What to do if a wasp or a bee has bitten

What to do if swelling and redness appeared from a bee or wasp sting depends on the complexity of the symptoms. Swelling, inflammation, red spot occur immediately after exposure poison into the blood. In some cases, the condition normalizes within a few days, in others, medical attention is required.

Differences between a bite of a wasp, a bee

Insects belong to the same class of stinging insects. The sting is a modified ovipositor, so only females bite. When the abdominal muscles contract, the sting pierces the skin, poison is instantly injected. The immune system responds to damage to the skin, the ingress of toxic substances by edema, pain, redness, swelling.

You can determine whether a wasp or a bee has bitten, according to one important feature. A bee in the wound leaves a sting, no wasp. Bee sting has notches, looks like a saw. It penetrates the body easily, but does not have the ability to move in the opposite direction. The insect makes a jerk, the sting comes off together with part of the abdomen, continues to pulsate, inject poison. Bee in a few minutes dies.

Hornet sting smooth, resembles a large needle. Freely sticks into the skin, easily removed. In one attack, the insect can sting up to 5 times, after which it flies freely.

You can find out if a wasp or a bee stung allergies. Wasp venom is stronger, more toxic. After a bite, a local allergic reaction instantly develops. If the insect stings in the neck, the poison quickly enters the bloodstream, and common allergy symptoms develop. Bee venom can cause pronounced local manifestations, rarely provokes a strong reaction. An exception is people with individual intolerance to bee venom.

On a note!

If you compare who stings more painfully - wasp, bee or bumblebee, the first place in terms of pain, danger is assigned bumblebee bitelast bee. Wasps prevail in the frequency of bites, because they differ in aggressive behavior. Any sudden movement is regarded as an encroachment on life, rush to attack.

Bite symptoms

Outwardly, the manifestations are practically no different. It is difficult to assess the degree of pain, if a wasp or a bee stings for the first time, there is nothing for a person to compare with. The bite looks like this:

• edema;
• redness;
• swelling;
• pain;
• in the center is a point with a small indentation;
• itching

A photo of a bee or wasp sting is presented below. You can carefully consider all the features of the traces of the attack of striped insects.

On a note!

If a wasp, a bee stings in the leg, injects poison into the arm, the entire limb swells. With a bite in the neck, face, tongue, the likelihood of swelling of the larynx increases. In severe cases, Quincke's edema develops. In the absence of qualified assistance, a person runs the risk of dying. If the bees have bitten or a swarm of wasps attacked, the dose of poison in the blood increases significantly, anaphylactic shock can occur.

A strong allergic reaction provokes:

• dizziness;
• headache;
• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• violation of coordination of movement;
• blurred consciousness;
• fainting;
• visual impairment;
• lowering blood pressure;
• pallor of the skin;
• narrowing of the pupil;
• difficulty breathing, shortness of breath;
• arrhythmia;
• increased sweating;
• chills.

At home, it is allowed to exercise wasp sting treatment or bees with a local allergic reaction. If there is a deterioration in well-being, difficulty breathing, the larynx swells, you need to immediately call an ambulance or go to the sanitary inspection room accompanied by other people.

First aid for a bee or wasp sting

After an insect attack, certain actions must be performed to avoid complications and reduce allergy symptoms.

1. Rinse the wound with clean cold water. The procedure will help wash away the remnants of the poison, remove dirt. At home, use laundry soap.
2. Sanitize. Use ammonia, medical, boric alcohol. As well as hydrogen peroxide, a medicinal herbal tincture of medicinal herbs.
3. Neutralize the effect of the poison. Apply vinegar, citric acid. To prepare the solution, 1 teaspoon of vinegar or 0.5 teaspoon of acid is introduced into a glass of water. They wipe the sore spot, make lotions, compresses. If it is not possible to prepare a solution, apply a piece of sugar for 5 minutes.
4. Prevent the poison from spreading. Ice cubes are applied to the bite for 5 minutes or cold objects - a bottle of water, meat from the freezer, heating pad. Cold constricts blood vessels, prevents the spread of poison, and also relieves swelling, eliminates pain.
5. Reduce inflammation. You can handle the bite with a decoction, tincture of calendula, chamomile, valerian. Or use pharmacy drugs.

With a severe allergic reaction, you need to take an antihistamine, as soon as possible. Be sure to drink the medicine with multiple bites, if the wasp, bee stings in the neck, face.

Folk remedies

Symptoms disappear completely within a week. All this time, the sore spot hurts, itches. To accelerate tissue regeneration, folk remedies are used. They are also used if it is not possible to treat the wound with professional antiseptics.

