Queenslander Natalie Carroll was excited to celebrate her birthday when she touched down for a holiday in Bali, Indonesia last week.
Instead, her trip was derailed by an insect the size of a fingernail that left her leg covered in “excruciating” blisters and welts.
WARNING: This article contains images some readers may find graphic.
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The 24-year-old was asleep in her open-air villa when what she believed was a harmless beetle landed on her leg. Not thinking, she brushed it away.
The very next morning she spotted a red mark blooming on her thigh.
“I started to do some Googling and did come across the Tomcat [beetle] at that point,” she told 9news.com.au, but didn’t realise it was the culprit.
The mark on her leg worsened in the hours that followed, blooming into angry welts that felt almost like burns.
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“It was getting progressively worse and more painful each day. The blisters formed pretty quickly,” she said.
“I only noticed the red welts on Thursday and by Friday night I had multiple massive blisters on my leg.”
Worried, Carroll called a doctor to her villa on Friday who told her he was “90 per cent” sure the injury had been caused by a rove beetle, known locally as a Tomcat.
Measuring just 7 to 10mm in length, these black and red insects can easily be mistaken for ants and are highly toxic despite the fact they don’t bite or sting.
Instead they release an incredibly potent blistering toxin when brushed or crushed against skin, causing severe burning, stinging, itching and blistering.
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The doctor first provided Carroll with anti-inflammatory and antibiotic creams to apply to her sting, followed by an oral antibiotic when her symptoms worsened.
“I accidentally popped the blisters on Saturday and Sunday which was excruciating. Since then it began to scab up but it’s still extremely painful,” she said.
Rove beetle stings can cause scars and hyperpigmentation and though Carroll’s “not too fussed about” any long-term cosmetic concerns, the lengthy healing process has been frustrating.
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On Tuesday she shared a TikTok video about her ordeal on her account @nataliesineadd and warned other travellers about rove beetles.
The clip has since racked up close to 800,000 views.
Rove beetles are commonly found in moist habitats and often come into contact with humans at night when they migrate into homes through open doors and windows, attracted to artificial lights.
Carroll warns travellers in Indonesia to keep their doors and windows shut, avoid brushing up against plants, and seek medical attention immediately if they think they’ve been stung.
“If I hadn’t had a doctor come out the next morning, I’m not sure how much worse it could’ve gotten.”
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