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Sun Awareness Clinics

Childhood Dehydration

Bites and Stings

Faking It

Sun Protection for Little Ones

Vision Perfect

Staying Hydrated

Sunlight and Your Eyes

The Mediterranean Diet

West Nile Virus Update

Treating Stings

Treating Wasp and Bee Stings

If you or your child have been stung by a bee or other stinging insect, you will need to stay calm and act fast.

Bees and some yellowjackets have barbed stingers that hook into the skin and remain there. These should be extracted as soon as possible as they continue to pump venom into the body for two to three minutes following the actual sting. Remove very gently but swiftly with your fingernail, the blunt edge of a knife, or credit card, taking care to extract against the direction of entry, to prevent further release of venom. (In the case of a younger child, have someone hold her while you remove the sting.)

Wasps have smooth stingers that remain intact on the insect, allowing it to sting repeatedly. If a wasp has stung, brush it off promptly and back away without waving your arms about. Never swat and crush a wasp or bee, as this could incite nearby nest-members into a frenzied attack. Bee and wasp venom contains an alarm pheromone (a chemical message relayed between members of the same animal or insect species), that, when released into the air, signals guard wasps or bees to “sting and protect.”

To help calm the pain of an insect sting, apply calamine lotion or ice, or use a convenient Rougier Swab for insect bites/stings. Since reactions to insect bites/stings may occur well after the actual event, you should remain vigilant for a day or so afterwards.