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| Insect Bites and Stings | Bites from insects that feed on your blood (e.g. mosquitoes) usually result in itchy spots or lumps that don't normally need any treatment, and vanish within a day or so. The same usually concerns for insect stings. If a sting is still visible in the wound, pluck it out with tweezers, or scraped out with a fingernail or something blunt like a credit card trying not to damage the venom sac that can be seen on bee stings.
The pain can be assuaged by applying a cold compress (a cloth soaked in iced water), or a cream or gel with a local anaesthetic such as benzocaine. A cream or ointment containing hydrocortisone can help reduce swelling. You can buy these medicines at a pharmacy.
Such insects as wasps, bees and hornets, sting if disturbed or attacked, do so to warn you off. Their bite is usually very painful and causes a swelling, but if you are allergic to the venom and it can develop a dangerous "anaphylactic reaction".
Urgent medical treatment is necessary for anyone who shows signs of having a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), or who has been stung by several insects at the same time, or has been stung in the mouth or throat (as the swelling can interfere with breathing). Sucking ice or sipping cold water can minimize swelling in the mouth or throat.
How to avoid insect bites and stings:
1. Wear insect repellent and if mosquitoes are a problem at night, sleep under a suitable net.
2. If out in the evening near water, wear long sleeves and trousers. You may also tuck trousers into socks or boots and shirts into trousers that should help.
3. Sweet foods and drinks attract wasps, so try to keep it covered up as much as possible.
How to avoid animal bites:
1. Do not approach stray or wild animals or goad any animals.
2. Do not disturb an animal while it is eating or sleeping and keep faces from getting close to any animal.
How to avoid snake bites:
Avoid snake bites by avoiding areas such as heathland where you may encounter them frequently. In an area where snakes are likely to be, wear boots and step heavily. Snakes can sense vibration of you approaching, so stepping heavily lets them know you are coming so that they can move away.
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