Insect bites and stings Insect bites and stings Insect bites and stings occur when an insect is agitated and seeks to defend itself through its natural defense mechanisms, or when an insect seeks to feed off the bitten person. Some insects inject formic acid, which can cause an immediate skin reaction often resulting in redness and swelling in the injured area. Stings from fire ants, bees, wasps and hornets are usually painful, and may stimulate a dangerous allergic reaction called anaphylaxis for at-risk patients, and some wasps can also have a powerful bite along with a sting. Bites from mosquitoes and fleas are more
Bookworm (insect) Bookworm (insect) Bookworm is a popular generalization for any insect that is said to bore through books. True book-borers are uncommon. Two types of moths, the common clothes moth and the brown house moth, will attack cloth bindings. Leather-bound books attract various beetles, such as the larder beetle, drugstore beetle and the larva of the black carpet beetle. Larval death watch beetles and common furniture beetles will tunnel through wood and paper (if it is nearby the wood). A major book-feeding insect is the book or paper louse (also known as booklouse or paperlouse). These are tiny (under 1 mm),