According to the AAFA, many people think of warm weather when they think of insect allergies. Warm weather does signal the arrival of some unwanted visitors like stinging and biting insects. However, you can find two very common “bugs” all year long in homes and buildings. Neither one needs to bite or sting you to cause an allergic reaction, but both trigger allergy and asthma in many people.
Household Pests
Non-stinging and non-biting insects can also cause allergic reactions, particularly cockroaches and insect-like dust mites. These two insects may be the most common cause of year-round allergy and asthma. Unlike a cockroach, a dust mite is too small to see with the naked eye. The cockroach and dust mite’s waste and body cause allergic reactions. They also can trigger asthma symptoms and asthma attacks.
Stinging Insects
Bees, wasps, hornets, yellow-jackets and fire ants are the most common stinging insects that cause an allergic reaction. When these insects sting you, they inject a toxic substance called venom. Most people stung by these insects recover within hours or days. In others, this venom can trigger a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Biting Insects
Mosquitoes, kissing bugs, bedbugs, fleas and certain flies are the most common biting insects known to cause an allergic reaction. Most people bitten by insects suffer pain, redness, itching, stinging and minor swelling in the area around the bite. Rarely, insect bites may trigger a life-threatening allergic reaction.
A bite from a Lone Star tick can cause people to develop an allergy to meat. These ticks carry alpha-gal (a sugar). When a tick bites a person, it transfers alpha-gal into the bloodstream. The person’s immune system then reacts to it. Alpha-gal is also found in mammal meat (beef, lamb, pork). If you have allergy symptoms after eating meat, see an allergist.
What Are the Signs of an Allergic Reaction to Insects?
Most people stung or bitten by insects suffer pain, redness, itching and minor swelling in the area around the bite or sting. This is a normal reaction. Most people get better within hours or days.
An allergic reaction to insects that don’t sting or bite, like cockroaches or dust mites, is different. You may sneeze, cough, have a runny or stuffy nose, or itchy eyes, nose, mouth or throat. These symptoms can be confused with the common cold, but last for weeks or months at a time. If you have asthma, an allergic reaction could trigger asthma symptoms or an asthma attack.
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