Hi, I’m a mosquito. Like all mosquitoes, I sometimes bite. And I have friends of all shapes and sizes who do it too!
Ha! ha! ha!, we mosquitoes bite you boys and girls and make you scratch. Ha! ha! ha!! BBBRZZZ, BBBRRZZZ, BBBRRRRZZZ ! I’m a mosquito.
Getting stung or bitten by a mosquito or other insect happens quite frequently here, and even more so in the summer, but there are other small animals too that sting, in the woods or at the beach, for example. Others bite and should never be messed about with . although they can catch you unawares.
There are ways to avoid being bitten or stung but, if you’ve already been had, make sure you look after the wound properly.
| We say that something – usually an insect – has «bitten» us when it injects a venom into our skin through its stinger.
Ticks, for example, also bite. They’re related to spiders,and are usually found in dog fur or among dry vegetation. They latch on to the skin and may suck our blood, for several days, without stinging or causing any pain. Sometimes, they’re difficult to find. |
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How to avoid insect bite
This is difficult because insects fly about all over the place. However, there are ways to try and avoid getting bitten:
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Stay away from areas where there are flowers or fruit in the open air. |
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Don’t go near beehives or wasps’ nests. |
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Don’t go near places where rubbish is kept. |
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Don’t walk barefoot on the grass. |
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Don’t wear brightly coloured clothes. |
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When travelling by car, keep the windows closed. |
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Use an insect repellent. |
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If you have a dog or cat, keep it clean. |
What should you do after getting bitten?
After an insect bite, the area around the bite turns red, and becomes swollen and itchy.
What should we do?
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Tell a grown-up. |
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Cover it with some cotton wool soaked in water. |
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DO NOT apply any cream that you’re not sure about. |
If you get stung by a bee, remove the stinger it leaves behind as a souvenir, without using tweezers (to avoid spreading the venom).
Ticks must be removed whole.
Is an insect bite dangerous?
Not all insect bites are the same.
Occasionally, however, some children may be allergic to the bee or wasp venom and may get ill.
If you’re allergic, you ought to know. Ask your parents.
Anecdotes
The hieroglyphics on the walls of the tomb of the pharaoh Menes, a king of Egypt who reigned over 4,000 years ago, tell us that he died from a bee sting. He was probably allergic and nobody knew!!!
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You may not think so but insect bites can even be quite poetic. At least, that’s how the writer Pere Quart saw it.
Flies and mosquitoes
Mother Nature, doing her best,
has furnished
for every nuisance
a pest.
As night draws in
there’s no more fly bites,
but the mosquitoes
well, they work nights.
Pere Quart