When a Tiny Bite Turns Into Trouble – A Summer Experience
After doing some garden work, I felt fine. However, 2–3 days later, I started to feel intense itching on my leg. A small red spot appeared, then got bigger. The area became warm, swollen, and painful. It looked like the beginning of cellulitis.
It reminded me of a condition I had seen before in patients: the result of a tiny black insect bite. These insects are only 2–5 mm in size and typically live in grass.
Their bite is sneaky – you barely notice it when it happens, but the skin reacts days later.
👉 Interestingly, some of these insects don’t bite but actually bite and chew with their small mouthparts, injecting substances that trigger allergic or inflammatory responses.
What you can do:
- Don’t scratch it, even if it’s itchy – scratching makes it worse.
- If you can’t resist, try wearing cotton gloves to minimize damage.
- Apply an antiseptic such as iodine or alcohol.
- If it becomes red, swollen, hot, or painful, see a doctor immediately – it could be cellulitis that requires antibiotics.