Hordes of mosquitoes, wasps, bumblebees, bees, gadflies and midges can mar a summer vacation in nature. In addition to painfulness, bites can lead to a serious complication – the emergence of an allergic reaction. Small midges are more dangerous than mosquitoes, because the skin areas they have damaged become itchy, causing hyperemia and itching. Uncommon body reaction is anaphylactic shock. If the situation only gets worse within a few days, you need to see a doctor.
Who Bites?
There are a lot of insects ready to bite people. The most annoying of these are mosquitoes, gadflies and midges. Bees, wasps, and bumblebees also bite, but not as often.
Gnats and mosquitoes
Insect bites pose no danger to humans, but there is nothing pleasant about it – the affected area of the skin turns red, swelling appears, the place is very itchy. Do not scratch the sting site, you can infect the injured skin and pus will accumulate in the wound.
Repellents are a reliable way to combat blood-sucking insects. You can use special creams, sprays, use spirals, tablets, which release repellent substances as a result of heating.
Warning!
It is not recommended to use remedies, such as tablets – all night long, as there will be a headache.
You can choose from folk remedies repellent plants and spices: basil, geranium, cloves, marigold. You can use clove oil to lubricate the exposed areas of the body.
Symptoms resulting from bites:
Hyperemia;
tissue swelling;
severe itching.
Be Careful!
If bitten by a malarial mosquito, you can seek help immediately at the local hospital for infectious diseases.
If it was not possible to avoid the bite:
Do not scratch, even if it itches a lot! To relieve inflammation and reduce discomfort, it is recommended to smear the damaged area with absorbent cotton soaked in cologne, alcohol or vodka.
To cool the skin and relieve itching, you can prepare a solution of 150 ml of water and 20 ml of ammonia or vinegar. An ice cube, a solution of sodium carbonate, or an ice cube of sodium hydroxide can soothe the skin.
You can use folk recipes and apply a plantain leaf, aloe or calendula flowers to the affected area.
If symptoms do not disappear within 10-20 minutes, you will need to take an antihistamine.
Pharmaceuticals suitable for relieving an allergic reaction include one of the following: Suprastin, Diazolin, Tavegil, Allergosan.
Bumblebees, wasps, bees
Beekeepers have noticed that bees cannot tolerate loose hair and the smell of sweat. If the insect is interested in buzzing and looking, you can’t wave your hands and drive the bee away – otherwise it will sting. It is necessary, keeping calm, to go somewhere else or indoors. If a bee gets tangled in your curls you can knock it out by snapping your fingers but under no circumstances try to pull it out of the strands with two fingers.
The bee stings only once and then dies. The reason is that it has a small hook on the end of the sting, which does not allow to remove the sting after the bite. This is also how a bumblebee works. Wasp stings several times.
Main signs of stings:
swelling of tissues;
Lack of hyperemia;
severe pain;
A burning sensation in the affected area.
Not many people are allergic to the sting of bees, wasps and bumblebees. But in the case of the first signs of an allergic reaction, which manifests itself in severe swelling, burning pain, weakness, difficulty in breathing, swelling of the face, throat – you should immediately correct the situation.
What to do if stung?
The remaining sting should be carefully removed.
Treat the bite area with antiseptic, you can apply ice, cold lotion.
Warm water with honey (150 ml water + 1 tsp. l. A swelling can be relieved more quickly if you get stung by a bee. This recipe can be taken only if you are not allergic to honey.
You can relieve the itch with crushed aloe leaves, parsley juice, marigolds, plantain.
If you are allergic to the sting of bees, bumblebees and wasps, to avoid Quincke’s edema, it is recommended to go immediately to the ambulance, so the paramedic gives an injection and prevents the allergy spreading.
Interesting fact!
In the U.S. the most dangerous hymenopteran insect is the African honeybee. Unlike ordinary insects, honeybees have a strong venom. Insects gather in swarms and attack the person. Lethal outcome is possible not from the strength of the venom, but from the amount of the bee sting.
