First aid rules for insect bites: what to do first

Bitten by an insect? First of all, sit down, exhale and calm down. There are very few deadly insects in our country, and it is unlikely that you will be lucky enough to meet him. Next, we will consider the rules of first aid for insect bites, which can significantly alleviate the severity of possible consequences for the human body. Even in cases where bites are associated with strong allergens entering the wound (for example, hornet bites), properly provided first aid will provide protection against a generalized allergic reaction and dangerous edema.

First of all, it is important to understand that the nature of first aid for insect bites to a certain extent depends on the type of insect that has bitten or stung. Therefore, even if the pain from the bite is very strong, the best thing you can do in the first seconds after the bite is not to run around waving your arms, but try to look at the offender. In the future, this can save time for treatment and help take adequate measures to relieve itching and possible swelling.

By the nature of insect bites can be divided into two types:

1. Bites for the purpose of defense.They are usually very painful, cause severe swelling, sometimes severe allergic reactions up to deadly anaphylactic shock. This is how wasps, hornets, bees, water bugs, some riders, and certain types of ants bite or sting.
2. Bites of parasitic insects. Their goal is to get enough blood so that the victim does not immediately notice it, so all the effects of bites usually appear after a certain time. This group includes the bites of bed bugs, fleas, mosquitoes, lice, horseflies. Their consequences are usually limited to slight redness and swelling, but with massive bites, as well as in people prone to allergies, they can lead to very serious problems.

On a note

In most cases, under the bites of insects, we are used to understanding also, for example, the bites of spiders and centipedes. However, from the point of view of a biologist (more precisely, an entomologist), neither of them are typical insects (for example, spiders do not belong to insects, but to Arachnids). However, first aid measures for their bites are quite similar to those for bites of true insects, therefore, in what follows we will simply speak of all such exceptions as insects.

And now step by step: what to do after insect bites ...

 

First steps: neutralize the poison and remove some of it from the wound

The first thing to do if an insect has bitten is to try to neutralize the poison and remove at least part of it from the wound. In the case of different insects, this is done in different ways.
For example:

• When a bee stings, you need to remove the sting from the wound as soon as possible (since the muscles of the poison sac continue to contract for a long time, gradually introducing more and more poison into the wound).Then you need to try to suck out the poison by spitting it out and wash the wound with soapy water. If the sting is too deeply embedded in the skin, it can be pulled out with a needle washed in alcohol or heated over a fire.
  
• When bitten by a wasp or hornet, you should not look for a sting - these insects, unlike bees, do not leave their sting in the skin (and, by the way, can sting repeatedly). You can try to suck out some of the poison from the wound, then put a piece of apple on it or rinse it with vinegar. Sugar or urine also works well - they pull the poison onto themselves.
• First aid for a bite of poisonous spiders may consist of cauterizing the wound with a just extinguished match. Their poison quickly decomposes under the influence of high temperature. This method will only help for the first few minutes after the bite.

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In any case, sucking the poison out of the wound is a universal action. Even if an unknown insect has bitten, this can be done safely - the poison itself will not work in the oral cavity (if there are no wounds, scratches or sores). It is only important to constantly spit saliva and rinse your mouth thoroughly with water at the end of the procedure.

When bitten by parasitic insects, it is not poison that penetrates into the wound, but saliva with a special enzyme that prevents blood clotting. In addition, for example, fleas or ticks can transmit pathogens of very dangerous diseases, and bedbugs and mosquitoes inject a secret into the wound, causing severe itching after a while.

If the bite site is smeared with alcohol as soon as possible, the consequences are usually less pronounced.

If an insect has bitten, in no case should you try to squeeze the poison out of the wound with your fingers: this will only lead to increased blood flow and faster spreading of the poison under the skin.

 

Prevent poison from spreading through tissues

Emergency care for the bites of many insects involves the imposition of a cold compress on the wound. This remedy helps to get rid of severe consequences even with the bites of stinging insects such as hornets, wasps, bees. Water, ice, metal or stone can be used as a refrigerant - anything that has a temperature below body temperature.

The main goal of this step is to prevent extensive edema from developing, which can sometimes pose a serious danger to human life (for example, with hornet bites in the face, neck, throat).

When bitten by parasitic insects, it is not necessary to apply a compress, but if a person is prone to severe allergies, this measure can also have a positive effect.

