Now summer is in full swing, the sun is shining, flowers are blooming, and bees are buzzing, but that’s not the only thing buzzing…the dreaded wasps are out too. The pesky insects are kinda mean and love to get in your face. And if you’re unlucky, you may get stung and insect bites are incredibly itchy and painful. But don’t worry, we have all the info you need on wasp sting treatment!
What attracts wasps?
Wasps are pesky little insects that wear yellow jackets. They fly in your face, fly clumsily into your house and can’t find the way out and they have no sense of personal space, kinda like flies. But the huge difference is, that you can’t just easily swat the wasp away, because it may come back to sting you. No one really wants that…
But what attracts wasps in the first place? It’s said that wasps are attracted to a few different things. Like the flowering plants and the smell of nectar. So, if you’ve planted a bunch of flowers in your garden, it most likely will attract all kinds of insects like the wasp, but also honey bees and butterflies! It’s not all bad.
Although, if you have a strong-smelling perfume, maybe one that smells like flowers, you could also be attracting them that way too. Other suggestions are sweet-smelling drinks/food, foods rich in protein, ripe fruit and apparently bright colours too! Like yellow, orange or floral patterned clothes. Whether this is true or not (because others say they don’t see colour), you can still avoid them if you’re visiting somewhere that is abuzz.
The most common species of wasp you’ll find in the UK are yellow jackets or German wasp. Both annoying and both with painful stings…
What should I do if I get stung by a wasp?
If you have no allergies to the wasp sting, then this is a positive. And your wasp sting treatment will be straightforward and you should feel better in a couple of hours or days.
Here’s what to do when stung:
- Remove the sting with a tweezer or a credit card
- Wash the area well and apply a cold compress (whether it’s a damp cloth or an ice pack). Hold it on the area for at least 10 minutes.
- You should try to raise or elevate the area as this will help reduce the swelling.
- Try not to scratch the sting as you don’t want to risk of infection!
- Apply some hydrocortisone cream or soothing aloe vera. And avoid alternative home remedies like vinegar or bicarbonate of soda, as the acidity of vinegar can aggravate the sting.
If the sting doesn’t reduce or elevate in the next couple of days, despite using a cold pack then it’s worth a trip to the pharmacist for some over-the-counter products. Like antihistamine tablets, antihistamine creams or medication.
If you do have an allergic reaction, then seek medical attention asap.
Symptoms of a wasp sting
If you think you’ve been stung by a bee, wasp or an insect, you could get the following symptom:
- A red, swollen lump on the skin (it may be itchy or painful)
Although if you, unfortunately, have a wasp allergy and are allergic to them you then may show more severe reactions:
- You could go into an anaphylactic shock
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Fast heart rate
- Swollen glands, face or mouth and difficulty swallowing
- You could possibly go into a shock position
- Loss of consciousness
If you are presenting these allergic reactions, it’s important to seek immediate medical attention. So you can receive emergency medical treatment for the insect stings.
How to prevent insect bites and wasp stings
There are a few actions you can do to prevent the opportunity for a wasp sting. It’s said that wasps don’t like the smell of mint, due to the menthol. It’s not scientifically proven, but it’s worth trying! So, you can spray this in entryways and windows or perhaps have an oil diffuser.
But these are the more proven methods of prevention:
- Don’t wear strongly scented products, such as perfumes, soaps, shampoos and deodorants
- Apply insect repellent to exposed skin
- Wear shoes outdoors and cover exposed skin (if very allergic to insect bites). Otherwise, just be careful
- Remain calm if a wasp, bee or hornet approaches you. Don’t swat at them or wave your arms
Things To Remember…
It’s vital that if you are travelling abroad that you fully research any precautions you need to take. Especially if you’re visiting a country that has a high risk of serious illness i.e malaria.
And if you do have allergies to wasps, make sure you always carry antihistamine medication for an immediate wasp sting treatment.
Hopefully, this article was informative and you can now be aware of what attracts wasps and how to prevent them! They’ll be around in full swing until at least September, so be careful when out and about, especially when gardening.
Looking for outdoor activities? Or perhaps, activities you can do indoors to avoid wasps altogether? We’ve got you. You can either visit some fantastic museums, have a bounce on some trampoline parks, discover 100+ activities you can do at home or play some different board games!