Are bites harmful? Is a wasp sting dangerous? How wasp venom works

Insect bites do not always go away without a trace. Even a harmless allergic reaction to a midge, according to experts, can lead to negative consequences. To avoid them, you need to be able to provide first aid to the victim in a timely manner and distinguish between the types of bites. Help to understand these difficult issues this article will help.

How dangerous are insect bites?

Mosquitoes, bees, midges and other individuals can cause not only a serious allergic reaction in the body, but also cause other pathological changes in a person’s well-being due to a bite. For example, mosquitoes are considered carriers of dangerous diseases. Such infections like malaria, zika fever, etc.

Photo of a bee sting

Experts recommend not to be tolerant of mosquitoes. Under no circumstances should you allow an insect bite if it can be prevented. When, after contact with an individual, a person’s temperature begins to rise, fever, and increased sweating appear, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help.

Midges appear in early summer and make themselves known through itching and swelling. An allergic reaction to a bite is due to the fact that the midge's saliva is poisonous. Itching and swelling may accompany a person for several weeks. The midge is dangerous because it causes strong feeling burning at the site of the bite. The victim begins to scratch the affected area, which often leads to an infectious infection.

The most dangerous insects are considered. Not all species of individuals have been fully studied; their bites can lead to irreparable consequences for the body, including disability and death. Most often, people are susceptible to an illness that can cause negative distress nervous system – tick-borne encephalitis. The disease is very dangerous. Doctors and infectious disease specialists recommend timely vaccination to prevent infection.

Wasps, hornets, and bees are famous for their ability to cause severe allergic reactions to their stings. It is manifested by pain, itching and severe swelling. The hornet is dangerous to humans; it can inject poison during contact, which will subsequently lead to. The result of such exposure to the insect sometimes becomes pulmonary edema, shortness of breath, and suffocation.

Experts advise treating insects more responsibly, taking all preventative measures and providing first aid to the victim. Measures taken in time can save a person’s life.

To react correctly to a situation, you need to know features insect bites.

How can you tell which insect has bitten you?

Among dangerous insects There are more than twenty, but the most common are mosquitoes, midges, wasps, hornets, bees, ticks, bedbugs, etc. Sometimes it is not easy to determine which insect bite led to a skin allergy. If a person is able to identify the insect that has bitten the victim, he is able to provide first aid correctly.

Comparative characteristics of insect bites can be seen in the table below.

Insect	Body reaction, distinctive signs of a bite
Mosquito	Specific swelling occurs at the site of the bite. It is located around the circumference of a tiny skin incision. Itching and swelling from a mosquito bite lasts on average 3-5 days. On the second day, the redness disappears, after which the itching gradually disappears.
	The swelling is not severe and goes away quickly enough if you do not disturb the wound by scratching.
Midge	The insect's saliva contains an anesthetic substance, so a midge bite can be easily distinguished from a mosquito bite by the gradual appearance of itching. Swelling may occur immediately, burning and itching a little later, when the mosquito bite almost immediately begins to itch very much.
	Distinctive signs of contact with midges are: redness in the affected area, severe itching and burning, large swelling, the appearance of wounds and blisters at the affected site.
	Associated symptoms (less common): increased (slightly) body temperature, surges in blood pressure, headache, drowsiness, purulent inflammation.
Bees, hornets, wasps	A clear distinguishing sign is the appearance of sharp, immediate and severe pain. It occurs as a result of the penetration of the individual’s venom into the skin. Pain syndrome can cause serious ailments that a person has to take painkillers.
	The disease is also distinguished by the following symptoms: the center of the affected area always has a pale outline, and severe swelling and redness forms around it.
	Contact with these insects can sometimes cause severe allergies in the form of: headache, dizziness, convulsions, Quincke's edema, swelling throughout the body, cardiac arrest (with several bites).
Bedbugs	Humans are most often exposed to bed bugs. They begin to be active at night. Therefore, the first sign of a bite is the appearance of an allergic reaction the next morning.
	On initial stage Specific small red spots appear on the skin. Only the next day do obvious symptoms appear in the form of swelling, itching and severe redness.
Ticks	The distinctive sign of a bite in 90% of cases is the detection of the insect itself at the site of the lesion. He stays to get his fill of blood. An individual can be found in groin area, under the arms, behind the ears, on the stomach, on the neck, etc. Almost always, ticks choose hard-to-reach places.
	The bite manifests itself in the form of severe weakness, increased body temperature, tachycardia, and headache. A nagging, unpleasant pain begins to appear at the site where the tick attaches.
Spiders	Spiders rarely harm humans. They are, as a rule, harmless individuals. However, some types of insects can harm a healthy body with just one contact. Such poisonous creatures include the black widow spider. A bite can cause severe allergies, skin necrosis, and poisoning.
	The bite of a “black widow” and other poisonous spiders is often accompanied by vomiting, nausea, intoxication, and aches throughout the body.
Linen lice	Often the bites of these individuals are compared to bed bugs. Often only a competent specialist can determine the distinctive features. Distinctive feature severe itching and the ability to develop pediculosis are considered.
Fleas	It is generally accepted that fleas bite and settle on the animal’s body. Infectious disease experts recommend being wary of infected domestic or wild animals, since individuals are capable of producing dangerous bite, leading to a number of negative consequences.
	Obvious signs include: localization of bites (ankles, knees, abdomen, armpits, calves), redness, itching, swelling.
Ants	There are several types of ants. Some of them do not leave pain or discomfort after the bite. Others will cause the development of pustules and red spots.
	Symptoms of ant bites include small red spots, itching, and the formation of pustules.
Scorpion	Bites differ depending on the species. The reaction is considered the same, it is accompanied severe pain, burning and itching, the strength of the symptoms differs. The disease provokes symptoms: swelling, itching, burning, swelling, tachycardia, nausea, cramps, numbness.

