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21
Airedale
NHS Foundation Trust
Young Members’ newsletter
July 2016 • No. 23
Stopping
bugs from
bugging you
Buzzing bees,
marching ants and
swarms of midges are
becoming as much
a part of the British
summer as picnics and
ice creams. Get the lowdown on
these pesky creatures so you can
spot and avoid the ones waiting
to feast on you.
Ticks
Strictly speaking, these small spiderlike creatures aren’t insects, but
ticks are increasingly becoming an
unpleasant feature of strolls through
UK woods, moors or thick grass. Once
they’ve latched onto you, ticks cling to
your skin and suck your blood. The bite doesn’t
really hurt, but certain types of tick can transmit
a condition called Lyme disease. Therefore,
remove a tick as soon as you spot one on your
skin.
Wasps
The humble wasp can give a nasty sting if
it feels threatened, leading to itching and
swelling. And wasp stings aren’t always
harmless. Stings from wasps cause the most
allergic reactions in the UK.
You won’t have an allergic reaction after
your first sting by a wasp, but you can develop
a serious allergic reaction (also known as an
anaphylactic reaction) after one or more stings
have “sensitised” your system.
Prevent wasp stings: Don’t try to swat
wasps away. You’ll just make them cross
and more likely to sting you. Instead, calmly
and slowly move out of their way. Like other
stinging insects, wasps love bright colours so
wear white or neutral clothes to deter them.
Look out for wasps’ nests in your home or
garden and have them removed immediately by
your local council or a pest control expert when
you find them.
See a doctor if: you develop symptoms of a
serious allergic reaction.
Prevent tick bites: Wear long sleeves and
trousers when you’re walking in forested,
overgrown areas and use a tick repellent.
See a doctor if: you get a circular rash
spreading out from where you were bitten or
you develop the symptoms of Lyme disease.
YOUR HOSPITAL
Here to care
Stopping bugs from
bugging you
Bees
A bee sting feels similar to that of a wasp.
In the UK, we have two types of bees – honey
bees and bumble bees.
The honey bee leaves its barbed sting inside you
then dies. It’s important to remove the barb to stop
infection setting in.
Here’s how to remove a bee sting
As soon as you’ve been stung by a bee, remove the
sting and venom sac if it’s been left in your skin. Do
this by scraping it out, either with your fingernails or
something with a hard edge, such as a bank card.
When removing the sting, be careful not to
spread the venom further under your skin and don’t
puncture the venom sac.
Don’t pinch the sting out with your fingers or
a pair of tweezers because you may spread the
venom. If a child has been stung, an adult should
remove the sting.
Wasps and hornets don’t usually leave the sting
behind, so they could sting you again. If you’ve
been stung and the wasp or hornet is still in the
area, walk away calmly to avoid being stung again.
Basic treatment
Most insect bites and stings cause itching and
swelling that usually clears up within several hours.
Minor bites and stings can be treated by:
• washing the affected
area with soap and water
• placing a cold compress (a
flannel or cloth cooled with cold water) over the
affected area to reduce swelling
• not scratching the area as it can become
infected.
See your GP if the redness and itching gets worse
or doesn’t clear up after a few days.
Bumble bees do not have barbed stings and can
sting you many times if they want to. But bumble
bees aren’t aggressive and are unlikely to sting
unless provoked.
Bee stings are painful, but unless you have an
allergy to bees, they’re unlikely to cause serious
damage. If you’re allergic to wasp stings, don’t
assume you’ll also be allergic to bee venom. Bee
and wasp venoms are different and people who
are allergic to wasp venom are rarely allergic to bee
venom.
Prevent bee stings: Stay still and calm while
a bee buzzes around you. It’s a myth that bees
love sweet drinks. In fact they can’t ‘smell’ sugar
so they’re not attracted to sugary drinks. But they
don’t like certain odours, so avoid wearing perfume
or aftershave if you’re outside around bees.
See a doctor if: you develop symptoms of a
serious allergic reaction.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are a nuisance. Their bites cause
intense itching and swelling and spoil many
a picnic and camping trip. But while they
transmit deadly diseases in other parts of the
world, they don’t cause major harm in the UK.
Prevent mosquito bites: Smells and bright
colours attract insects. Avoid using scented
hand or body creams and strong perfumes and
sparkly, colourful jewellery if you’re going to
spend time outside. Insect repellents are also
effective. Don’t forget to cover up and use
repellent at night if you’re camping.
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Our most common ant, the black garden variety, doesn’t
sting, but the UK has red, wood and flying ants that do,
especially in warm weather or when threatened. You’ll feel a
nip, but it’s all pretty harmless as ants have less toxin in their
sting than wasps or bees. The only evidence you’ve been
stung will probably be a pale pink mark.
Prevent ant stings: Use over-the-counter ant repellent.
Midges
Spiders
Midges are common in the UK,
especially on damp and cloudy
summer days. Midge bites don’t
transmit illness but they’re painful,
itch intensely and can swell up
alarmingly.
Prevent midge bites: Midges
and gnats tend to attack in
swarms, especially in hot weather,
so use an insect repellent and cover
up at dawn and dusk.
You may be surprised to know that a number of spiders in
the UK are capable of giving a nasty nip – usually after rough
handling or if they become trapped in your clothes.
You can tell it’s a spider bite because it leaves little
puncture marks. According to the Natural History
Museum, false widow spiders, so-called because
of their similarity to the more poisonous black
widow spider, are the main culprits and typically
give bites that cause pain, redness and swelling.
Prevent spider bites: Don’t disturb spiders if you can help
it – they tend to bite you only when they feel threatened.
Horse flies
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A large, hairy fly whose bite can be extremely painful, the
horsefly tends to bite on warm, sunny days, especially the head
and upper body.
Prevent horsefly bites: The horsefly doesn’t spread disease,
but as its bite cuts the skin rather than piercing it, horse fly bites
are very painful, take longer to heal than other insect bites and
can easily become infected, so cover up and use insect repellent.
YOUR HOSPITAL
Here to care