Can range from mild to severe and usually occurs in the winter months when humidity is low outdoors, and inside heated homes, where skin can become dehydrated. Excessive scratching can lead to secondary infections and further complications. Tends to get more severe as one ages, when the skin begins to lose natural moisture. They can attach to and bite human skin. Flea saliva can cause allergic reactions.
Insect saliva can cause an allergic reaction, which releases histamine and causes the itching.
While actual bites usually disappear in a few days, excessive scratching may lead to secondary infection and bleeding. If a person is severely allergic to the venom, it could result in hospitalization or even death if left untreated. Some 40 to 50 deaths from sting reactions are reported each year, but it is suspected that many more deaths are occurring, but are misdiagnosed. Without burrowing, it feeds off skin cells for about three days before dropping off. Poison ivy also has white berries that appear in the fall.