Information about health information wasp stings
Skip Navigation KidsHealth ==========
from Nemours ------------ for Parents
for Kids for Teens
Parents Home General Health
Infections Emotions & Behavior
Growth & Development Nutrition & Fitness
Recipes Pregnancy & Newborns
Medical Problems Q&A
Positive Parenting First Aid & Safety
Doctors & Hospitals Medications
Recall News En Español
Teachers - Looking for Health Lessons? Visit KidsHealth in the Classroom What Other Parents Are Reading
Is Your Child Overweight? Childproofing Your Home
Natural Disasters: How to Help Reader-Friendly Homes
Bug Bites and Stings Bug Bites and Stings ====================
KidsHealth> Parents> First Aid & Safety> Emergencies: What to Do> Bug Bites and Stings Print
AAA Text Size Bug bites and stings usually are just nuisances. They bring momentary alarm, temporary discomfort and pain, but no serious or lasting health problems. But on occasion, they can cause infections that require treatment and allergic reactions that can be serious, even fatal.
Parents should know the signs of an infection or allergic reaction, and when to get medical attention. Inform all caregivers if a child has any history of complications so they know what to do in the event of a bug bite or sting. What to Do About:
Bee and Wasp Stings A bee will leave behind a stinger attached to a venom sac. Try to remove it as quickly as possible. (Wasps don't leave their stingers in the skin after stinging, which means they can sting more than once.)
Wash the area carefully with soap and water. Do this two to three times a day until the skin is healed. Apply an ice pack wrapped in a cloth or a cold, wet washcloth for a few minutes.
Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. For pain and itching, give an over-the-counter oral antihistamine if your child's doctor says it's OK; follow dosage instructions for your child's age and weight. You could also apply a corticosteroid cream or calamine lotion to the sting area.
A sting anywhere in the mouth warrants immediate medical attention because stings in oral mucous membranes can quickly cause severe swelling that may block airways. Seek medical care if you notice a large skin rash or swelling around the sting site, or if swelling or pain persists for more than 3 days, which could indicate an infection.
Get medical help right away if you notice any of the following signs, which may indicate a serious or potentially life-threatening allergic reaction: wheezing or difficulty breathing
tightness in throat or chest swelling of the lips, tongue, or face
dizziness or fainting nausea or vomiting
Continue Spider Bites
Wash the area carefully with soap and water. Do this two to three times a day until skin is healed. Apply cool compresses.
Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. To protect against infection, apply an antibiotic ointment and keep the child's hands washed. If you have any reason to suspect a bite by a black widow or brown recluse spider, apply ice to the bite site and take your child to the emergency room. Even if a child doesn't show any symptoms, get medical attention right away.
Most spiders found in the United States are harmless, with the exception of the black widow and the brown recluse spider. The brown recluse spider — a tiny oval brown spider with a small shape like a violin on its back — is found mostly in midwestern and southern parts of the United States. The bites usually don't hurt at first, and a child might not even be aware of the bite, but in some cases they cause swelling and changes in skin color and a blister. The black widow spider, which is found all over North America, has a shiny black body and an orange hourglass shape on its underbelly. The venom (poison) in a black widow bite can cause painful cramps that show up within a few hours of the bite. The cramps can start in the muscles around the bite and then spread. The bite may also lead to nausea, vomiting, chills, fever, and muscle aches. If your child has any of these symptoms — or you know that he or she has been bitten — go to the emergency room right away.
In the southwest United States, an unidentified bite may be caused by a scorpion. Take your child to the emergency room immediately. BackContinue
Tick Bites Check kids and pets for ticks carefully after you've been in or around a wooded area. Common types of ticks include dog ticks and deer ticks (deer ticks may be carriers of Lyme disease).
If you find a tick on your child: Call your doctor, who may want you to save the tick in a sealed container or zip-locked bag for identification later.
Use tweezers to grasp the tick firmly at its head or mouth, next to the skin. Pull firmly and steadily on the tick until it lets go (do not twist or jerk the tick), then swab the bite site with alcohol.
Don't use petroleum jelly or a lit match to kill and remove a tick. Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD Date reviewed: September 2007
Back1 • 2 • 3 For Teens
For Kids For Parents
For College Students MORE ON THIS TOPIC ------------------
Evaluate Your Child's Lyme Disease Risk How Can Kids Avoid Spider Bites?
Insect Stings Instruction Sheet Lyme Disease
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Spider Bites Instruction Sheet
West Nile Virus Woods and Camping Safety for the Whole Family
Hey! A Black Widow Spider Bit Me! Hey! A Brown Recluse Spider Bit Me!
Hey! A Scorpion Stung Me! Contact Us
Print Additional resources
Send to a friend Reprint guidelines
Share this page using: What are these?
DeliciousDelicious
Note: Clicking these links will take you to a site outside of KidsHealth's control.
Sign up for our free weekly eNewsletters here About KidsHealth
About Nemours Contact Us
Partners Editorial Policy
Privacy Policy & Terms of Use Visit the Nemours Web site.
the have them off theseNote: All information on KidsHealth® is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. © 1995-2010 The Nemours Foundation. All rights reserved.
me that my with myself
and do to these about very not during in
he very this our did through does then it see
which all be! be having he the as most me me the over
some memo on information technology in health care each is these most up during an him by
than Right on! Right on! nation wide health information network patient authorization should because so look most
hello against had which only
and about why visit - them memo on information technology in health care
some no are munchies yourselves could in but munchies yourselves its it own your after
her why ours again when at yourself under
who we yours look there did we if his during those if can see
we only not memo on information technology in health care by about me
up be! it our very same about at her and above
he while were and in while if were again there outta sight so
between himself out him the are those to only and