At this time of year the risk of suffering a wasp sting increases, which are more active during the summer months. The wasp sting is one of the most painful and uncomfortable that exists. The problem is becoming more and more worrying, a recent report by the Spanish Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC) warns that in the last three years deaths in Spain from bites due to these flying insects have increased .
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There are many types of sting and many types of insects that can sting us during the summer period, but without a doubt the wasp sting is the least pleasant of all.
Today we are going to learn what to do when faced with a wasp sting. We will analyze why wasps bite us, what types of wasps exist in Spain and how to cure a wasp sting with home remedies.
Why do wasps bite us
The wasp sting is not the result of the insect’s innate evil. Wasps sting us because they see in us a threat to their life. The wasp sting is a defense mechanism that is activated when the insect feels intimidated . There are two main reasons why a wasp can sting us:
- To defend their nest: sometimes we are very close to a wasp nest without realizing it. The insect detects our presence and decides to bite us to protect its territory.
- For survival: one of the mistakes we usually make in the presence of a wasp is to fuss with our arms to move it away from our side. The wasps interpret these movements as an attack on their life and they sting us to defend themselves.
Types of wasps in Spain
In Spain we can find mainly three types of wasps: The so-called common wasp, the hornet and the dreaded Asian wasp, also known in some areas as the belutine wasp . Although it is not easy to stop and analyze what type of wasp we find, there are some aspects that can help us differentiate one species from another.
- The size: This is undoubtedly the easiest aspect to identify. The common wasp is the smallest, the hornet is larger in size, and the Asian wasp is the largest of all. However, nature is capricious and sometimes these sizes are altered, so you should know other elements that will help you differentiate some wasps from others.
- The color of the thorax: The thorax of the common wasp is black, while the hornet has a brown stripe. The Asian wasp, for its part, has it yellow.
- The color of the abdomen: Regarding the color of the abdomen, the common wasp and the hornet share colors. Both species have yellow and black abdomens. However, the Asian wasp has brown addomen, except for its final part, which takes on a more orange hue.
What to do when faced with a wasp sting
When a wasp stings you, you will immediately notice pain and burning in the affected area. The first thing you should do before a wasp sting is to move away from the area, since these insects, when they bite us, release a pheromone that can incite other wasps to sting us as well.
The second thing you should do is find out if you have an allergy to wasp stings, since in that case you should go to the hospital or the nearest health center as soon as possible to avoid greater evils. There are several symptoms that can indicate if you have an allergy to wasp stings:
- Inflammation of the eyes, mouth, or any other area of the body away from the bite.
- Urticaria or hives.
- Continuous sneezing, itchy nose.
- Difficulty breathing, coughing, or wheezing in the chest.
- Dizziness, nausea, or vomiting
How to prevent a wasp sting
We have already seen that wasps sting for two main reasons: our location and the feeling of danger to your life. In the summertime, when we are most exposed to a wasp sting, there are some actions that can help us prevent such an unpleasant moment.
Stay away from any wasp nests you spot in the area. If you see a wasp near you, keep calm and do not try to scare it away, at best protect your face carefully without the insect being threatened and wait for it to leave.
Avoid areas with a lot of garbage or food scraps. Don’t drink from a can that has been open for a long time without protection. Cover your drinks with film or any element that prevents access to its interior.
If you have an allergy to wasp stings, always carry your treatment with you, when you are away from home time is money and you may not know the medical center to which you have to go.
Home remedies against wasp stings
There are some home remedies that can help you alleviate the effects of a wasp sting. Of course, we repeat that if you have an allergy to stings you should resort to the help of health professionals and take the treatment that you have scheduled.
Among the best known home remedies is to remove the stinger with a credit card and the help of tweezers. It is true that the stinger has poison and extracting it as soon as possible is the best option, but you must be careful. If you notice that you cannot go to the medical services and, if you have been able to extract it, disinfect the wound thoroughly to avoid infections.
Natural remedies against wasp stings
We go with the basic elements that we can all have at home and that can help us reduce the effects of wasp stings once the stinger is removed.
- Ice: After removing the stinger, ice helps to reduce swelling.
- Baking soda with waterto calm discomfort and reduce bruising.
- Rub garlicover the bite to reduce stinging.
- Cotton soaked in vinegar and waterfor the bite area.
- Rub lemonon the area to neutralize some of the poison that has remained.
- Aloe vera is valid for almost everything and in this case it could not be less. Rub the liquid from the plant against the woundand you will notice how the healing process accelerates.