spider bite in photo

Note! Bites from all of these insects can be extremely dangerous. If they begin to be accompanied by a severe allergic reaction or fever, you should immediately consult a doctor.

There are standard general rules providing first aid for insect bites. You should also know them. They are divided depending on the symptoms. Doctors recommend following the following steps when providing first aid after an insect bite:

1. To relieve swelling, you need to apply something cold (it can be any metal object) on problem area. Next, medical alcohol or an antiseptic is applied. After disinfection, a special ointment is applied to the location of the bite. Today, the following remedies for insect bites are popular: Fenistil, Trimistin gel, Rescuer.
2. Treating the wound with an alcohol solution, applying an ointment compress (listed above), and taking antihistamines will help get rid of a dense formation in the form of a lump.
3. Antihistamines can relieve itching. At any pharmacy you can buy Zodak drops, Suprastin, Loratadine, Tavegil tablets. Lotions based on a baking soda solution also help relieve itching.

Good to know! Every person in home medicine cabinet there should be an antihistamine (Zodak, Zyrtec, Suprastin, Loratadine, Tavegil, etc.). It saves the situation before the ambulance arrives, when the victim has severe swelling of the larynx or a serious allergic reaction.

Complications after insect bites

An insect bite is almost always accompanied. It manifests itself in the form of swelling, itching, elevated temperature body in the affected area, pain, sometimes rash. With this manifestation, experts do not recommend special therapy, since the symptoms usually disappear after a few days.

The following manifestations indicating complications may be an alarm signal:

• low pressure;
• severe itching;
• great swelling;
• increased body temperature;
• hyperemia,
• labored breathing,
• swelling of the entire face, larynx;
• dizziness,
• sudden severe headaches;
• unbearable pain.

If a person exhibits the listed signs, doctors recommend urgently seeking help from specialists.

First aid, provided in a timely manner for complications, plays an important role for recovery and a positive result in treatment. Not all symptoms may occur together. The victim is usually tormented by one, two or three ailments. They can appear all at once, or have an extended nature, when one ailment is replaced by another.

First aid for insect bites

As mentioned above, when providing first aid, it is recommended to diagnose the bite. This is necessary in order to take the correct measures to address the problem. Bites different insects require certain actions.

The table below will help you understand how to provide first aid to a victim with a certain type of bite.

Type of bite	First aid
Komariny	A mosquito bite can fester. This is the most common complication of the disease. To help a person. It is necessary to treat a purulent wound ammonia. It can be replaced by a solution of soda and water in a ratio of ½ to 1 glass.
Kleshchevoy	Note! It is strictly not recommended to treat a tick bite yourself! A person can only provide first aid, if necessary, until the ambulance arrives or goes to the hospital independently. It consists of the following: mandatory elimination of the cause of the disease – the tick. The bite site is immediately lubricated with oil, and the insect is removed using tweezers. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the individual’s head does not remain in the wound.
Bee	If a person is bitten by a bee, hornet or wasp, the insect sting should be removed. This can be done by applying a tampon to the affected area in a solution of alcohol and water in a ratio of 1:5.
	Traditional recipes recommend applying compresses from milky dandelion juice to relieve swelling. The patient was prescribed rest, plenty of fluids and antihistamines.
Midges	This type of bite manifests itself in the form of severe swelling during complications and, in rare cases, Quincke's edema. In case of the latter, emergency medical assistance and the use of an antihistamine are necessary.
	If you are bitten by midges, to eliminate serious consequences you should wipe the wounds with alcohol and apply ice.
Klopov	If you suspect bed bug bites, you should thoroughly wash the wounds with soapy water and an antibacterial agent. Cold is applied to the affected areas for a short time, several times within an hour. These actions help relieve itching and swelling.
Scorpio	First aid consists of a number of actions. The first is to eliminate the causes of the disease - poison. You should try to suck it out from the wound using a small incision, or try to cauterize the affected area and apply cold. Next, the wound is treated with an antiseptic solution; ordinary alcohol or vodka may be suitable. The patient is given a tight bandage over the bite and adjacent areas to the wound.
	If possible, it is necessary to inject the affected area with adrenaline or novocaine as quickly as possible, followed by an injection of atropine. These actions will help deliver the patient to the emergency room and slow down the effect of the poison.

