Stung by a wasp

[teralin]

Last evening I was sitting out enjoying a drink on the terrace when I was stung by a wasp right between the index and middle fingers. This is the first time I have ever been stung before and I didn't realise just how painful the sting can be. I tried putting vinegar on it and it made no difference. I tried a paste of baking powder and water and this didn't help either. My finger swelled up and I couldn't move it for several hours and I could only deaden the pain with ice cubes on the bite. Even this morning, the finger still hurts a lot. Just for future reference, does anyone have any tried and tested advice for wasp stings?

[concorde]

Apparently it's only the females that sting, brightly coloured clothing is said to attract also any type of perfume on your skin
Also since the stinger continues to pump out venom into the tissues for up to 60 secs it is best to remove it as soon as possible by scraping it out with,say the edge of a credit card.
Vinegar or baking powder is not much good as this only lies on the surface of the skin, an ice pack is supposed to be more beneficial.
Also take an anti-histamine immediately, it won't do any harm and will help stop any unknown allergic reaction.

I got bitten 7 times on my right arm on our last visit, possiblly a mozzie as same reaction happened but locals tell me it is the tiny jumping spiders that also bite!

[oliveview01]

Hubby was half in/out of the car, his behind was still on the seat and a bee stung his head We were in the middle of no-where, so he had to put up with the pain He said it was very sore. We never did get to see the view that we had stopped to look at I was sympahetic, honest

[silver]

Local remedy..they spit on soil and place the mud over bite..as it dries ..it pulls out the stinger.

[tidal]

Now that is interesting
I have been stung by wasps hundreds of times (one of the joys of forestry work) and have never had a stinger left in by a wasp, only by bees.
Is this particular to spanish wasps?

[silver]

Is this particular to spanish wasps?

LOL Insects are not my favorite/best subject maybe its bees they do that with..

tidal..

I have been stung by wasps hundreds of times

an expert then..
the question

does anyone have any tried and tested advice for wasp stings?

So lets have your advice...please

[Wicksey]

My OH was stung this morning on his hand and apparently it hurt like hell (I gave him the same amount of sympathy as he gave me when I was stung on the shoulder by a bee in the summer ). I slapped on some Anthisan cream and he put ice on it, then took an anti-allergy pill and it seems a lot better now. This wasn't one of the local dangly-legged wasps but what I would call an 'English' wasp. They seem to be out in force this week and I have been pursued a few times when I tried sitting outside and ended up having to hide indoors to get away from it!

[teralin]

Does anyone else think that the wasps seem to be bit more aggressive this year, or perhaps it's just the time of year. I usually sit out with a fly swatter to gently waft them away but the wasp that stung me last night must have sitting on my hand between my fingers and I didn't even notice.

[concorde]

More info found,

tidal could be correct according to this.

Bee and Wasp Stings
A bee will leave behind a stinger attached to a venom sac. Try to remove it as quickly as possible. (Wasps don't leave their stingers in the skin after stinging, which means they can sting more than once.) Wash the area carefully with soap and water. Do this two to three times a day until the skin is healed.
Apply an ice pack wrapped in a cloth or a cold, wet washcloth for a few minutes.
Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain.
For pain and itching, give an over-the-counter oral antihistamine if your child's doctor says it's OK; follow dosage instructions for your child's age and weight. You could also apply a corticosteroid cream or calamine lotion to the sting area.

[tidal]

Excellent advice
and for those who still believe in the "folk" medicine cures a link for you
http://www.insectstings.co.uk/sting-aci ... kali.shtml

[Grouser]

As you reacted so badly it may be worth getting tested to see if you are allergic. If you are the response may be worse the next time it happens. My wife is allergic to wasp stings and as a precaution takes Piriton (an anti-histamine)daily during the wasp season. She also has to carry adrenaline injections with her.

[tjtops]

In addition to the usual mozzie bites, something else has been biting/stinging me recently, I think at night. The bites swell up into large, hard lumps, remaining for several days and quite -- altho not excruciatingly -- painful; certainly EXTREMELY itchy....any suggestions??? (I thought spider bites were far more painful and so hence the question!)

[Jane]

You may be getting bitten by fleas, they are very itchy bites and come up like small lumps. You are unlikely to see them but treat the room/s with a pulga repellant as they breed after they have bitten and produce hundreds more. They hide in the edges of the room, clothing and cracks etc and Spanish ones are certainly more problematic than English ones in my experience.

[Grouser]

Agree with Jane's diagnosis. If it is fleas as she suggests, you need to spray thoroughly weekly until the bites stop happening as most treatments don't kill the eggs and one hatched egg turns into lots very rapidly. I suggest wearing a face mask and blasting the rooms one by one, retreating to the front door, where you can take your exit and go for a long walk while the spray does its stuff.

[tjtops]

ooooerrrr sounds horrid!!!
Thanks for the advice tho......I do have dogs, a cat and chickens so I suppose between the lot of them it would be fleas, altho the dogs and cat are regularly treated/wear collars etc...and I'm not exactly intimate with the chickens!!!
No votes for the tiny jumping spiders then??

[wagon ropes]

I know I have said this before but please, everyone, do try Anthisan cream, available from the UK or Gib. It really does work minor miracles for all sorts of stings and bites. If applied at once it can stop Mossie bites from ever really itching at all.

[Wicksey]

I slapped on some Anthisan cream and he put ice on it, then took an anti-allergy pill

I know I have said this before but please, everyone, do try Anthisan cream, available from the UK or Gib. It really does work minor miracles for all sorts of stings and bites. If applied at once it can stop Mossie bites from ever really itching at all.

Certainly seemed to work for my OH and the swelling on his hand went down in a few hours and the pain quickly subsided. The wasps really are a nuisance here at the moment, that's why I'm hiding indoors

[may]

that brings back a memory of my wasp sting ,it wasnt in spain it was in britain , i was sat on the grass and put my hand flat on the grass, and trust me i had to go and put it on a wasp. i felt a slight sting but nothing much and was going to forget about it, as i could not see anything on my hand .

my brother-in-law insisted that i take my ring off , i said no its ok, its not swelling up.

i thought at the time he was being a bit over the top about it because he really made an issue of removing my ring and he made me promise not to put it back on at all until tomorrow .

anyway i forgot all about my sting and didnt even think to put my ring back on .


but in the early hours of the morning about 3 o clock i was woken from my sleep because my ring finger was itching and hurting like mad, i put the light on and the finger was like a ballon , and a red line was coming from it half way up my arm .

i am so glad that i did take that ring off my finger, because i would have had to have it cut off and it was my wedding ring .

i had to go to the doctors and have some antihistamine tablets. i am so glad i listened to him and took my ring off .