I noticed recently that the incidence of "Electric Ant" bite is becoming common this days. Just today, i saw up to three different persons with the bite mark, so i decided to conduct a research on it. My finding was that electric ant is not the culprit as we popularly believed. Blister beetle is the culprit! Below is an article I found online. Simple precaution: Sleep with your light off!


"Mostly, the victim of the blister beetle wakes up in the morning to find a burnt-looking patch on their skin in a linear pattern.

The blister beetle becomes active during the first two to three months of rainfall. Not many people in Manipal know how it looks and hence it has been given a mysterious name - the Manipal Bug. However, researches have been conducted by the Kasturba Medical College which has resulted in the revelation of its identity. The insect is a tiny black one, three to four mm in length, and has a fork shaped tail.

[img]http://www.uberfolks.com/themanipaljournal.com/thumbnail.php?file=manipal_bug_281120911.png&size=article_medium[/img]
The Blister Beetle does not bite, as the usual conception goes. The body of the beetle has a vesicant or irritant which, when comes in contact with the skin, leaves behind a mark that is similar to a burn mark. A linear pattern inflammation, redness, burning sensation, and a pain similar to a patch of burnt skin are the most obvious ways of identifying a blister beetle lesion."

"This insect is highly attracted to light and is found to linger around on the bed. When a person sleeps with the room light on, the beetle crawls on the bed and gets crushed by mistake when the victim turns in his/her sleep. The vesicant fluid off the insect gets smeared on the victim’s body and hence the inflammation is caused. Whoever sleeps with the room light on has the highest tendency of crushing a blister beetle while sleeping. Sources tell us that this insect thrives on vegetation. Therefore people living in rooms that face a tree covered valley or a forest are the most prone to be bitten."

Sourced from >> http://www.uberfolks.com/themanipaljournal.com/index.php?news=237