First aid often saves a person’s life when it comes to a poisonous insect bite. Knowing the rules for providing medical emergency care, you can try to independently relieve the patient of severe pain, swelling, severe allergic reaction and deliver him to specialists.

Preventive measures

Prevention of insect bites helps prevent unwanted consequences that may occur as a result of contact with pathogenic individuals. It is worth observing them especially when it comes to small children. Often parents take their children on vacation, into nature, but forget about safety rules. As a result, children are admitted to the hospital with swelling and allergies to insect bites.

Every adult should remember the basic rules of behavior in nature in order to avoid contact with unpleasant insects. They are as follows:

• It is better to choose a place to relax away from a body of water (rivers, lakes, etc.);
• be sure to use repellents or other insect repellents;
• It is advisable not to overdress open clothes(many insects love White color and bright shades);
• During your rest, be sure to carefully check the surrounding area to see if there is an ant or wasp nest nearby;
• Do not leave sweet foods on the table, or drink a drink from a can (if it has been left open for some time without supervision);
• Women should not wear floral or fruity scents when going outdoors or on vacation; it is better to generally do without deodorants and perfume;
• try to tuck your jacket or shirt into your pants, and your pants into your socks, and put on a hat;
• It is best to take care of purchasing a mosquito net;
• before going to sleep outdoors in a tent, you should check it for the presence of individuals;
• Don't walk barefoot on the grass.

Every person should follow the listed rules while on vacation, teach the child to follow them, then you won’t have to be afraid of insect bites. Properly selected insect repellents can help avoid bites.

Insect repellents

When leaving home, you should take care of the safety of your skin; it must be protected from insect bites. The following tools will help to accomplish this; they are listed in the table below and distributed depending on age characteristics and operating principle.

For whom	By what means
Children's ointments, creams (approved for use up to 3 years)	cream "Taiga"
	spray, emulsion or cream “Our Mother”
	"Mosquidosis" in the form of cream, spray
	"Gardex Baby" repellent
	Green factor milk
	"Moskitol" baby milk, cream
	cream “My sunshine”
Fumigators (children)	Mosquitol
	Nekusayka
	Sissy
Natural remedies for children under one year old	essential oils of clove, eucalyptus (insects do not like these scents if you apply them to the stroller in moderate amount, you don’t have to worry about the invasion of moksha and mosquitoes)
	vanillin (mix baby cream with a small amount of confectionery product)
	use mosquito net for strollers during nature walks
Sprays, aerosols for adults	spray "OZZ"
	"Contra" spray lotion
	aerosol "Atas"
	spray "Off"
	aerosol "Reftamid"
	spray "Gardex"
Creams, milk for adults	"Contra" gel, cream
	milk "Gardex"
	"Moskitol" cream
Fumigators	Raid
	Mosquitol
	Raptor
	Fumitox

Insect bites should be taken seriously; they can cause serious harm to the body. Every person should be able to provide first aid to the victim in order to alleviate his condition and try to avoid a serious allergic reaction of the body. In nature, you should take all precautions, especially for small children. At the first sign of complications, you should urgently seek medical help.

• Is a wasp sting beneficial for humans or is it more misconception than truth;
• How can a wasp sting be harmful, especially for people prone to allergies;
• The composition of wasp venom and the characteristics of its effect on the human body.

So, how is a wasp sting useful and can the venom of this insect generally have a positive effect on the human body? Generally speaking, the answer to this question is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. And the “first glance” here is this: due to the similarity of the compositions of wasp and bee venoms, many fans of apitherapy (treatment of diseases using bee products - including bee venom) are inclined to believe that wasp stings are useful, and that their venom can be used in fight against various diseases.

According to this version, an obstacle to wide practical application wasp venom is only the difficulty of obtaining raw materials: if bee venom can be obtained in apiaries almost in unlimited quantities, then to obtain wasp poison you will need to look for wild nests and catch the insects themselves. Or somehow organize mass construction and colonization of nests with wasps - this technology has not been worked out and seems quite problematic.

