Newsletter
A short, calm note on what's biting, blooming, and stinging across the Peninsula. Read past issues below or subscribe to get the next one.
Winter is when pet dander, yard mold, and trail debris concentrate indoors. If someone in the house is itching and no one has been bitten, the source may be on the dog's coat or in the mudroom mat.
Children's skin reacts differently to bites, plants, and creams. A short guide to safer choices for the small set, and the one ingredient to avoid under age two.
Two classic itch treatments, two very different jobs. A simple decision chart for the medicine cabinet so you reach for the right bottle.
Dish soap, dedicated urushiol washes, and laundry tricks. What actually removes the oil, what does not, and what to keep in the shed before spring yard work.
The drugstore shelf is full of pink bottles, steroid creams, and numbing gels. Here is what each one actually does, when to use it, and what to skip.
June on Delmarva brings mosquitoes, ticks, poison ivy, and the first heat rash of summer. Here is how to tell a true bug bite from a plant rash or heat irritation - and why the difference matters for treatment.
Water temps are climbing and the nettles are thick in the middle Bay. A calm sting protocol, the one thing not to do, and how to know if it is a nettle or a jellyfish.
That itchy rash that appears a day after a freshwater swim is not chlorine burn and it is not a jellyfish sting. Swimmer's itch is a harmless but annoying reaction to tiny parasites in shallow Bay water - and it is very common in late summer.
September beach days on Delmarva are some of the best of the year - but the combination of sun, salt, sand friction, and leftover sunscreen can leave you with a rash you did not expect. Here is what it is and what helps.
True poison oak is rare on Delmarva, but plenty of October plants get blamed for it. Here is what is actually causing the rash, and how to tell the lookalikes apart before you reach for the loppers.
The leaves are gone but the urushiol is not. November yard cleanup is one of the sneakiest ways Delmarva folks pick up a poison ivy rash, often days after they thought the danger was over.
Most years chiggers are done by Thanksgiving on Delmarva, but a warm December lets them hang on in the tall grass at the edge of the yard. If you got bitten on a hunt or a brushy walk this month, this is what is going on.
They are not really a January bug on Delmarva, but a warm snap on the marsh edge can wake them up - and travelers heading to Florida or the Caribbean this month bring stories home. Here is what they are, and what actually helps.
It is still cold, but the buckets, tarps, and clogged gutters that will hatch April's first mosquitoes are filling up right now. A short pre-season pass saves a lot of bites later.
An unusually mild February has lone star ticks moving in southern Delmarva woodlots. What to wear, what to spray, and the one laundry trick that actually helps.
Why your skin can itch even without a rash this month, plus an honest take on antihistamines, oat baths, and when to call a clinician.
Greenhead fly season on the marsh edge - what works, what doesn't, and which beach days to skip if you're sensitive to bites.
Salinity is up, water temps are up, and the nettles are showing in middle Chesapeake. A simple sting kit and a calm post-swim routine.
Seasonal itch warnings, practical prevention tips, and calm relief guidance for bites, poison ivy, beach itch, stings, heat rash, dry skin, and allergy-related itch across Delmarva.
