
Another essential part of this investigation is indicating some marks or itching on your skin. It might be an insect bite if you have a sense of irritation, itching, and redness.
Sand fleas bit to suck blood from the host to embed and feed their eggs. These bite spots or marks can be highly irritating and uncomfortable as these can burn, cause pain and irritation, and itching.
These usually appear on your skin as small red or black spots at the place of the bite. This mark indicates that a sand flea has bitten you, penetrated your skin, and laid eggs underneath.
The situation can be highly uncomfortable and painful. You might feel extreme discomfort and itchiness. However, the best thing would be to avoid scratching as the condition’s intensity can increase.
Home cleaning
The best thing to do is use cleaning procedures in such a situation. You need to vacuum your carpets carefully, especially places that may contain hidden sand fleas. Dispose and empty the vacuum bag each time after vacuuming.
Do this method precisely on every possible carpet place and corner. This practice ensures the removal of those tiny sand fleas or their eggs that are too small to see.
Washing clothes, bed sheets, curtains, and other fabric materials are vital for this task. Sand fleas also tend to hind in these sorts of places and suck blood by sticking onto your skin.
These things are usually kept inside cupboards by folding, as you may know. Thus, there are good chances of sand fleas living and laying eggs within the folded clothes or sheets. The quickest thing to do in this situation is to clean them immediately.
Take your pet to a vet
No matter how much we love to possess pets, one of the reasons why many don’t adopt them is due to the risk of infection. Pets are often the reason for transferring infectious diseases to humans. When considering sand fleas infestation, consider them infected too.
You must take a pet to a vet if you see unusual signals. Furry coats in dogs and cats can easily camouflage insects. The worst part? These can lay eggs on them and infect their bodies further.
If your pet is scratching or itching itself most of the time, it is better to assume the presence of sand fleas. Thoroughly washing and giving a proper bath to your pet is the best solution to this problem.
There are specific soaps and shampoos for pets that you should use to clean them correctly. To keep it on the safe side, it is also recommended to take your pet to the vet for further reports about possible infestation.
How to prevent sand flea bites?
A sand flea bite can be quite harmful and dangerous, and dealing with it can be pretty hectic. So it is better to take the necessary precautions and avoid such unfortunate incidents.
The beach is the most common place to get bitten by a sand flea. Now you can stop going to the beach if you wish, but those extreme measures are unnecessary. Besides, we often want to take a break from work and visit our nearest beach. What matters is the time you are staying at the beach. Going to the beach too early in the morning and too late might increase the chances of you getting a sand flea bite.
Instead,?visit?there?is?same?daytime.?By?avoiding?the?dusk?and?dawn?timing,?you?decreased?getting?a?sand?flea?sticking?to?your?skin.?This?is?because?sand?fleas?are?mostly?inactive?during?the?entire?day?and?only?active?in?the?morning?or?noon.?Also,?avoiding?it?after?rain?and?moist?weather?is?better.
Using bug sprays or other repellent is exceptionally vital. This keeps you safe and away from such creatures. Thus you reduce the risk of infections. And if you still get a bit from a sand flea, do not scratch even if it itches as scratching may increase the risk of disease. Instead, there are sure things you can do to cure the irritation and discomfort.
Sand flea bites treatment
Getting bitten by a sand flea is indeed irritating and of significant discomfort, but there are specific ways to cure the thing. There are certain things you need to follow:
- The very first step is to avoid scratching, even if it itches. This itching can cause further infection and increase the risk factor.
- Perhaps the best way to deal with a sand flea bite is by applying calamine lotion to the area of the bite.
- Although, you should not use this lotion on your face, eyes, or genitals. It is recommended to consult your doctor for further treatment.
- Hydrocortisone cream is also a promising agent for the healing of such infections. This cream decreases the itching and irritation in the area. This prevents you from further scratching the area that might spread further infection.
- Taking a proper bath in a baking soda and water mixture is essential. This can help you ease skin irritation. But do not overdo it, as only one cup of soda in a bathtub is enough.
Final thoughts
Pest?control?methods?and?techniques against sand flea infestation are essential if such insects infest your home. But, other than that, precaution is the key.
There are certain diseases like Tungiasis that you can get through a bite of a sand flea. Therefore, detecting the symptoms of a sand flea bite by getting proper indication and having adequate treatment is vital.
