Bumblebees, along with bees, are useful insects. They are engaged in pollination of plants. By their nature, these are peace-loving creatures. However, like many other inhabitants of the animal world, in a dangerous situation they quite aggressively defend their home.

Important! Only female bumblebees can bite people. The verb "bite" is used conditionally, since the bumblebee releases poison through the sting, and this is where the unpleasant sensations begin.

What to do after a bite

The poison is the most dangerous for allergy sufferers. The main signs of an allergic reaction:

  1. Swelling, redness, and itching that spreads from the wound to healthy areas of the skin;
  2. Rash all over the body;
  3. Nausea and vomiting;
  4. Dizziness;
  5. Shortness of breath, lack of oxygen;
  6. Pain when swallowing;
  7. Heartburn attack;
  8. Convulsions and loss of consciousness;
  9. At the most severe stage, anaphylactic shock is possible - a pathological condition caused by repeated ingestion of the allergen into the body. In this case, immediate hospitalization is required.

With such symptoms, you cannot treat yourself on your own; only a doctor can provide qualified assistance. If an allergic reaction is not observed, then you can do without medical assistance.

Its useful to note! Regardless of the presence or absence of an allergic reaction, children, pregnant and lactating women, as well as people who have received a bite in the neck, mouth and eyes, need a mandatory medical examination.

After a bumblebee bite, it is forbidden to touch and scratch the wound. It is forbidden to kill an insect. A squashed bumblebee releases an active enzyme that attracts its flock. This can provoke a massive attack by a colony of bumblebees on a person. You can not drink alcohol and take sleeping pills. In addition, you do not need to take a hot shower, bath or go to the bathhouse. Expansion of blood vessels entails the active spread of toxins throughout the body. Also, do not try to relieve the burning sensation with the help of non-sterile improvised means, as there is a risk of blood poisoning.

Home first aid

If a person got a bumblebee bite, what to do at home:

  1. Initial examination for the presence of a sting. If it remains in the skin, then you need to take tweezers, sterilize it and carefully remove it. It is forbidden to do this procedure with your hands, as you can infect. In addition, it is not always possible with your fingers to grab a small sting the first time, from this it can go even deeper under the skin.
  2. In the place where the bumblebee stung, it is necessary to carry out antiseptic treatment (with peroxide, Miramistin, iodine) in order to remove all possible contamination.
  3. In order to remove pain and redness, it is recommended to apply a cold compress or ice. Exposure to cold slows down the movement of blood, so the bumblebee venom is more slowly dispersed throughout the body.
  4. In order to draw out the bumblebee venom from the body, a piece of sugar moistened with water is applied to the bite site.
  5. Regardless of whether there is an allergy or not, as a preventive measure, you need to take antihistamines, such as Suprastin, Zodak and others.
  6. Bumblebee venom releases toxins in the human body. To remove them, it is necessary to increase the consumption of liquid (pure water) to 2-3 liters per day. In addition, you need to replace the usual drinks with green and chamomile tea, as well as freshly squeezed juices. These drinks accelerate the elimination of toxins from the body.

In most cases, these measures are sufficient. The first vivid symptoms of a bumblebee bite disappear after 3-4 days. On this, the treatment of the bite can be stopped.But in some cases, recovery is delayed, so you have to take additional measures.

The best treatments

If the discomfort does not go away after being bitten by a bumblebee, what to do at home to alleviate the painful condition? You can heal a wound in the eye area with a tea bag compress. Pour boiling water over a fresh tea bag, take it out of the mug and cool it to a comfortable temperature. Then applied to the bite site. The tea leaves not only relieve itching and burning, but also remove puffiness. You can get rid of irritation with the help of decoctions based on calendula and chamomile soothing the skin. Dry flowers are poured with boiling water and infused. Then the natural tissue is soaked in infusion and applied to the wound. In addition, the infusion can be taken orally as a sedative.

There are many recipes for how to treat a bumblebee sting:

  • Finely chopped onion compress;
  • Applying crushed plantain leaves to the skin (you need to grind it so that the plant sap penetrates the skin better);
  • Rubbing the wound with an infusion of lemon juice and vodka (1 tablespoon fresh juice for 200 ml of vodka to insist for several hours);
  • Lubricating the skin with honey with squeezed garlic (1: 1);
  • You can soothe your skin with olive oil;
  • Applying a compress of grated potatoes, cucumber and apple;
  • Aloe pulp compress. Cut off a fresh leaf from the plant, remove the dense peel, and apply soft tissues to the wound;
  • Baking soda diluted with water to a mushy state;
  • Milk ice removes edema, soothes;
  • Rinse the wound under running cold water and spread with a banana (it is better to take an overripe fruit, it has a soft texture). The procedure must be repeated every 2 hours;
  • The dandelion leaf compress removes redness. The sheet is washed with water and applied to the affected area, fixed with a cloth or bandage. After 2-3 hours, the compress needs to be renewed. The exposure time is until the redness of the skin is removed. In addition to dandelion, parsley and basil can be applied in the same way;
  • Activated carbon is ground into powder and mixed with 1 tsp. water. The resulting gruel must be smeared on a bite and wrapped in foil so that the product does not dry out;
  • The inflammatory process can be stopped with a wet Validol tablet applied to the bite.

In addition to folk methods, you can use homeopathic medicines that reduce the activity of toxic substances. These include Ledum, Apis Mellifika and Urtica Urens. It is not recommended to apply ointments, gels and creams immediately after the bite. Means such as Fenistil and Advantan can be connected after a few days to eliminate itching and burning.

Prevention

Bumblebees are friendly and social insects. In a calm atmosphere, they are engaged in pollination in the presence of people and do not fly up themselves. They only decide to attack in a stressful situation. Care should be taken to prevent possible contact:

  1. Do not try to catch, touch or chase him away by waving his arms;
  2. At specialized apiaries, you need to be only in protective clothing and a mosquito net;
  3. Be careful when eating fruits and sweets on the street;
  4. Do not attract the attention of bumblebees with bright (especially blue) clothing and active perfume;
  5. Work on the site with gloves, walk in shoes;
  6. During the period of insect activity, hang windows and doors in the house with a protective net;
  7. Bumblebees react to the smell of sweat and metal oxidation when in contact with the skin (jewelry).

It is important to know! The risk of an allergic reaction is much greater with a second bite. This is due to the fact that the body is already toxic after the first bite, so the concentration of the poison increases.

Don't panic after being bitten by a bumblebee. Exacerbation of the situation occurs in rare cases. Most often, preventive measures and home treatment help to successfully cope with the bite.At the same time, if pus has formed near the wound a few days after the bite, a general weakness of the body is felt, as well as in case of a bite in delicate areas (in the mouth, near the eyes) or in case of a massive attack of insects, you need to seek help from a doctor. In rare cases, with untimely medical intervention, it can be fatal.