However, a small percentage (5%) of people are extremely allergic to stinging insects. These people may have more severe symptoms that combine into a condition known as anaphylaxis, or allergic shock. What happens is that the insect's venom reacts with IgE in your immune system, causing a release of histamine and other allergy-related substances.
Anaphylaxis may occur after you already know that you are allergic to stinging insects or it can happen the very first time you are ever stung. There is no way of knowing for sure which way it will go. But people with asthma may be at a higher risk for having a life-threatening anaphylaxis episode.
So, it makes sense for both people with allergies and people with asthma to know about stinging insects and the allergic reactions they can produce, so you can prepare to avoid serious consequences.
The Stinging Insects You Need to Know
Stinging insects that can cause allergies belong to the class of insects known as Hymenoptera. To avoid them, you need to know what they look like and where you'll find them.
- Fire ants. They're tiny and come in both bright reddish-brown and dark brown to black varieties. They build tall nests of dirt, as large as 18 inches high and 3 feet in width, with underground tunnels. Fire ants are found more in the southern half of the United States than in the north. They'll attack with little warning and each ant can sting multiple times. After being stung, you may feel an immediate burning at the puncture site.
- Honeybees. This is your "typical" bee, with the fuzzy yellow-and-brown-striped body. They're about 1/2-inch long and are found worldwide. They like to build colonies or hives in beekeeper boxes, in trees and bushes and in holes in houses. Regular honeybees will only sting when provoked, but the so-called "killer bees", more correctly known as Africanized honeybees, are much more aggressive and territorial and also more likely to attack in swarms. They also nest in more places, including fence posts, holes in the ground and old tires. Both types of honeybees sting once, leaving the stinger in your skin, and then die.
- Hornets. These insects are longer, about 1 inch in length, with black or brown bodies marked with white, orange or yellow. They build gray or brown football-shaped nests made of a paper-like material. The nests can be found throughout North America, high above the ground on the branches of trees, in shrubs, on house gables or in tree hollows. They are extremely protective of their nests and can sting more than once.
- Paper wasps. Like hornets, wasps are about an inch in length and have slender, black, brown, or red bodies marked in yellow. They build papery, circular nests that open downwards under eaves, behind shutters, or in shrubs or woodpiles. They are more aggressive than honeybees, but less so than fire ants or killer bees. They can sting you more than one time.
- Yellow jackets. They are a bit smaller at 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch and have black-and-yellow bodies. Yellow jackets are found worldwide, in a variety of climates. They build papery nests mostly underground, but sometimes in the walls of frame buildings, in cracks in masonry or in woodpiles. They are highly aggressive, especially as the weather cools in the late summer and early fall.
What to Do If You Are Stung
If you are stung by one of these pests, then quickly brush the insect off your body and, if there is a stinger, scrape it off with a fingernail or the edge of a credit card. Trying to pull out a stinger with your fingertips or tweezers can actually squeeze more of the venom into your body.
Next, wash the sting site with soap and water and apply ice if there is any redness, pain, or swelling. In most cases, the discomfort will subside within a day or two.
However, if you are allergic to stinging insects and get stung, then it's important to seek emergency care immediately. If your doctor has prescribed injectable epinephrine, such as the Epi-Pen, use it while you are waiting for help. Watch for the signs of anaphylaxis as well.
Get more information on anaphylaxis and tips for avoiding stinging insects.
Sources: AAAAI, "Tips to remember: stinging insect allergy." American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. 01 January 2007. AAAAI. 12 Sep 2008. Scott H. Sicherer, F. Estelle R. Simons, and the Section on Allergy and Immunology. "Self-injectable Epinephrine for First-Aid Management of Anaphylaxis. Pediatrics, Mar 2007; 119: 638 - 646.