• Baking soda. Make a paste. Add a little water, mix, apply to the site of the bite until dry.
• Laundry soap. You need to smear a bite with foam. Leave on for 5 minutes.
• Plant juices. Apply celandine, dandelion, plantain, aloe vera.
• Toothpaste. For therapeutic purposes, use a hygiene product with menthol. Leave on the skin for 5 minutes. Instead of paste, shaving foam is used.
• Bow. Squeeze the juice or put on a sore spot. The tool neutralizes the poison, prevents the penetration of infection.

On a note!

Juices of potato, carrot, beetroot, lemon, grapefruit possess anti-inflammatory property. Make compresses, lotions, just wipe the wound.

Preparations with a normal reaction to a bee or wasp sting

Use a product based on natural ingredients, herbal extracts, essential oils.

• Menovazine. Produced in the form of ointment, solution. Menthol and 2 painkillers. Relief occurs at the time of application. Process up to 4 times a day.
• Calendula. Apply ointment, solution. It has anti-inflammatory, decongestant, antipruritic, disinfecting, analgesic properties.
• Star. As part of camphor balm, clove oil, mint, menthol, and other natural ingredients. The tool eliminates painful symptoms, stops inflammation, accelerates tissue regeneration. It should be smeared from redness, pain, itching, inflammation.
• Boro Plus. Antiseptic cream based on oils, extracts of herbs. It smells good, helps quickly. A universal drug is allowed to be applied, if necessary, up to 5 times a day.

If within 2 days there is no improvement in the condition of the skin, agents are used to reduce the activity of histamines.

Antihistamines

Active components reduce the level of histamine, stop the pathological process, eliminate the symptoms of allergies. Apply a thin layer twice a day. Contraindication is individual intolerance to the components. Do not use for longer than 7 days. To enhance the effect, take tablets, syrup, drops for oral administration.

Effective remedies:

• Claritin;
• Suprastin;
• Diazolin;
• Fenistil-gel;
• Psilo-balm.

The average price of 300 rubles. They are released without a prescription.

On a note!

With a strong allergic reaction, as well as if antihistamines do not help, hormones are prescribed.

Antiallergic drugs

Active substances are hormones from the group of glucocorticosteroids. They act similarly to antihistamines, but 4 times faster. They lower histamine activity, increase blood pressure, reduce vascular permeability, and eliminate external symptoms of allergies. It is forbidden to process a bite of a wasp or a bee without consulting a specialist.

Tablets for oral administration of prednisolone, dexamethasone. The dosage is selected depending on age. Adult - up to 3 pieces per day. The course of therapy depends on the complexity of the symptoms.

Ointment from bites of wasps and bees:

• Sinaflan;
• Advantan;
• Elokom;
• Hydrocortisone;
• Betamethasone;
• Triacutane.

Contraindication to use is the presence of individual intolerance to the components. The cost of hormonal drugs from 50 rubles. up to 500 rub. The cheapest hydrocortisone ointment, its price is within 50 rubles.

What should not be done

After a bite, it is forbidden to squeeze out poison, since such actions contribute to the spread of a toxic substance, the penetration of a secondary infection. It is forbidden to scratch a wound, rub for the same reason. Do not drink alcohol. Alcoholic beverages dilate blood vessels, increase blood circulation, thereby contributing to the spread of poison throughout the blood.

When pathogens enter the wound, a secondary infection develops. At the site of the bite, suppuration, sores, and inflammation increase. In this case, it is forbidden to use hormonal external agents. Treatment is carried out with local antibiotics. An effective, affordable remedy is Levomekol, Tetracycline ointment. And they also use combined hormonal agents with an antibiotic content - Elokom C, Fluorocort.

The benefits of a bite

Treatment with bees or wasps is used in alternative medicine. The poison contains substances that accelerate metabolic processes, tissue rejuvenation, cell renewal. A toxic substance reduces blood pressure, which is useful for hypertensive patients. Bee venom has an analgesic, anti-inflammatory property, therefore it is often used to treat radiculitis, vertebral hernia, and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Wasp poison has the properties to stop the development of the tumor, to renew cells. Brazilian wasp venom used in alternative medicine for the treatment of prostate cancer, gall bladder. Further studies are ongoing. Specialists hope to get an effective anti-cancer drug based on wasp venom in the future.

Specific treatment should be carried out under the supervision of specialists, self-treatment can lead to serious consequences.

On a note!

After a wasp sting, bees in the body produce antibodies that resist the development of severe allergies in the future. However, in people with impaired immune system function, addiction does not occur. Each subsequent bite is more dangerous than the previous. A vaccine is administered to prevent severe allergies. It is a purified poison, which contains a low amount of histamine.It is completely impossible to cure intolerance to wasp venom, periodically revaccination should be done.