But is a wasp sting really beneficial? Despite the fact that the composition of the venom of this insect has been quite well studied, and scientists know how it acts on different tissues and organs, the final benefits and harms of a wasp sting for a person are almost always determined by the individual characteristics of the body of the bitten person - the response of his immune system.

For example, it is widely known that many people are highly sensitive to insect bites in general, and to hymenoptera bites in particular. Do you think a wasp sting will be harmful to them? Practice shows that for such people even a single bite will not only be harmful, but may even be fatal.

An important feature of wasp venom is its high allergenicity, sometimes leading to life-threatening edema and anaphylactic shock in sensitized people.

The main components of wasp venom:

• histamine, which contributes to the development of allergic reactions;
• phospholipases are special enzymes that destroy the cell walls of various tissues, as well as blood cells, as a result of which a large amount of their contents is released into the blood (in particular, additional histamine is released from mast cells, which greatly increases allergies);
• hyaluronidase, which also destroys cell membranes and leads to the development of inflammation at the site of the bite;
• acetylcholine, which plays an important role in the conduction of nerve impulses;
• a hyperglycemic factor leading to an increase in blood sugar.

It is worth noting that different wasps have their own specific composition of poison. For example, the venom of hornets, the largest wasps, contains special polypeptides mastoparana and crabroline. These substances also cause the victim's mast cells to break down and release more histamine.

On a note

In some countries, such as Japan, China and the United States, more people die each year from hornet bites than from poisonous snake bites. And in Japan, hornets cause more deaths than all the wild animals of this country combined.

According to unconfirmed data, regular wasp stings (like bee stings) are useful in that they help increase the amount of hemoglobin in the blood and reduce cholesterol levels, and dilate blood vessels.

Action small quantities Wasp venom on the human body often leads to some intensification of the victim’s breathing, increased heart rate and increased blood flow to the bitten organ. In more severe cases, severe swelling, subcutaneous hemorrhages, heart pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, confusion, vomiting are observed - there is no need to talk about any benefit from the bite.

Developing resistance to wasp and bee stings using wasp venom

A useful application of wasp venom is to immunize people against bites. Hymenoptera insects(such people, if they are not provided with timely competent help, could easily die from even one sting of a wasp or hornet).

To do this, allergy sufferers who are hypersensitive to insect bites are injected into the blood in small doses with a drug based on purified and processed wasp venom, in which the concentration of allergens is reduced. After such a vaccination, a person’s level of antibodies temporarily increases, neutralizing toxins in the event of a bite.

“I read somewhere that a person can even die from a wasp sting. I can't even believe it. As a child, I was often stung by wasps and bees, and nothing more serious than just a bump for a couple of days ever happened. Two years ago I worked as a driver and spent the whole summer transporting several apiaries across the fields, and then selling honey from them to stores. There I was bitten by bees a lot, but by the end of summer I didn’t notice their bites at all. Well, that is, if it bites, it hurts, but after that I pull out the sting and that’s it. After a couple of minutes I can’t even remember where she bit. And such protection remains. Just recently I was stung by a wasp on the balcony - the result was the same, there wasn’t even a tumor.”

Sergey, Zelenograd

It is important to note that wasp stings themselves should in no case be considered as a means of strengthening one’s immunity. For sensitized people who react acutely to insect bites, such an independent natural “vaccination” can be deadly. All procedures for allergy sufferers are carried out only in clinics under the supervision of doctors.

Can wasp venom be used as a treatment against cancer?

Really serious to use beneficial properties wasp poison came up in Spain. Just recently, a group of scientists from the Barcelona Institute of Biomedical Research published the results of experiments in which components of wasp venom were used to kill cancer cells.

The idea of ​​using wasp venom in this way is well understood: if its components successfully destroy the walls of ordinary cells, as well as blood cells, then they can also destroy cancer cells. The task was only to force the toxins to selectively act on cells - to destroy cancerous ones, but not to touch healthy ones.

In test tube experiments, scientists were able to “glue” the molecules of the individual components of wasp venom with a special protein that could only connect to the surface of the cancer cell. As a result, such a tandem safely passed by all the healthy cells in the culture and immediately stuck to the cancer cell that came across its path. This was followed by the destruction of the cancer cell membrane and its death.

All these encouraging results are just the beginning of a long journey. The next step is to test a drug made from bee toxin and a special transport protein on mice.

Harm from a wasp sting

It is much easier to explain why a wasp sting is harmful than to find useful ones among its properties. So, for example, after a wasp sting:

• swelling and inflammation develop, soft tissue cells and blood vessel walls are destroyed;
• the victim suffers from pain, which usually turns into itching at the site of the bite;
• sometimes body temperature rises, slight malaise is observed;
• an allergic reaction may develop, the consequences of which will have varying severity in different people- from urticaria and headaches to serious intoxication, Quincke's edema and even anaphylactic shock.

