Horsefly bite or just a mozzie ?

[jacksmannequin]

Been a couple of days, didn’t itch for a day but this morning was itching like crazy, always had a red mark around it but tonight it’s got bigger and it is so so itchy!! Does it look like a horsefly bite ? I don’t usually get bitten unless in a really hot country but this one is really bothering me

That's what horsefly bites look like on me. I put a hot teaspoon on them to kill the itch, followed with a bit of hydrocortisone cream and some antiseptic. It can still take ages for them to fade, though. Watch out for any swelling, and keep an eye on the red ring around it.

Thank you I will. It’s the redness that’s worried me as it’s massive, and definitely got worse

I react to mosquito bites like that and I've had worse ones this year in the UK than ever before. Antihistamines and hydrocortisone cream deal with it eventually for me but they end up bruising. If you are taking an antihistamine and that redness lasts longer than a few days you need to see a doctor to check for an infection.

Draw around it and watch for if the ring spreads further. I ended up on two lots of heavy duty antibiotics with a horsefly bite and narrowly avoided being in hospital on an iv 🤦🏻

Nasty. And yes think it's horsefly rather than mozzie. Mine looked like a gunshot wound!

Looks like a horsefly one to me, I've had two bad ones and they're awful, had to have antibiotics each time, defo draw the line round it and if it's bigger tomorrow get the medicine to get on top of it, hope it goes soon! Clarythromicin worked for me!

Mozzie. Horseflies take bites.

From AI (and experience)

Don’t think it looks any worse this morning but my ankle is aching

Horsefly bites leave a hole. Google a horsefly and you will see their jaws work differently and they need to get through hide so are very deep. Bloody awful things. I too react very badly. They also don’t numb the area before they bite unlike mozzies.

Maybe not a horsefly then ! Just not sure why I’d react like this to a mozzie bite.
Its got bigger now, more swollen and red and it’s achey

Hi, OP - I react very badly to mosquito bites. The worst ones I've ever had were in the UK.

Given that your ankle is sore, this could be a sign of infection, so watch out for your ankle swelling up.

It could also be that the location of the bite on your ankle means that there just isn't enough muscle/tissue to allow the swelling, so stiffness, redness and hot skin might be the only symptoms.

Both these things have happened to me, on separate occasions, but on both I couldn't actually walk properly, and I needed antibiotics to resolve.

I react badly to mosquito bites, but I had a bite recently which I think was a horsefly - very red, swollen, inflamed, itchy and sore for a couple of days. I applied an icepack, hydrocortisone and antibiotic cream (brought back from the US) and it settles after about 3 or 4 days. I can still see a slight red mark now, over a week later, with a pin prick in the middle, which makes me think horsefly. Nasty little buggers!

Can you get to a pharmacist? I had similar and they recommended Piriton and antihistamine cream. It started to get better after 2 days.

A Blandford Fly is another possibility - they are worse than horsefly’s! They fly just above ground level which is why they get your ankles typically. My friend was on AB’s for weeks after getting bitten by one. They are only active certain times of year though, but weather has been so hot they’re possibly extending their range!

Mosquitos do that to me.
Horsefly bites are very painful in my experience, very itchy and with a blister. They last for ages.

I had similar last week and went to a pharmacy, the pharmacist took one look and prescribed antibiotics on the spot, it was much better within 24 hours and no need for a GP visit (there is a list of things pharmacists can prescribe them for now, in England anyway).

@jacksmannequin if it is not improving it's possible it is a tick bite and antibiotics are needed.

We do live by a canal and surrounded by fields. Is this possible?