Black Flea Like Insects

by Gabby
(Delano, CA, USA)

It all started when I went to visit my mother. Me and my husband were about to enter her house when my husband bent down to tie his shoe. He had shorts on and noticed his legs full of these black flea like insects on his legs.

They jumped pretty quickly and now me and him seem to have been bit by them. The itch is so severe I have been unable to sleep. Just yesterday I was sitting on my bed and had just got out of the shower and noticed there was a little dot sized thing moving on my feet. When I reached to take a closer look it jumped.


Someone please help. I am 4 months pregnant and cry myself to sleep because I am clueless on what to do. The anti-itch creams aren't doing anything for me and neither is washing all my comforters!!

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Dear Gabby,

It could be that the black flea like insects you and your husband saw were actually fleas. They could be regular fleas that like to feed on cats and dogs, or they could even be sand fleas (or what some people call sand flies).


The problem with sand flea bites is that you can have the itch for a few weeks after you've been bitten. It is awful!


Being pregnant means that you want to be careful what you use to help get rid of the itch. You probably don't want to use an over the counter antihistamine without consulting your doctor.


What you CAN do is try some topical solutions that may relieve your itch and some safe natural things that you can take that have an antihistamine effect.


For example -

1. You can make a baking soda and water paste and apply it to your itchy skin.
   
   
2. You can use some aloe vera gel straight from the plant and spread it on the bites on your legs.
   
   
3. Do you have a bathtub? Make a nice warm bath and put a lot of sea salt in it so you can have a soak.

For internal help -

• Vitamin C
  
• Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
  
• chamomile tea
  
• ginger tea or capsules

Those are probably your safest options to try during pregnancy.


Are you still seeing these little black bugs around the house? Do you have pets that could have fleas?


You can make up a mixture of raw apple cider vinegar and water and spray it around the house to help eliminate the fleas. By most accounts, they do not like ACV.


I hope this helps and that you are soon feeling well again and not so discouraged. You should be enjoying your pregnancy.


Just for future reference, you may want to get some Avon Skin So Soft and put some on your legs if you are visiting your mother again before it gets too cold out. You don't want a recurrence and the Skin So Soft seems to keep them away from you.


Blessings,
Angie