Page 55 - ICSE Science 3 : E-book

• Mosquitoes are biting insects. They bite us to suck
Did You Know!
our blood. Their bite can even spread diseases such
Female Anopheles
as malaria, dengue and chikungunya. mosquito causes malaria

• Termites are the ‘silent destroyers’. They like to eat in humans. Malaria is
an insect-borne
wood and damage the wooden structures such as disease.

furniture. They cause great damage to buildings by
digging tunnels in the walls.

• Lice are the tiny wingless insects that live on the head of humans. They crawl

and suck small amounts of blood from the scalp. Their bite causes itching on
the scalp.

• Cockroaches are nocturnal insects, i.e., the insects that are active at night. They

are mostly found near the waste deposits or where the food is available. They
hide themselves under the mats and in drains. They carry germs and transfer

them to our food. Eating this food can cause dysentery and allergies.

• Housefl ies are non-biting dirty insects. They carry germs on their body and
transfer them to any food item by sitting on it. Eating such food can cause many

common infections of the stomach and make us sick.

• Bedbugs are small wingless insects that feed on the Did You Know!
blood of humans. They usually live under the sofas and Most bedbugs bite
humans when they
bed mattresses in our homes. Their bite causes rashes on
are asleep.
the skin.

• Other insects such as wasps and bees can give us painful stings.

Remedies to Prevent Harmful Eff ects of Insects on Humans

• When there is only redness and pain at the site of an insect’s bite, you can apply

ice pack over the aff ected area. It will reduce redness and pain.

• Avoid scratching the bite or sting area. This may result in an infection. There
are certain home remedies to get relief from itching. This includes rubbing ice

packs, aloe vera, mint and used tea bags on the aff ected area.

• You may get relief from itching at the site of the bite by using calamine lotion.

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