Wasp stings are also harmful because they often cause so-called sensitization - increased sensitivity to subsequent stings. This means that if the first wasp bite passed without serious complications, then subsequent ones can cause more and more severe allergic reactions, up to the almost instantaneous development of Quincke's edema, asphyxia, anaphylactic shock and death.

This is interesting

There is a popular belief that exactly nine is enough for a person to die. Each of these bites - no matter how much time has passed between them - will have more and more serious consequences. And after the ninth the person will die. Therefore, hornets are sometimes also called nines.

Of course, like everyone else folk signs, this is also quite conditional: in many people, with frequent wasp stings, on the contrary, they develop immunity; in others, sensitization proceeds very slowly, so even more than a dozen bites with long intervals between them will not lead to dangerous consequences. But the large number of allergy sufferers for whom wasp stings are extremely dangerous indicates that, in general, such attacks are quite harmful.

It is also worth noting that multiple bites wasps that attack in swarms can lead to subcutaneous and internal hemorrhages, necrosis, and lesions internal organs, sometimes to failure of the kidneys - in such situations, even without any tendency to allergies, a person’s life can be at risk.

Different wasps - different bites

There are more than 22,000 species of wasps in the world, and each of them has venom with its own specific properties.

So, the bite of some road wasps is considered the second most painful among all insect bites in general(Tropical bullet ant bite comes first).

And giant hornet bites can cause extensive necrosis and internal hemorrhages. That is why, without indicating the specific species, it is impossible to say unambiguously how useful or harmful a wasp sting is.

This is interesting

The size of a wasp does not always directly correlate with the strength and harm of its poison. Huge Scolia wasps bite barely harder than a mosquito, since their venom is designed not to repel, but to paralyze prey. Conversely, some small German wasps, also called velvet ants, bite much more painfully than ordinary paper wasps.

So, in general, it is still impossible to say that wasp stings are useful. In most cases, these stings cause unpleasant and painful sensations, which in many people threaten to develop into a far from harmless allergic reaction. And even if you personally feel some benefit from wasp stings, it’s hardly worth uncontrollably recommending such therapy to your friends and acquaintances: who knows how their body will react to the second, third... or ninth bite...

Interesting video about the high danger of wasp and hornet bites for human health

About the benefits of bee stings and apitherapy

On a note:

The bites themselves can cause various diseases and disorders, not to mention the fact that these little vampires can deprive you of proper sleep and rest!

In order to live and reproduce, bed bugs, like all living creatures, need adequate nutrition.
And as you know, house bugs feed primarily human blood, and with their bites they can turn life into a real nightmare, not only at night, depriving them of proper sleep and rest, but also during the day, since the bite sites often itch and itch, thereby causing a tense nervous state.

Feedback from our readers:

“Like all newlyweds, after getting married, we decided to live separately. My wife and I looked at an apartment and rented it. And not cheap! And there are bedbugs! Out of inexperience, my wife thought it was cockroaches. In general, we often didn’t get enough sleep, became nervous and irritable, lashed out at each other over trifles, and almost got divorced! As soon as we changed housing, our life improved))) It’s good that we didn’t bring it with us to new apartment this abomination, otherwise you’ll sit and wonder where the bugs come from in the house...”

Denis, Khabarovsk

On a note:

If you feel a bug bite, then it is most likely its larva, since it does not have a sufficient amount of the enzyme that is responsible for painless bites.

Bedbug bite photo

The photo clearly shows how the bug bit. The thing is that one bug bites several times during one feeding, thereby leaving a kind of line of bites on the skin. Having bitten once, the insect moves a short distance and bites again, and so on until it is satisfied. This nature of the bites indicates that it was a bed bug that bit. On average, one bloodsucker is capable of leaving 5 to 7 bites on the victim’s body.

People who are susceptible to allergic reactions, such a neighborhood can face such consequences as: constantly itchy blisters, which, when healing, can leave unsightly scars on the body. Also, if you scratch the bites, a secondary infection may join the wounds, causing severe pustular inflammation on the skin, requiring special treatment in the future. This is especially true for small children who simply cannot tolerate it!

If a person has increased individual sensitivity, then the allergic reaction can turn from a normal rash into a headache with nausea, fever and swollen lymph nodes.

In general, bed bugs significantly reduce the quality of life, causing quite a bit of trouble and trouble with their presence, especially by biting children!

What is the danger of bedbugs for children?

For children, the danger of bed bugs lies primarily in the fact that due to immaturity skin the itching turns out to be especially painful and unbearable, and if an allergic reaction begins, it usually becomes protracted and difficult to treat. This is explained by the fact that the child’s immune system is still developing.

