OBNOXIOUS Critter-Bite Question

i got bit by something that looks like this and it has the same m.o. your describing but the bite didn't bleed afterwards and it was in Ohio, so far everywhere i look it says these r in area such as Texas but it looked just like this and i was wondering if someone had any idea if i was freaking out for nothing or if it was this bug..

Ian,
Not to dicourage use of this site, but I found an excellent article on Univ of FL's site. Here is the direct link to their findings on black flies. http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/livestock/bfly.htm
The article includes does and don'ts to ward off the critters.

Those are the official names given this nocternal, blood-sucking, pest of the US Southwest. There are some good comments, but I feel compelled to give a bit of personal history. Short story version: By the time I realized what was giving me those itchy welts, I had become sensitized to their toxin. It's in their saliva and is used to numb their victim. After consulting Pioson Control, I drove thirty plus miles to the local ER to get shot up with Benadryl. The fat lips and itchy palms were symptoms of a severe reaction. I moved to the Nortcentral states for a few years and was introduced to the Box Elder beatle ... I almost freaked! Box Elder beatles live in ... Box Elder trees ... in LARGE colonies. To my delight, Box Elder beatles are harmless. I am back out in the Southwest and have had a few Conenose bites with no reaction other than a mild itch and very slight swelling. A word of caution: These little critters have caused fatalities of very elderly people in southern California. If you are experiencing repeated bites, I would urge you to seek medical advice. If you can take Benadryl, keep it on hand and use it imediately after the bite. Activated charcoal may also help. These overgrown toxic "mosquitoes" {eat your heart out Minnisotta) sneak up on their victim late at night, typically about 11:00 pm or later. Conenose bugs fly in during the early evening usually crashing into a wall. They are lousy at landing, but crawl away quickly into hiding. They hide in the sheets of beds, behind the head board or under the bed. Before you crawl in for the night, strip the sheets and have a flashlight and a containment or killing device in hand. If you have an abundance of rodents in the shed, that needs to be cleaned out. Conenose bugs thrive and breed in messy rodent dens.

Today I came across a small Agriculture Canada pamphlet from 1973 called Black Flies [publication 1499]. It describes almost everything you mentioned, so I'll quote those parts below.

Black flies attack massively and viciously or in such small numbers that they are scarcely noticeable. They bite quietly and painlessly so that you may not be aware of having been attacked until small droplets of blood start oozing from your skin. Black flies often crawl into your hairline or through openings in your clothes before they bite you. Therefore, the bites are usually behind your ears, around your neck and beltline, and on the lower parts of your legs.
A typical black-fly bite consists of a round, pink, itchy swollen area, with a droplet of fresh or dried blood at the center. When the blood is rubbed away, a minute subcutaneous hemorrhage is visible. This hemorrhage and the surrounding pink area become diffuse and larger, and then disappear within a few days. Itching may continue intermittently for weeks, whenever the bitten area is rubbed. Scratching may cause severe secondary skin infections.
Toxins injected during an extended severe attack can cause a general illness sometimes called black-fly fever, characterized by headache, fever, nausea, and swollen, painful neck glands.
Attacks occur throughout late spring and early summer or sometimes throughout the entire summer.
Black flies attack most severely about sunrise and again at sunset.

The pamphlet gives details on several species; Simulium arcticum sounds like a good candidate in your area:
...a species of the western plains that breeds in enormous numbers in the rapids of large rivers...
Humans are infrequently bitten; however, a single bite can cause a severe reaction in some people.
...sometimes called the buffalo gnat (which suggests that it was originally a pest of buffalo)
Most outbreaks occur within a few miles of the largest mountain-fed rivers. However, during massive outbreaks wind-borne swarms have killed livestock farther afield: in one instance in central Saskatchewan, the livestock that were killed were 140 miles (225 km) from the nearest rapids.
The severest outbreaks of S. arcticum occur mainly between mid-May and mid-June
In discussing the effects on livestock (cattle): Massive outbreaks of S. arcticum can be extremely dangerous to animals. Reactions to the injected saliva can be rapid. Fluid-filled swellings along the underline may be noticeable within an hour or so. In the more severely affected animals breathing may become heavy and jerky, and the muscles may start trembling. Animals with these symptoms may die within 15 minutes to 2 hours, or they may make a complete recovery within 48 hours. Recovery may be aided by an immediate injection of antihistamine, but the dosage and administration must be supervised by a veterinarian.

The mention of a bug, along with the references to freely bleeding bites, irritation and welts reminds me of the bloodsucking conenose bugs. I'm not sure, however, if they make it that far north. The only images we have on Bugguide are of a southeastern species: . In the southwestern US they're often found in woodrat or packrat nests.

I doubt it's a tick, based on the description of a freely bleeding wound. If it's something that's biting regularly at the hairline, it's most likely some kind of fly. I would guess horse fly or deer fly of some kind. Deer flies can carry TULAREMIA see description on this site.

I still have no idea on the mystery bug bite... I have a call into my county extension office and sent email to 4 fo the agents. Hopefull will have some information. AND if so... im going to shoot one of these buggers (with a camera of course) and let you all know!

I might back up a step and consider a wide range of things that could be causing the swellings, including illnesses. Are you sure there are insect involved?

--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com