Having spent close to two weeks either next to or in the Amazon rainforest, I consider myself a near-expert on the local flora and fauna. I wanted to share a bit of this knowledge with the populace at large and give a quick run-down of the more exotic bug bites I have gotten here.
1) Mosquito bites: not your everyday Colorado mosquitos! Some of these critters are nearly the size of a teaspoon, and boy are they sneaky! Watch your back and wear your DEET, folks!
2) What appear to be chigger bites but are actually mosquito bites: When the bites are concentrated and spread over one area, for example the leg which had been covered by jeans all day and had no possibility of receiving mosquito bites, you might at first think you have been visited by chiggers. But two days will tell you that, in fact, these actually came from mosquitoes with the ability to bite through thick denim!
3) Stings of various sorts: Sometimes you feel a prickly sensation and a stinging, followed by a raised welt. If it's on your feet and you've recently been walking anywhere without the aid of boots, it could be jungle ants. However, more rare and exotic are the jungle mosquitoes! If the welt starts to itch soon afterward, you'll know you had a special visitor.
4) Bites in mysterious places: The bottoms of your feet, the palms of your hands, and yes, even your very eyelids, are all places that you wouldn't imagine you could get bug bites. But lo and behold, every inch of exposed skin is an invitation for a new type of insect. If you're especially covered in clothing, only the boldest of insects dare approach. Some especially rare varieties of mosquitoes actually have developed the ability to blend in with eyelashes and latch onto your eyelid for a quick snack. Even if you never see them, you know you've been gifted with a bite from a very exotic insect.
5) What you imagine to be botfly larvae: After sitting at dinner with a rainforest veteran telling you about the time she brought home a botfly on the back of your leg, you may start to rethink every mole and pimple on your body. Is it a botfly? Fear not, intrepid traveler! Recall that botfly eggs are carried on the legs of the uncommon mosquito. It is extremely unlikely to be a botfly. But just to be safe, keep obsessing over every unaccounted-for blemish. After all, it could, amazingly enough, be another mosquito bite!
6) Bites on bites: When your skin is completely covered in welts and you have scratched through all epidermis on your body, you may feel that the insects cannot possibly get any worse. However, now is the time to be especially cautious. Certain types of mosquitoes are filled with such hateful fury that they bite only those who have suffered the most from their brethren. Do not let your despair overwhelm you, and especially do not resign yourself to the presence of mosquitoes. Constant vigilance is your only way of surviving.
So there you have it, the many different types of bites from a large variety of jungle insects. The rainforest is full of millions of lifeforms, and it would be astonishing if you did not receive all of the above-mentioned bites during your stay here, however brief it may be. However, with a little appreciation of Mother Nature and a 100 pack of Benadryl, you too can happily enjoy your drowsy stay in the Amazon rainforest. Enjoy your adventures, my friends.
1) Mosquito bites: not your everyday Colorado mosquitos! Some of these critters are nearly the size of a teaspoon, and boy are they sneaky! Watch your back and wear your DEET, folks!
2) What appear to be chigger bites but are actually mosquito bites: When the bites are concentrated and spread over one area, for example the leg which had been covered by jeans all day and had no possibility of receiving mosquito bites, you might at first think you have been visited by chiggers. But two days will tell you that, in fact, these actually came from mosquitoes with the ability to bite through thick denim!
3) Stings of various sorts: Sometimes you feel a prickly sensation and a stinging, followed by a raised welt. If it's on your feet and you've recently been walking anywhere without the aid of boots, it could be jungle ants. However, more rare and exotic are the jungle mosquitoes! If the welt starts to itch soon afterward, you'll know you had a special visitor.
4) Bites in mysterious places: The bottoms of your feet, the palms of your hands, and yes, even your very eyelids, are all places that you wouldn't imagine you could get bug bites. But lo and behold, every inch of exposed skin is an invitation for a new type of insect. If you're especially covered in clothing, only the boldest of insects dare approach. Some especially rare varieties of mosquitoes actually have developed the ability to blend in with eyelashes and latch onto your eyelid for a quick snack. Even if you never see them, you know you've been gifted with a bite from a very exotic insect.
5) What you imagine to be botfly larvae: After sitting at dinner with a rainforest veteran telling you about the time she brought home a botfly on the back of your leg, you may start to rethink every mole and pimple on your body. Is it a botfly? Fear not, intrepid traveler! Recall that botfly eggs are carried on the legs of the uncommon mosquito. It is extremely unlikely to be a botfly. But just to be safe, keep obsessing over every unaccounted-for blemish. After all, it could, amazingly enough, be another mosquito bite!
6) Bites on bites: When your skin is completely covered in welts and you have scratched through all epidermis on your body, you may feel that the insects cannot possibly get any worse. However, now is the time to be especially cautious. Certain types of mosquitoes are filled with such hateful fury that they bite only those who have suffered the most from their brethren. Do not let your despair overwhelm you, and especially do not resign yourself to the presence of mosquitoes. Constant vigilance is your only way of surviving.
So there you have it, the many different types of bites from a large variety of jungle insects. The rainforest is full of millions of lifeforms, and it would be astonishing if you did not receive all of the above-mentioned bites during your stay here, however brief it may be. However, with a little appreciation of Mother Nature and a 100 pack of Benadryl, you too can happily enjoy your drowsy stay in the Amazon rainforest. Enjoy your adventures, my friends.
