Insects

Most likely to cause dangerous allergy reactions:
After you have been stung once, you can become allergic to these insect's venom:
• Bees – honeybees are the most common, and aren't aggressive unless provoked. They have hairy bodies with black and yellow markings. You'll find them mostly around clover and flowers. After they sting they die and often leave their stinger behind.
• Wasps – They come in red, black and brown, and sting repeatedly.
They are hairless with narrow waists that separate their chests from their long, lower slim bodies. Wasps prefer to build their nests under rafters and eaves of buildings.
• Hornets – You'll find them nesting in bushes or trees. They have short black bodies with white or yellow markings. They will sting repeatedly.
• Yellow Jackets – These bees are yellow with black markings and the most aggressive of the stinging insects, stinging repeatedly. They can be found hovering around exposed foods, maybe at a picnic or even your garbage can. They like to nest in the ground.
• Fire Ants – They live mostly in the southeast part of the United States and if you happen to walk on their nest they'll sting you! They can sting you repeatedly in a circle by biting into your skin. While their head and jaw are locked in place, they quickly walk their abdomen and rear stinger in a wide arc, stinging repeatedly in a circle. Alternatively, it may leave a stripe of stings in its path as it runs across your leg.

Symptoms

Without an allergy reaction:
• Burning pain
• Swelling
• Redness
• Itching around the skin in the sting area.

Severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) :
Can cause any of the symptoms of mild allergy
(such as hives or hay fever symptoms); in addition, it can result in –

• Difficulty breathing
• Rapid swelling of your lips or throat
• Wheezing
• Throat tightness
• Difficulty breathing
• Hoarseness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Lightheadedness
• Passing out due to low blood pressure
• Swelling around the eyes

Severe reactions can affect the whole body and may occur very quickly, often within minutes. These severe reactions can be rapidly fatal if untreated. Call 911 if you are with someone who has trouble breathing or goes into shock.

Some spider bites, like those of the black widow or brown recluse, are also serious and can be life-threatening. Most spider bites, however, are harmless. If bitten by an insect or spider, bring it for identification if this can be done quickly and safely.

Prevention and Treatment
The best way to avoid an allergic reaction to insect venom is to avoid getting stung.
Keep your distance!

• Avoid areas where insects hangout, such as gardens, fruit trees, hedges and garbage cans (keep tighly sealed)

• Avoid wearing perfume, colognes, or other fragrances, suntan lotion, cosmetics, hair spray and scented deodorant.

• During a picnic, keep food covered until it's time to eat, and then clean up quickly afterwards.

• If you come in contact with them, back away from them slowly. Don't swat at them, or make sudden movements, it could trigger them to attack.

• Bright colored and floral patterned clothing attract flying insects. Dress in white, khaki and other light colors, keeping in mind that insects can become trapped in loose-fitting clothing. Avoid sandals, choose closed-toe shoes instead.

• If you have left your car windows open, check to make sure you don't have any flying insects inside. To prevent stings while you're on the road, run your air conditioner with the windows closed. It's a good idea to keep a can of insecticide in your car too.

Advertise if you're allergic
If you know you are allergic to insect venom, wear a MedicAlert or other type of medical identification. To order MedicAlert identification, call 800-ID-ALERT. Many people with insect-venom or food allergies carry a small kit containing a syringe of epinephrine (adrenaline) to inject if they begin to develop signs of an anaphylactic reaction.
Scrape out the stinger
If you get stung by a honeybee, scrape out the stinger with a credit card or a long fingernail. If you try to pull it out, you'll squeeze the venom sac and accidentally release more venom. Scraping it out leaves the venom sac undisturbed.
To ease the pain of a sting, take a pain reliever such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin. Children should never be given aspirin because of the risk of Reye's syndrome, a rare, but life-threatening illness.

Get your shots
Once you've had a severe reaction to a stinging insect, you have about a 60 percent chance of having another anaphylactic reaction if stung again.
You can reduce your risk with immunotherapy, also called "desensitization" or "allergy shots", in which you get injections of diluted venom from the same insect that causes your allergic reaction.

Source: intelihealth.com