It is known that multiple bites over a long period of time can cause iron deficiency anemia in children. Therefore, if you suspect blood-sucking bedbugs at home, immediately begin the fight against them, especially since today there are many means for this!

Do bedbugs carry diseases?

In addition to all of the above, there is an assumption that bedbugs are capable of transmitting various infectious diseases. First of all, this concerns the immunodeficiency virus.

Scientists have conducted research on this matter and have experimentally proven that bedbugs can accumulate viral particles of this disease in their digestive tract. However, the immunodeficiency virus itself does not multiply in the body of the bug and does not even linger for long and is excreted along with the insect’s feces.

In addition to the immunodeficiency virus, bedbugs are capable of carrying pathogens and many other infectious diseases in their bodies. First of all this:

• Tularemia
• Leprosy
• Typhus
• Q fever
• Relapsing fever
• Filariasis
• Leishmaniasis
• Syphilis
• Tuberculosis
• Yellow fever
• Hepatitis B

Being carriers of such serious diseases, during the entire period of research, scientists have also not identified a single case of transmission of infection from one person to another through the bite of these insects.

This is interesting:

The tropics are home to insects known as triatomine bugs, which have the ability to transmit Chagas disease, which is caused by a protozoan called Trypanosomes. On early stages the disease hardly shows itself at all. Many people do not even know that they are sick. And only in 30% of the population the causative agent of this disease causes serious health problems. A bedbug can also be a carrier of this disease without having the ability to transmit infection.

How bed bugs affect a person’s psychological state

The consequence of constant lack of sleep is not only the depletion of the nervous system: at the same time, a person becomes irritable and aggressive, but on top of that, decreased protective forces body, which provokes frequent illnesses and even the development of nervous tics.

If you are stung by a wasp, it will be painful, and your body may react incorrectly. The composition of wasp venom is almost no different from bee venom. After long studies of toxic substances, scientists have established that wasp venom is more allergenic and more often causes dangerous allergic reactions in the body. As you already understand, we will talk about the effect of wasp venom on a person through a bite.

What are the benefits of wasp stings?

Is there any benefit from a wasp sting? Can the poison have a beneficial effect? Let's look at the benefits of a wasp sting for humans.

It is impossible to answer unequivocally. Due to the fact that bee and wasp venoms are similar in composition, those who like to use bee products as medicine think that a wasp sting is as beneficial as a bee sting, and their venom can help against diseases.

If we follow this hypothesis, then the only difficulty before the practical use of wasp toxic substances in medicine is that the raw materials are very difficult to obtain. Bees are specially bred and their venom can be obtained using an established method in an apiary in large quantities, and for the poison of the wasps you will need to climb into the found nest for the poison. Second option: organizing mass construction of nests is possible. They can be populated with wasps. But this method has been little studied, and problems may arise.

Scientists have studied the poisonous substances of the wasp and imagine how they behave with various organs and tissues. The effect of the poison, its usefulness or damage directly depend on the reaction of the organism itself to the bite. In the end, even doctors and toxicologists have not made a final decision on whether wasp stings are beneficial. The poison contains many stimulating and tonic components, substances that stimulate metabolism, but their isolation is difficult and unreasonable, because now safer analogues can be found on the market.

The main benefit of wasps is their intensive pollination of plants in the spring together with bees. They are involved in the transfer of pollen from one flower to another, searching for nectar. Thanks to their significant contribution, the level of productivity increases.

In addition, thanks to wasps, it becomes fewer insects that eat fruits or plants. They exterminate pests such as aphids, flies, fleas, caterpillars, bedbugs and others. One individual can destroy up to three dozen pests per day.

And yet, does wasp venom bring benefits or not? A bite will not bring any benefit to a person. But doctors officially use wasp venom. It is used in the manufacture of special vaccines for those susceptible to allergies and in products that are intended to reduce sensitivity to poisons and bites.

The products are removed in the spring, when striped hymenoptera begin to attack. If a person is given the vaccine, he will become immune to wasp venom. That is, the body will not react to the bite.

And in Europe, scientists are researching wasp venom as a drug that can treat cancerous tumors. And there remains hope that they will one day achieve a positive result.

Why are wasp stings harmful?

Wasp venom can do more harm than benefit. It contains allergenic components that are unsafe to the human body. These substances may lead to:

• to increased temperature and mild malaise;
• to difficulty breathing;
• to urticaria;
• to inflammation and swelling;
• to a headache.

The damage from a wasp sting also lies in the sensitization it can cause. This is an increased sensitivity to subsequent bites. In other words, when the first bite causes a serious reaction, subsequent bites will lead to severe complications and death. A large number of bites leads to subcutaneous hemorrhage, necrosis and damage to internal organs, and kidney failure may occur.

