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There's a small insect that seems to enjoy residing near trees and takes blood meals. The pain is sharp, comparable to being stung by a wasp.

I'm located in Serbia, Eastern Europe, bordering Hungary and Romania. It's currently August, warm and very moist from the grass being regularly sprinkled.

Insect

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This is an "aphid lion", a larva of a lacewing (family Chrysopidae). They eat aphids and other small animals, not blood, but are capable of biting humans. Here is a text about that (seems reasonable even with the silly title). It also says that "When a lacewing larva bites a human, it’s likely that any persistent itch or redness is due to the saliva injected at the site of the bite" so that would explain your pain.

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  • $\begingroup$ Great! Apparently, they seem so beneficial you can't simply swat them off your person. $\endgroup$
    – Filip Dupanović
    Aug 8, 2016 at 13:38
  • $\begingroup$ yes, just keep them off your skin! $\endgroup$
    – picapica
    Aug 8, 2016 at 13:44

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