Twenty-one-year-old Jordan Lingle wasn’t expecting to get his entire back eaten by mosquitoes when he found the perfect hiding spot for a game of capture the flag with his friends. But as he crouched near a river at the edge of a field in Indiana, that’s exactly what happened.

His mother posted the photo evidence on Facebook, where it was then picked up by Reddit, garnering thousands of responses.

Jordan Linge
"Jordan just came in from jogging and said I think I got a few mosquito bites while I was running!!!!!" Tracy Sacks Lingle, Jordan's mother, writes on her Facebook. Facebook
Jordan Lingle
Jordan Lingle, center, is outdoorsy but has seasonal allergies, which is possibly what contributed to the mosquito bites swelling. Facebook

Lingle described the attack to BuzzFeed Life, noting that “All of a sudden I felt like I was being attacked by mosquitoes everywhere on my body, especially on my back. But I didn’t want to move from my spot because I was hidden super well. So I tried fending them off, then I realized there was a complete swarm of mosquitoes around me and it got unbearable, so I drove home.”

By the time he got home, his back was itching so badly “it felt like my skin was peeling,” he told BuzzFeed Life. His mother, worried that it was much worse than just mosquito bites, posted the picture on Facebook, where her nurse friend noted it might be an allergic reaction to the bites. Fortunately, the swelling has gone down over the past several days, and Jordan is completely healthy.

Jordan Lingle
Lingle's tale of terror will perhaps spur the rest of us to proceed into nature with caution, and come prepared with bug repellent. Facebook

While mosquito bites are generally harmless, the pesky insects are notorious for their disease-carrying tendencies. It’s unlikely you’ll be hit with the chikungunya or West Nile virus in Indiana, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. That’s because mosquitoes are equipped with three sensors — olfactory, visual, and thermal — to target humans and suck their blood, so they're pretty good at tracking you down.

A recent Consumer Reports review on bug repellents found that the most effective product was Sawyer Fisherman’s Formula, which was able to fend off mosquitoes and ticks for eight hours. The runner-up was Repel Lemon Eucalyptus. Both products contained 20 percent picaridin and 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus. So before you go outside this summer, douse yourself in these bug sprays to keep the mosquitoes away.