The common opinion regarding the question of whether a wasp dies after a sting is that it dies is erroneous. She has a smooth sting that easily comes out of the skin. Therefore, she can sting as much as she wants.

In the most severe cases, a wasp sting may be accompanied by confusion and Quincke's edema. The bitten area will begin to rapidly swell, and if at first the size of the tumor is small, then later they increase, and the entire limb may swell.

The worst and main danger of a wasp sting is anaphylactic shock. This is how the organisms of people who are very sensitive to wasp venom react. A person can die due to anaphylactic shock. It develops at an incredible speed; most often the patient does not have time to be brought to the hospital.

Wasp venom is especially harmful to people who are highly sensitive to insect bites: even one bite can lead to death.

What can you do to alleviate the consequences and not cause yourself even more harm?

1. wash the bite area;
2. carefully remove the sting;
3. disinfect the wound;
4. apply ice to the damaged area;
5. take any antihistamine.

There is little benefit from a wasp sting, but it can cause harm. How it will act and what consequences it will incur depends on how susceptible the body is to insect bites. In most cases, the bite will be accompanied by simply unpleasant or painful sensations.

Do you sleep poorly, toss and turn restlessly and are constantly in a state of half-asleep? And the next morning your skin itches, itches and strange things appear on it. Rest assured, unexpected guests have settled in your apartment - bed bugs. The phenomenon is unpleasant, but, fortunately, can be eliminated. What kind of bites does a bed bug leave (photo)? How to get rid of the problem and cure the rash that appears? You will learn all this from the article below.

What kind of bug is this?

A bug is a little vampire. Body Shape blood-sucking insect- oval, body length - about 8 millimeters. Typically, the value depends on the degree of saturation of the insect. The same factor affects its color. But, as a rule, the color scheme adult varies from light brown to brown. After a heavy meal, the bug may turn burgundy or even black. The average lifespan of insects is one and a half years, during which they feed not only on the blood of people, but also on animals and birds.

A bedbug bite, a photo of which can be found in any medical encyclopedia, can affect any person. No one is safe from an unpleasant neighborhood. Indeed, these days the myth that insects can only live in unsanitary conditions has long been debunked. This is far from true. In addition, the connection between insect bites and various infections entering the body has not been officially proven. Despite this, bedbugs greatly poison our lives, interfering with normal sleep. As a result, performance is impaired, severe anxiety, restlessness and even depression occur.

Even during deep sleep you may feel the bite bed bug: Symptoms include frequent waking up, restlessness and even nightmares. All this awaits you at first. While you sleep, insects dine peacefully on your body. With their proboscis they pierce the skin, reaching small capillaries. When the epidermis is punctured, the insects inject a secretion that has an analgesic effect, so you do not feel the bite itself. Painful sensations occur only when the skin is “ruled” by young animals whose saliva does not contain an anesthetic substance.

What does a bite look like?

To get enough, insects need to make several bites. There are usually three of them, so doctors jokingly call them “breakfast, lunch and dinner.” What does a bed bug bite look like? Photos presented in any specialized literature demonstrate that this is a slight redness, in the center of which there is a pronounced scarlet dot. The spots form a so-called track, the distance between them can reach as much as 2 centimeters. The bites are very itchy and itchy. A person feels as if he has been bitten by mosquitoes. To rule out the presence of buzzing and flying insects, inspect the ceiling. If there are no mosquitoes on it, then it is the work (or, more precisely, the proboscis) of bed bugs.

Under no circumstances should you comb the stains, even if you really can’t bear it. The fact is that during this process you injure the skin: microscopic wounds form. They are not visible to you, but bedbugs, thanks to their excellent sense of smell, perfectly sense the proximity of blood. Therefore, they begin to attack your body even more actively.

Symptoms

How to recognize a bedbug bite? Symptoms that you have been bitten by these insects are as follows:

• The appearance of spots in the morning with their complete absence in the evening before falling asleep.
• Multiple bites, the trajectory of which is located along the same line.
• Presence of wounds on open areas skin: face, neck, shoulders, legs and arms. Sometimes insects crawl under pajamas, then their mark remains on the stomach and back.
• The spots that appear have round shape, they are a little swollen.

Other signs

How do you know if a colony of bloodthirsty insects has settled in your bedroom? First, if you suspect something is wrong, carefully examine it in the morning. bedding. Usually, after a raid and a meal of insects, pale stains of blood remain on the sheets. Secondly, move the sofa or bed away from the wall and examine the baseboards. Bedbugs, if they are infested indoors, leave behind traces of their vital activity: their droppings look like black dots on the surface. No, it's not dirt. Almost all the "breasts" same size and shapes.

