Sand flea bites!
Sand Fleas are
one the various species of the fleas also
popularly known as no-see-um or the hop-along.
They are parasites which feed on the blood
of humans and water animals. Sand Fleas are
more commonly found on beaches as their preys
being water animals. Its bite is no less then
a sting and they mainly attack in groups.
Size of fleas can differ from a small as small
as rice grain or can be 3 to 4 time larger
as well. Fleas stick themselves to the water
animals by digging in their flesh and scales
and slowly eat it up. They destroy the host’s
body slowly by first penetrating into the
slime and then gradually into the skin. Sand
Fleas enter the body through various holes
in the skin membrane like near the eye, dorsal
fins or anus. They can eat everything from
skin to blood to sweet glands. They attack
various fish like small fish, swordfish, flying
fish, sunfish, flying fish, starfish and sometimes
whales also.
A sand flea bite will produce a sensation
with a high frequency wine, so beware if you
hear something like this while on the beach.
The flea bite will cause welts and lesions
accompanied with itching, red marks and pain
for long hours.
Fleas feed their larvae on small aquatic animals
and that is why they are most abundant on
beaches. While you doing some seashell hunting,
you might suffer from flea bites as they can
attack any thing that comes in the range of
10 inches to the ground. They attack around
your ankle and lower portion of the leg especially
in warm weather. White skinned beach goers
are more prone to flea bites as white skin
is thinner which makes it easy for fleas to
penetrate.
However, you can get rid of fleas by using
insect repellent. The treatment for sand flea
bites is some what similar to that of mosquitoes.
Precautions like wearing sandals while walking
on the beach can save you from flea bites.
Sand flies are also carriers of many other
diseases like Carrions disease and Pappataci
fever virus which can prove fatal for humans.
Many problems might occur after months of
flea bite like fever, anemia, and damage to
liver and spleen.
You can’t stop going to a beach because
of the fear of sand fleas, so take precautions
and have a nice time on the beach.
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