We live in a world filled with insects. When you play or work outside, it is easy to get bitten or stung. Bees, fire ants, and ticks are some of the most common types of biting and stinging insects. What are they? How can you avoid them? And what should you do if you get stung?
A "bee" is the term many people use to describe any insect that has wings and a stinger. But bees are part of a larger scientific group. This group also includes wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets. All bees have several wings, hairy bodies, and stingers. They include both solitary and social species. They also have sucking and chewing mouthparts that let them gather nectar and pollen.
Wasps have slender bodies with a narrow abdomen. They also have two pairs of wings and mouths adapted for biting or sucking. They can also be solitary or social insects. One type of social wasp is the yellow jacket.
Hornets are large, strong wasps. The common @European species is dark brown and yellow. It is very aggressive, and its sting is very severe. They build large, papery nests. The nests have combs arranged in columns. The hornets raise their young in the combs.
Bees and wasps use stingers to protect themselves. You will feel a sharp pain at the site of the sting. The area may also feel hot, and it may itch. That's because there's venom in the stinger. A red bump surrounded by a white area will also develop.
When a bee stings, it may leave the stinger in your skin. Remove it carefully. You don't want to push it farther in. Wash the site with soap and water. You can also mix up some meat tenderizer and water. Soak a cotton ball in the solution. Then rub the sting with it. If you don't have meat tenderizer, you can hold an ice cube against the site.
For most people, a bee sting is painful but nothing more. However, about two out of one hundred people will have an allergic reaction. The symptoms may include hives (red patches on the skin that sting and itch), nausea, dizziness, swelling, and difficulty breathing. If you are allergic, you need to get medical attention right away. Medication can help control the swelling and the itching. It can help your body heal itself.
The best way to keep from getting stung is to stay away from bees in the first place. Gardens or orchards in bloom usually have lots of bees. If you have to be there, take care. Keep your clothes and shoes on. Dress in long pants and a light, long-sleeved shirt. Avoid bright-colored clothing and clothing with flowery prints. The bees may think they're real flowers. Don't wear sweet-smelling perfume.
When you go on picnics, cover the food. Soda and cake attract bees. Don't drink from open cans. Yellow jackets like to climb inside the cans and will sting from there. And if you see a bee flying around you, don't swat at it or run around. This makes it angry, and they may sting. Move slowly or stand still, and the bee will most likely fly away.
Fire ants are another type of common insect. They are found all throughout the @Southeastern and @Southwestern @United @States. They build large mounds and can inflict a painful sting. The most common type is the red imported fire ant. It is reddish-brown in color. It is about half the size of a pencil eraser. These ants are very hostile.
Red imported fire ants live in colonies. First, they nest in the ground. They are usually found wherever there is grass. However, some fire ants create nests in the walls of buildings. As they build the colony, they create a mound of dirt over the nest. The mound can grow up to 18 inches high and over two feet wide!
When you get bitten by a fire ant, you will feel a sharp pain and a burning at the site. Each sting will turn into an itchy blister over the next day.
The fire ants' bite contains venom. This can cause the area to swell up quite a bit. You treat the bite the same way you treat a bee sting. Wash the area with soap and water. Rub the sting with a cotton ball soaked in meat tenderizer and water. You can also hold an ice cube against it. Some people have an allergic reaction to fire ants. The symptoms are just like the ones from a bee sting. If you have any of these symptoms, see a doctor as soon as possible.
The best way to avoid getting bitten is to avoid fire ants and their mounds. If you're near a mound, keep your shoes on. And don't ever poke at it or try to play with it. The ants are hostile, and they will attack.
Ticks are a third type of common insect. They are any one of a large number of parasitic mites. They do not have wings. They attach themselves to, and suck the blood of, cattle, dogs, and people. When filled with blood, they swell up and usually become red in color. The young are active and have six legs. Many carry diseases that can hurt animals and people. One common disease is @Lyme @Disease.
Tick bites are not like bee stings or fire ant bites. They do not hurt. Sometimes you know you've been bitten because the tick is still attached. Sometimes all you may see is some redness around the area of the bite.
You should check your clothes and body after you've been in tall grass or in the woods. Ticks like shrubbery. They stay close to the ground. They jump on people or animals that pass by. Make sure to wear long sleeves and long pants. Tuck your pants into your socks so they can't crawl underneath. Also put a tick collar on your dog before you take it with you. Dogs get ticks in their coats.
You don't need medical attention for most tick bites. Usually you can simply pull the tick out by yourself. However, if you live in an area where ticks carry diseases, check with your doctor to see if you need medicine to treat the bites.