A bedbug bite has several more features. A photo of a bloodthirsty insect in an enlarged format indicates the presence of holes on the chest and abdomen of the insect. These are the exits of the so-called odorous glands, which emit a specific odor. Some people who have encountered trouble say that a raspberry amber is wafting through the room. Others claim that it smells like cognac, while others smell almond notes.

The difference between a bug bite and an allergy

These two phenomena manifest themselves in different ways. Traces of bed bug bites differ from allergic reactions primarily in their static nature. The former retain their shape and color for a very long time, external signs others change frequently and quickly. In addition, an allergy rash usually spreads over the entire surface of the body, without clear contours and edges. Instead, bedbug bites are located only on exposed skin in one straight line, like a path. Another difference is the state of the epidermis of other family members. If the spouse who sleeps next to you does not have a single mark on the skin, most likely you have an allergy.

As for the bites of other insects, it is a little more difficult to distinguish the trace of a bug from them. Again, it is worth paying attention to the shape of the spots: after bed bloodsuckers, they are clearly defined and located in one line. Instead, flea bites appear randomly, usually appearing around the lower legs. After contact with a midge, the pain is much stronger, but the wound itself is smaller, and dried blood can be seen in the middle of it. are located unevenly, in their center there is a small formation in the form of a pimple.

Who does bed bugs bite first?

Adult men and elderly people are less likely to be attacked by bloodsuckers. They are also less sensitive to bites, so they do not immediately notice that they have become a victim of insects. But rumors that bedbugs love people with a specific blood type are not true. They bite everyone, but the spots appear on the skin differently.

Treatment

Measures must be taken as soon as you discover a problem. bed treatment primarily involves the use of the following medical products:

1. Taking antihistamines. For example, Claritin, Telfast, Zyrtec are very effective. They will protect you from a severe allergic reaction that may occur after a bite. Some people even experience anaphylactic shock, so it is better to protect yourself from the consequences. Moreover, these drugs are third-generation drugs, so they can be used for a long period without any side effects.
2. An ointment should be applied to the bite site to reduce swelling and relieve itching. Usually the doctor prescribes a product with an anesthetic effect: Akriderm, Afloderm or Psilo-balm.
3. You can apply a medical plaster containing painkillers to the bite site.

All these methods will help you get rid of discomfort, which were left on your skin by voracious bugs.

Folk remedies

In addition to traditional medicines, there are other remedies that can help reduce the negative impact of insects, which are bed bugs. Bites... How to get rid of them with traditional medicine? Everything is very simple. For these purposes you need to use:

• Garlic: rub it and apply it to the wound.
• Pink lotion: It dries out the bites.
• Potato. It is also crushed and evenly distributed over the affected area of ​​the skin.
• Aloe juice, chamomile and St. John's wort decoction. Cotton is soaked with these liquids and a compress is applied.

Plantain leaves and solution also help against bedbug bites baking soda. They are also applied to the stains left by bloodsuckers. In addition, be sure to apply a piece of ice to the wound - it will relieve swelling and swelling. Treat it with alcohol, it will dry the bite and promote its rapid healing. All of the above methods of traditional medicine will relieve symptoms of itching and scabies within one, maximum two days.

How to protect yourself?

As you can see, a bedbug bite is not such a disaster for a person. Symptoms can be very easily relieved using available means. It is much more difficult to protect yourself from new attacks by a bloodthirsty colony. To drive insects out of your apartment, you can go two ways:

1. Invite a special service to your home that deals with pest control. It's expensive, but effective. Specialists spray the room with insecticides, treating every corner and even the smallest crack.
2. Carry out full processing yourself. This cheap way, requiring maximum costs energy and time. You need to purchase insecticides from the store and spray your apartment with them according to the instructions.

Remember that drugs for household use sold in any form. The most effective and easy to use are concentrated emulsions. They are diluted with water in the required proportions and applied to surfaces using a spray bottle or brush. Chemicals are also produced in the form of aerosols and powders.

If you were bitten by bedbugs while on vacation...

The most terrible consequences of a bedbug bite are severe allergic reactions that cause There are many such cases in the history of medicine. In addition, close contact with insects sometimes provokes the development of skin infections, causing nausea, fainting and hyperemia - overflow of capillaries in the bite area. Victims may complain of difficulty breathing, muscle spasms in the bronchi, and severe swelling. But these cases are usually isolated.

Basically, bedbug bites are no more dangerous than mosquito bites. Insects are not carriers dangerous infections, so they cannot infect you. The only trouble from such a neighborhood is an eternally itchy rash. In addition, people who are bitten by bedbugs at night do not sleep well. As a result, they have low labor productivity and, at the same time, increased nervousness and irritability. Sometimes the bite festers - in this case you should immediately consult a doctor.