Gadflies and gadflies
Gadflies and gadflies are active in warm weather and love to fly near water bodies. Strong sweat attracts insects. To prevent the stings of harmful insects can help antiperspirant, which should be applied to clean skin. The pungent aroma of tansy and fragrant tobacco is not to the liking of gadflies and gadflies.
The bites are sensitive, and a white blister appears in the affected area. In addition to the pain, there is a high likelihood of an infection entering the wound, since bloodsuckers are carriers of many diseases.
What to do after a bite?
Treat the bite site with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol or soda solution.
An ice cube or tea tree oil can help relieve swelling.
The wound may be smeared with an antihistamine ointment.
Gadflies can often sit on the skin for 5 minutes and drink blood. Gadflies, unlike gadflies, are not blood-sucking insects. The latter use an interesting attack tactic: while one individual distracts a potential victim, the other attacks it.
Ants
Anyone who has been bitten by ants knows how painful it is. Small insects shoot out a drop of stinging liquid. With mass bites, swelling and redness develop on the skin. If insects are found, it is advisable to check all clothing, shake off the bloodsuckers, and move to a safe place.
How to relieve the itching after an ant bite?
You can put a cotton pad soaked in a soda solution or take a shower with summer water.
Do not open blisters formed as a result of the sting.
Damaged skin areas can be rubbed with cologne.
If folk remedies do not help, it is recommended to take Diazolin, Citirizin, Allergosan.
Poisonous insect bites
Some spiders, scorpions, tsetse flies, peacock caterpillars, and scolopendra are poisonous insects. After the bite of poisonous insects is a number of symptoms, often life-threatening:
Sharp, intolerable pain that can persist for 24 hours;
A white bump is formed near the wound;
Blisters with blood may form and hemorrhages may occur;
The bite is accompanied by severe headache and dizziness;
The affected area of the body becomes numb;
Blood pressure is reduced;
increase of temperature is observed.
If the above symptoms are present, you should seek immediate medical attention for the first aid, because you do not know how the body reacts to the bite of a poisonous insect.
Using chemical means of protection against insects
Using chemical insect bite repellent is the easiest, but short-lived way. Spray on clothes, and lotion and cream can be applied directly to the skin.
When fumigators – spirals, liquids and plates – are heated, poisonous vapor is released. Therefore, the use of fumigators is allowed only in a well-ventilated room. On some products there is a marking that they are safe for children.
The use of fumigators is not desirable in a house with a pregnant woman, small children, pets. Aquarium inhabitants, birds, terrarium inhabitants should not be present in the room during the operation of the devices.
Mosquito nets, ultrasonic repellents, lures and plants – an alternative to chemical protection
If you can’t use chemicals, you can consider alternative ways to protect yourself from insect bites.
Mosquito nets. By installing protective screens on your windows and doors, you can protect yourself and your family from pesky insects.
Ultrasonic repellents. The work of the devices is based on the use of batteries or the network. After turning on the device, it begins to vibrate, emit sounds of a certain frequency, which affect the insects, a person does not react to the vibration in any way.
Lures and traps on the glue base, Gels, granules and liquid baits are harmless for people and destructive to insects.
Planting plants with a strong odor– is the safest and most environmentally friendly way to control insects.
Essential oils found in the stems, leaves and flowers of the plants repel gnats, mosquitoes, ticks and other insects. Protect the site from the invasion of pests can be planted:
essential oil crops: fennel, tansy, bird cherry, cloves, coriander, wormwood, mint;
garden flowers: calendula, lavender, marigold, nasturtium, geranium;
Vegetable crops and ornamental plantsmustard, onions, basil, parsley, castor oil, garlic.
Planted plants will perform not only repellent but also aesthetic function. In addition to insects, crops will repel many pests of the garden: slugs, aphids, whitefly.
If you do not want to constantly fight with insects and eliminate the consequences of their bites you are advised to use acceptable ways to combat bloodsuckers. After all, a vacation should bring pleasure, not turn into a constant struggle with pesky neighbors.
