Mosquito bites occur particularly during the warm months of summer and can itch horribly. It is recommended to use cold compresses or cooling gels (antihistamines) to alleviate the itching.
In order to avoid mosquito bites, places where lots of insects are to be found (e.g. stretches of water), should be avoided on certain times of day. At night mosquito nets above the bed are good for preventing bites.
Wasp, bee and hornet stings
Much more painful than mosquito bites are wasp, bee or hornet stings as a rule.
Bee stings leave a roundish, red injury, which houses the barbed sting. This should be carefully removed immediately with forceps without however pressing the poison sac which is found on the sting.
Wasp and hornet stings also leave roundish, red injuries. They do not, however, leave a sting behind.
A tried and tested household remedy is trickling onion juice on to a fresh sting or sticking a plaster on to a sting with a piece of onion underneath it. Onions contain anti-inflammatory substances, the exact effect of which is not yet fully clarified.
Moist compresses and anti-allergic gels (antihistamines) are also recommended for local reddening and swelling as well as to ease itching.
Special case: Stings in the mouth
Particularly in summer, there is a risk of being stung by an insect in the mouth, throat or on the tongue when eating and drinking in the open. As the poisonous substance can cause the respiratory tract to swell up quickly and close as a result of the mucous membranes also swelling up, dyspnea or even respiratory arrest can sometimes be the consequence.
In the event of a sting in the mouth or throat, the affected person is to calm down at all events, as getting agitated increases the heart rate, blood pressure and circulation in the vessels, and the respiratory tract can therefore swell up even faster. The throat should be cooled from the outside with moist, cold cloths or other objects. Sucking ice or drinking cold beverages are good for cooling the inside of the mouth. In the event of respiratory arrest, resuscitation must be given directly into the lungs, thereby bypassing the swelling. Call the ambulance service at all events!
Caution in the event of allergy!
After being stung, some persons experience an allergic reaction to the insect poison. Such reactions are much worse than the sting itself. The insect bite then swells up even more than is normally the case. Wheals, such as itchy blisters, develop. Dyspnea, vomiting or circulatory collapse also frequently occur.
It’s absolutely urgent to call the ambulance service at these events!