 

How to avoid intoxication and reduce the manifestation of bite symptoms?

After completing the above first aid measures after an insect bite, then you can proceed with the steps to relieve the symptoms of poisoning and decontaminate the bite site:

1. Disinfect the wound: lubricate it with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green or a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
2. To prevent the development of an allergic reaction: thickly lubricate the wound and an area 3-4 cm from it with Soventol or Fenistil gel. In the absence of these drugs, you can treat the wound with the juice of a plantain or dandelion leaf, attach a tomato or cut parsley root, drip with garlic juice.
3. To soothe the pain, you can lubricate the wound, for example, with Insectline balm, Gardex or Mosquitol.

In case of bites of stinging insects, it is advisable to drink a lot and often, which will relieve the general symptoms of intoxication.

First aid for insect bites often also involves the use of special antihistamines (for allergies). They should be taken only when there are clear signs of extensive edema or a rash appears on the body, lymph nodes increase, heart rate increases, and shortness of breath appears. In this case, with an insect bite, you must:

1. Take a tablet of Suprastin or Loratadine.
2. Or you can take a Prednisolone tablet.
3. Finally, in the absence of all of the above in the home medicine cabinet, you can drink a tablet of Diphenhydramine.

If there are no acute symptoms of an allergic reaction after a bite from an unknown insect, these drugs should not be drunk.

If a child is bitten by an insect, you should do the same, but especially carefully monitor his condition. If the child cries, screams and complains of pain, this is normal. It is bad if he suddenly calms down, stops talking, tries to lie down or sit down, starts to choke. In this case, you need to urgently take the child to the hospital or call an ambulance.

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Mass bites: what to do?

If blood-sucking insects have bitten abundantly, the wounds should be washed with soap and then lubricated with alcohol. When biting in children, you should also monitor the general well-being of the child and his body temperature (you may have to urgently consult a doctor).

It is more dangerous if bees, wasps and especially hornets bite en masse, for example, when their nest is disturbed.

Their bites are very allergenic, and even 4-5 bites can be enough to develop pain or anaphylactic shock. Each bite in this case should be treated in the same way as a single one, but the general condition of the victim should be especially carefully monitored.

Particularly severe cases should be discussed separately.

 

First aid in especially severe cases

First aid for bites of especially poisonous insects does not differ from that for attacks by ordinary hornets or poisonous spiders.

In our country, the bites of giant hornets living in Primorye, earthen wasps, karakurt spiders, scorpions in the south of the country, as well as giant centipedes are especially dangerous. Such dangerous insect bites may require the bitten person to be quickly transported to intensive care. In case of laryngeal edema, it may be necessary to make a conicotomy here (an incision in the throat in the area of ​​the cricoid cartilage) and insert a hollow tube into the hole to allow the person to breathe. But it's better if it doesn't come to that.

In the tropics, the bites of many spiders, wasps, centipedes are dangerous. The bullet ant is considered one of the most dangerous insects in South America - the pain from its bite is many times stronger than the pain from the bite of our hornet. Before traveling in the tropics, you should become familiar with the main biting insects and be prepared to provide first aid in case of their attack. But the main efforts with severe bites should be directed to the speedy delivery of the victim to the hospital.

It is interesting

Those who are lucky enough to be bitten by different types of spiders claim that the bite of a karakurt is not felt at all. Moreover, this usually happens in a dream, when a person tosses and turns and crushes a spider. But the consequences of this bite are very serious.A tarantula bite, on the contrary, is extremely painful, but the severity of the consequences is comparable to a bee sting.

In conclusion, we will give a list of tools that you need to have with you when you go out into nature in order to ensure a quick response to any insect bites.

 

memo

Be prepared for insect bites:

1. If you have a severe allergy to insect bites, always have antihistamines and the conclusion of an allergist with you (for doctors who will come to provide you with an ambulance).
2. Always carry Fenistil gel or its analogues with you on trips.
3. Get vaccinated when traveling to areas infested with parasites.
4. Do not make sudden movements near insects, do not lie down on the ground without checking the absence of insects on it.
5. Bring matches and anything containing alcohol.

And remember: when bitten by unknown insects, a person suffers more from panic than from the bite itself. So be calm and reasonable, but help yourself or loved ones quickly and decisively.

 

Useful video about insect allergies: what to do if a wasp stings

 

What to do if you have an allergic reaction to insect stings