Spider bite or mosquito bite? How to tell the difference - and when to see a doctor

These warm summer days can offer a lot of outdoor fun -- but can come with some pesky trouble.

People dealing with spider or mosquito bites often find it hard to tell the difference. And it's important to know which is which for your safety.

In the woodsy areas of Griffith Park, Jose Yakushi and his daughter take extra precautions against insects, but the creepiest of crawlers took a bite out of Jose when he was at home cleaning his garage.

"I felt something bite me in the leg and then I saw it and it was a spider," Yakushi said.

The Monterey Park resident saw the spider that bit him, but many people don't know the difference between a spider or mosquito bite.

"Mosquito bites tend to be more itchy," said board-certified dermatologist Dr. Han Lee with the Comprehensive Dermatology Center of Pasadena.

She added that spider bites may leave two tiny fang marks.

"You have to be careful in the evening, because there's a lot of spider webs hanging from the trees and hanging from your fixtures," she said.

While mosquito bites tend to be more itchy and raised, spider bites tend to be more painful. If you encounter a venomous spider, dermatologists recommend keeping it clean because it can get infected and something else.

"Venomous spiders can cause necrosis, which causes dead tissue. And they tend to be very painful, and those are the ones that you should seek medical attention for," Lee said.

"I know that black widows are pretty poisonous," said Marcus Watts of Dana Point.

Besides the black widow, other eight-legged creatures to watch out for are the wolf spider and the brown recluse.

"If you get a bite that's very painful, and swollen and becomes dark, those are the ones that can be dangerous and you need to seek medical attention for those," said Lee.

For less severe spider bites, Lee recommends over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine and cortisone cream.

"I am not a fan of spiders," said Sofia Yakushi of Monterey Park.

Fear of spiders can work in your favor.

"Try not to bother them. They won't bother you if you don't bother them," Lee said.