4 Ways to Treat Insect Stings

1. Oh, it Stings!

Most flying insects like bees, hornets, wasp and yellow jackets sting as a defensive movement. The barbed stinger will appear as a tiny black dot in your skin. This stinger is injecting venom into the sting site, so remove it quickly. Flick it or scrape it off with a credit card. Use soap and water to clean the area of the sting. Depending on your level of discomfort, there are several options for treating the sting. Create a paste from water and baking soda to apply on the sting site or dab calamine lotion on the sting with a cotton ball. Apply a hydrocortisone cream to help with the itching and pain, apply an ice pack to help relieve pain and any swelling, or take Benadryl, an oral antihistamine, to relieve swelling and slow down any allergic reactions.

2. A Mountain of Pain Out of an Ant Hill

Ant stings can cause a great deal of pain, especially if it's fire ants, as their stings are far more intense. Ants can sting numerous times, so your feet and ankles could be covered with stings in just a few seconds. Clean the sting area quickly with cool water and soap to wash the ant venom off the skin. Dab with alcohol to further clean and neutralize the venom. Apply ice or cold compresses to help with swelling, dab on calamine lotion to soothe the stings, take an oral antihistamine such as Benadryl or spray the sting area with a cortisone spray for pain.

3. Creepy Crawly Scorpion Stings

Stings from the common striped scorpion will cause some of the same symptoms as other insect stings in addition to causing numbness or a tingling sensation to the sting area. Just as other stings, remove the stinger by scraping or flicking it off. Clean the area thoroughly with soap and water, apply calamine lotion and cold compresses to reduce any swelling. Take an oral antihistamine or spray the sting with a cortisone spray to help with pain.

4. Allergic Reactions

Many people have severe allergic reactions to insect stings that could include hives, swelling of the body or face, wheezing and breathing difficulties, stomach pains with nausea, diarrhea or vomiting. They could pass out due to their heart racing, their blood pressure dropping or going into a severe panic. If they've been tested for insect allergies, they should carry a self-injectable syringe of epinephrine. Children should have this available for them in the school nurse's office. If you see someone having a severe reaction to an insect sting, take this seriously, call for emergency medical assistance or call 911. Getting the proper medical attention quickly could save their life.