How To Treat A Wasp Sting

How to Treat a Wasp Sting

Spending time outdoors can be an exhilarating experience. You’re basking in the warm sunshine, you breathe in the fresh air, and you feel refreshed by your surroundings (particularly if you’re taking a walk in your nearby park or even cycling or trekking through hills or mountainsides).

One downside to being out in the open, however, is that you also expose yourself to all kinds of creatures. Birds, butterflies and other harmless beings are fine, but there’s also the chance of coming across something that could cause you some level of harm, such as bees, ants and wasps that could give you a nasty sting.

Getting stung by a wasp can be a common occurrence during warmer months. Like bees and hornets, wasps possess a stinger that they use for self-defense. However, their stingers remain intact after stinging a person, so they can do this more than once, unlike bees that can only do so once at a time because their stinger gets stuck in the person’s skin.

Symptoms of a wasp sting

Mild reactions

Even if the wasp’s stinger doesn’t get lodged into skin, the victim will still feel pain and discomfort because of the venom that was transmitted. Normally, a person would feel a sharp pain or burning in the affected area, and there will also be some swelling, redness, and itching.

A tiny white mark in the middle of a raised welt around the site of the sting is typically observed. After a few hours, the pain and swelling will recede.

Severe allergic reactions

Some people will go into shock when they become exposed to wasp venom. Symptoms include: breathing difficulty; vomiting or nausea; severe swelling in the lips, face or throat; a sudden drop in blood pressure; itching or hives in parts of the body that weren’t affected by the sting; stomach cramps; lightheadedness or loss of consciousness; diarrhea, and either a racing or weak pulse.

How to treat a wasp sting

For mild to moderate reactions, treatment can include:

• Washing the site of the sting with water and soap.
• Applying cold packs to bring down swelling.
• Keeping the wound dry and clean to prevent infection.
• Applying calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream if there’s itching.
• Taking over-the-counter pain relievers and antihistamines for pain or itching.

For severe reactions, treatment should include:

• Using an Epi-Pen (if you have one) immediately after being stung.
• Contacting 911 right away.
• Administering cortisone intravenously to reduce inflammation.
• Performing CPR if the person’s breathing has stopped.
• Providing steroids, oxygen or other medication to help improve the victim’s breathing.

Don’t let wasps take over your backyard. Call your local pest control experts and let them help you prevent a wasp infestation in your backyard.