Like a mosquito bite crossword

Mosquito bites annoy - yet they fill a clear place in nature. The small insect works as a pollen carrier and becomes food for fish, birds plus bats. An itch now and then is part of the price for that service. The itch starts when the insect's spit enters the skin. Human skin treats the spit as an intruder but also releases histamine. The histamine turns the spot red, raised and itchy. The swelling is not sickness - it is the body's way to wall off the spit as well as push it out. Cool cloth laid on the bite dulls the itch. Drugstore creams that hold menthol or hydrocortisone do the same. Scratching drags germs into the skin and can turn a small itch into a larger sore. Leave the bite alone or it fades within a few days. Mosquitoes remain a needed piece of the living world. A cool cloth a dab of cream and a calm mind let us live with the brief itch also still respect the insect's place outdoors.