Bites and Stings

Consequences of venom from poisonous insects, spiders, marine life, and snakes range from minor to life threatening; anyone who spends time outdoors should be aware of the hazards.

Bee stings

Most stings from flying insects in the Hymenoptera family bees, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets are more of a nuisance than a health hazard. However, certain proteins excreted in their venom can cause potentially fatal allergic reactions in people who are hypersensitive to them.

Spiders and scorpions

Spiders to be concerned about are the black widow and brown recluse. Only the female black widow bites. Be especially wary if she is guarding an egg mass. Brown recluse, or violin, spiders hide in dark, out of the way places, including the folds of blankets or clothing, and will bite if disturbed. There are about 70 species of scorpions in North America. Their stings are painful, but not especially dangerous, unlike those of their cousins in tropical countries.

Sea creatures

Although bites and stings from marine life in coastal waters can be very painful, most are not poisonous. The primary exceptions are stingrays, the Portuguese man of war, and some types of jellyfish.

Snakes

About 45,000 Americans are bitten by snakes every year. Of this number, about 9,000 experience snake venom poisoning, but only about 15 deaths occur as a result. Two types of poisonous snakes are indigenous to the United States: pit vipers and coral snakes. A pit viper, which includes the rattlesnake, copper head, and cottonmouth (also called water moccasin), has a triangular head with a pit between the eyes and slit like pupils. The coral snake, a variety of cobra, has a rounded head and black rings bordered at both ends by bands of yellow . All other U.S. snakes, which also have round heads, are not poisonous. Their bites, however, can cause a painful infection if they go untreated.

Diagnostic Studies and Procedures

Diagnostic studies are not required to assess bites and stings. Instead, knowledge of what caused the bite and development of these symptoms indicate whether or not a bite is serious.

First Aid Insect Bites or Stings

1. If stung by a bee or other flying insect, remove the stinger by gently scraping the skin with a knife blade, fingernail, credit card, or similar object. Do not remove it with tweezers, because squeezing may force more venom into the body.

2. If the bite was from a spider or scorpion, keep the victim lying down with the area of the bite lower than the heart.

3. Wash the wound with soap and water, if available, and apply ice or cold compresses to the sting or bite area to slow the spread of the venom.

4. If the person has a known sensitivity to bee venom, find out if she is carrying a syringe of injectable adrenaline if so, use it immediately, and then go to a hospital emergency room.

5. If adrenaline is not available and signs of a severe allergic reaction develop, apply a constriction band as described under first aid for snake bites and get to a hospital emergency room right away.

After a bee sting

Signs of a hypersensitive reaction include severe swelling beyond the site of the bite, hives or other rash, severe itching, wheezing or other breathing problems, weakness or dizziness, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, severe anxiety, and possible loss of consciousness.

After a bite by a crawling insect

General signs of poisoning include a painful stinging or burning sensation when bitten, redness and swelling at the site of the bite, and worsening pain over the course of several hours. At the spot where a brown recluse spider has bitten, a blister develops and, within a day or two, chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, and weakness may occur, possibly followed by tissue death advancing over a wider area. A bite by a black widow spider causes profuse sweating, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, tightness in the chest, and difficulty in breathing.The area around a scorpion sting becomes numb and tingly; nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms (especially around the site of the bite) follow, and sometimes convulsions and shock.

After a marine bite or sting

Stingray venom produces immediate pain, which spreads rapidly over the next 90 minutes, this is followed by dizziness, weakness, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, sweating, anxiety, lymph node pain and, in the worst cases, difficulty in breathing and arrhythmias. Jellyfish or Portuguese man of war venom causes pain, itching, and long, red wheals on the skin, followed by weakness, nausea, headache, muscle pain and spasms, sweating, tearing, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. In some cases, shock may develop.

After a poisonous snake bite

If venom has been injected, there is usually pain and swelling, followed by skin discoloration. Severe poisoning is marked by general weakness or drowsiness, rapid pulse, increased salivation and sweating, breathing difficulty, blurred or dimming vision, swollen eyelids, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting, convulsions, and shock, possibly advancing to coma and death.