Generally, honey bees are the ones that leave their stinger behind because of its barbed edges. Bumble bees also have smooth stingers and can sting more than once. Wasps and hornets usually don’t leave a stinger behind as they can sting multiple times before dying. Obviously, avoiding them altogether is preferable, but in the event you need to quickly alleviate pain it’s better to have some go-to methods.Īt this stage of the game, I’m aware of numerous techniques - I’ve kind of become a MacGyver of treating wasp and bee stings. This is why it’s so important to brush up on treating stings. With the beginning of fall upon us, nests of insects are at their most aggressive as their food supply dwindles. As it turns out, the panic was all for naught, as wasps and yellow jackets don’t induce my deadly “chipmunk cheeks.” I simply get a severe local reaction, some dizziness, a rash and a lot of itchiness. However, in the last week I have been stung twice and both times I immediately freaked out. Incidentally, I avoided getting stung again for a long time (I was really afraid of my EpiPen). It wasn’t until years later that it really set in just how dangerous the whole ordeal was. Honestly, I was excited mom and I didn’t have to sit out in the waiting room when we arrived at the hospital. If I wasn’t so dizzy and confused, I may have been a lot more scared. I ended up with hives all over my chest and back. Sure, I felt a little out of it, but I never dreamed I would be headed to the emergency room shortly after. It felt like tiny airbags deployed all over my face and that’s how fast it happened. I can’t recall how long I was swinging, but 16 years later and I still remember the sensation of anaphylaxis as it hit me. In pain and dizzy, I retreated to the swing set. He arrived just in time to miss all the action, so I explained that I had backed myself into a hornets’ nest and got stung twice on my left arm. Rolling and then stumbling to my feet, I ran until the humming cloud started to retreat.īewildered, my brother, who had been playing hide-and-seek with me, came to my aid. In an instant, I glanced over my shoulder, saw the swarm and bailed. Before I could react my entire arm was aching and my ears were consumed by its buzzing. I felt a dull burning sensation in my wrist first. I ducked under the patio table next to the porch, covered my head with my hands and waited.
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