Wasp sting

Injury	Diseases	Nutrition	Poison
Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Wasp

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Home Treatment

Call poison control or a hospital emergency room for guidance if the person has an allergic reaction (severe swelling or difficulty breathing). It may be necessary to go to the hospital if the reaction is severe.

If you are allergic to bee, wasp, or yellow jacket stings, it is important to carry a bee sting kit (which requires a prescription) and become familiar with how to use it if necessary.

To remove the bee stinger:

Carefully scrape a blunt object (such as a butter knife) over the area to remove the stinger, if the person is able to remain still and it is safe to do so. Otherwise, you can pull out the stinger with tweezers or your fingers, but avoid pinching the venom sac at the end of the stinger. If this sac is broken, more venom will be released.

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Clean the area thoroughly with soap and water.

Place ice (wrapped in a washcloth or other suitable covering) on the site of the sting for 10 minutes and then off for 10 minutes. Repeat this process. If patient has blood flow problems, place the ice on the skin for a shorter amount of time. (In such persons, ice may cause circulatory damage to the skin.)

Give the person diphenhydramine (Benadryl) by mouth if the patient is able to swallow. This antihistamine drug may be used alone for a mild symptoms.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

Patient's age, weight, and condition
Type of insect
Time the sting occurred
Location of the sting

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

See: Poison control center - emergency number