>>>My wife was lucky........
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>>>While we were dating she was bitten. It also started small and got worse. The good news is that when she did finally get to an emergency room they diagnosed it correctly the first time. They told her that one more day's delay would probably, and two days certainly, would have been fatal. Fortunately, other than the memory there was no long term effect.
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>>>I was also lucky........
>>>I'm allergic to fire ants. I had one episode in Orlando that wasn't too bad (other than collapsing and being taken to the hospital). Another in Texas was worse. FL fire ants are red while in TX they are black. I wasn't worried because I didn't see any red ants. I didn't feel the bites and was driving when the attack hit. I knew what it was and was able to get off the road. As I was walking to phone for help I fainted and woke up once while the cop was trying to talk to me, once in the ambulance, and finally in the emergency room. I, too, was lucky in the sense that these were common enough occurances that the medical staff knew exactly how to treat it.
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>>Orlando and Texas. Two places that the Air Force sent me to where I could enjoy the weather and bugs! :)
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>>I remember those tiny black ants in Orlando - you know the ones that all by themselves would try to take you to their home to introduce you to their family? Man those little creatures could sure get your attention.
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>>I had better stop my bug list here as it is very long! :)
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>Don't forget the cucarachas. (Technically, palmetto bugs). One year when I was living in Orlando I left for the holidays without emptying the kitchen trash. By the time I got back I was innkeeper to about a million of them.
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>They had turned the refrigerator around to face the wall. I swear I am not making this up.

Those suckers were 6 inches long! While in the Air Force (age 17), I was at my work center while no one else was there. We had concrete floors. I heard a noise in the next room and it was one of those 6 inch critters running in circles. I opened a small can of varnish, doused the critter and lit it with a match.

Next day my NCOIC came in and said, “What happened”? I looked innocent and the event went no further. All that remained of the critter was a black mess inscribing many circles on the concrete floor.

I have lots of critter stories! :)