UNIVERSITY
HEALTH SERVICE

Insect Bites and Stings

Insects that typically cause more troublesome reactions are bees, wasps, hornets, jallow jackets and fire ants. Insects that generally cause milder reactions are mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, and some spiders. The reactions result from the injection of venom or other substance into the skin. The symptoms of mild reactions are itching or stinging sensation, and mild swelling. These symptoms disappear within a day or so. Some reactions are delayed, which can cause fever, painful joints, hives, and swollen glands. A small percentage of people develop severe reactions to insect venom. The symptoms for severe reactions are facial swelling, difficulty breathing, weakness, dizziness, and shock.

For mild reactions:

• Move to a safe area to avoid more stings.
• Gently scrape out the stinger as soon as possible. Use a credit card or a fingernail. (This applies to bees only; yellow jackets, wasps and hornets don't lose their stingers.)
• Don't pull the stinger out with your fingers or tweezers.
• Clean the sting area with soapy water or disinfectant.
• To reduce pain, put a cold compress on the sting.
• Keep the sting area lower than the level of the heart.
• Apply 0.5 percent or 1 percent hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion or a baking soda paste to the sting area several times a day until your symptoms subside.

For severe reactions:

Call for emergency medical assistance or dial 911 if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of lips or throat
• Faintness
• Confusion
• Rapid Heartbeat
• Hives
• Nausea, cramps, and vomiting

While waiting for emergency transportation:

• Have the person lie down
• If unconcious and breathing, lay the person on his or her left side to allow drainage from the mouth
• If there's no breathing, movement, or response to touch, begin CPR
• Check to see if the person is carrying an allergy kit containing epinephrine. Follow instructions on the kit